Mirror Of Perfection
The words, with the exception of the Canticle of The Creatures, are settings of almost unknown poems by St Francis of Assisi. They cover a wide expressive and emotional range: from hope to despair, longing to acceptance, love to bitterness, delight in Creation to an impassioned plea for peace amongst mankind. The cantata is no pious word-setting of an ancient saint – rather it is a passionate and vibrant evocation of a man who remains a symbol of hope for millions of all faiths and none.

Vision of a Garden
When David Hill proposed a Bach Choir commission based on Peter Johnstone’s ICU diaries I was immediately drawn to his idea of composing a work to be written during the Covid-19 pandemic about one man’s direct and intense experience of it, an out of body experience he had in the ICU, and the care he received from the nursing staff.
Peter, was very patient and generous in allowing me to select entries that I felt could provide a satisfying musical structure, entries which could encompass the different stages of his experience, from delirium, crisis, lyrical reflection, to recovery and gratitude to his nurses.
Richard Blackford

In 2020 I spent nearly five months in hospital with Covid-19, and was in an intensive care unit for more than half that time. In October, when I went back to the hospital for a check-up, I was given two little booklets called ‘ICU Diaries’ which contained messages of support written by the nurses who looked after me in intensive care.
I find it astonishing that these people whom I never knew (and who didn’t know me as a person, but only as a bundle of unpleasant symptoms) could write such warm and personal messages. The text that the choir sings in ‘Vision of a Garden’ is taken from their words. Peter Johnstone