Errollyn Wallen's Mighty River

Sara Mohr-Pietsch explores the musical surrounds of the evocative Mighty River by the current Master of the King's Music, Errollyn Wallen.

Mighty River was written in 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of England's Slave Trade Act. Composer Errollyn Wallen was born in Belize but grew up in London and has lived her whole life close to the water - both rivers and oceans which were part of the transatlantic slave trade over hundreds of years of human history and which touched her own family directly. In this episode, you'll hear music from other composers whose lives were impacted by slavery; from Ignatio Sancho and Joseph Bologne to Florence Price.

Our destination piece explores the themes of slavery and freedom through the idea of a ‘mighty river’ – an unstoppable force heading for the ocean, just like the innate human desire to be free. Today's Music Map features other hymns to freedom; from Brahms and Beethoven to Dmitri Shostakovich and Oscar Peterson.

To listen to this programme on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map'.