The murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170 provided the theme for David Reeves’ Oratorio ‘BECKET – THE KISS OF PEACE’, a dramatic and universal work created at the turn of the new millennia in 1999 (the Studio Recording made in that year) with a premiere live performance in aid of the Prince’s Trust presented in Canterbury Cathedral a few feet from the murder site in 2000. The work was in contrast to that earlier titled ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ by T.S. Eliot, being a musical oratorio rather than a play, the first musical approach of its kind covering the story of Archbishop Thomas Becket’s murder in his Cathedral.

Two iconic recordings have been made of the oratorio which covers the story and events leading to the murder and the penance of Henry II immediately after the murder. In his review Sir David Willcocks former Director of Music King’s College Cambridge wrote, “In BECKET – The Kiss of Peace the gifted Australian composer David Reeves has produced a score (to) give great pleasure to choral societies and audiences around the world.

The two classic recordings are both released through English Gramophone and are available individually, or as a package under the title ‘The David Reeves’ BECKET RECORDINGS’.