The Belly of the Whale [CF:PE024S]

Well within the technical abilities of many amateur and semi-professional choirs, Cresswell's unaccompanied choral work The Belly of the Whale (1997) is a song about freedom and deliverance through the medium of its spiritual text. Initially spare and searching, in its second, faster section Cresswell adds a dose of contemporary harmony to the gospel tradition, at once oblique, unsettling and rousing. This is a rewarding repertoire choice for both a concert setting and church context.