A new Christmas carol composed by Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman with text by children's author Michael Morpurgo We Were There is arranged for SSA Chorus and Piano. The work was commissioned by Liverpool Philharmonic for their 175th anniversary and first performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth on the 18th of December 2014. Portman's work gained a rapturous reception with critics and audiences praising its pretty melodies and the text by the master of fiction Michael Morpurgo. This Christmas carol makes a fantastically fresh antidote to the tired old favourites and it will definitelybe a hit with audiences who will love the new sound and the divine melodies. It'll certainly be a hit at any Christmas concert. In the September 2015 issue of Organists' Review David Lindley wrote that We Were There 'would make an agreeable piece for a school carol service and should be well within the abilities of a reasonably competent group.' An equally good review from the September 2015 issue of Sunday by Sunday from the Royal School of Church Music states that 'choirs will enjoy this attractive and effective piece.'
