Heard: a new audio-drama
‘Heard’ is a new audio-drama by Anna Semple and Gareth Mattey, sung by the Corvus Consort. Somewhere between an opera and a radio-play, ‘Heard’ explores the meaning of community and the insidiousness that festers therein.
The Corvus Consort and Ferio Saxophone Quartet present a programme of Baroque and Renaissance music reimagined for choir and saxophones, including works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Michael Bach, Johann Christoph Bach, Arcangelo Corelli, Henry Purcell, William Byrd, Orlande de Lassus and Heinrich Schütz.
New transcriptions and arrangements make use of the saxophone’s quasi-vocal timbre to blur the distinction between voices and instruments, intensifying the ensemble’s blend and creating a heightened sense of unity throughout the music. Alongside these new arrangements, the Corvus Consort sings Baroque and Renaissance works in their untouched forms, and the Ferio Saxophone Quartet performs items from their 2018 disc of instrumental Baroque transcriptions ‘Revive’.
Victoria O quam gloriosum
Aleotti Surge, propera amica mea
De la Rue O salutaris hostia
Rossini O salutaris hostia
Pärt The Deer's Cry
Weir Love bade me welcome
Finzi Clear and gentle stream, op. 17/4
Baker Stone Universe (world premiere)
Brahms Abendständchen, op. 42/1
Lachner Abendruhe, op. 141/2
J. M. Bach Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Ramsey How are the mighty fallen
J. C. Bach Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben
Victoria O quam gloriosum
Aleotti Surge, propera amica mea
De la Rue O salutaris hostia
Rossini O salutaris hostia
Pärt The Deer's Cry
Weir Love bade me welcome
Finzi Clear and gentle stream, op. 17/4
Baker Stone Universe (world premiere)
Brahms Abendständchen, op. 42/1
Lachner Abendruhe, op. 141/2
J. M. Bach Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Ramsey How are the mighty fallen
J. C. Bach Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben
Festival Eucharist service.
Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli
Palestrina Tu es Petrus
Vivaldi Laudate Dominum, RV 606
Vivaldi Gloria in D major, RV 589
With the Festival String Quartet and participants in the Come&Sing workshop.
Festival Compline service.
Obrecht Salve Regina
MacMillan Ave Maris Stella
Rachmaninov Bogoroditse Devo
Plainchant Ave maris stella
Victoria Ave maris stella
Byrd Ave verum corpus
Lassus Prophetiae Sibyllarum (selection)
Morales O magnum mysterium
Melgás Salve Regina
Victoria O vos omnes
Palestrina Sicut cervus
Improvisation on Church Bells with Flute and Saxophone
Byrd Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
Byrd Agnus Dei, from Mass for Three Voices
Tallis Sancte Deus
De la Rue O salutaris hostia
Plainchant Kyrie De Angelis
Plainchant Ave maris stella
Victoria Ave maris stella
Byrd Ave verum corpus
Lassus Prophetiae Sibyllarum (selection)
Morales O magnum mysterium
Melgás Salve Regina
Victoria O vos omnes
Palestrina Sicut cervus
Improvisation on Church Bells with Flute and Saxophone
Byrd Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
Byrd Agnus Dei, from Mass for Three Voices
Tallis Sancte Deus
De la Rue O salutaris hostia
Plainchant Kyrie De Angelis
The Ferio Saxophone Quartet's fourth album for Chandos, in collaboration with vocal ensemble the Corvus Consort, features Baroque and Renaissance works in new transcriptions and arrangements for voices and saxophones, as well as works by living composers.
An hour-long concert of festive choral music old and new, including the live performance premieres of 12 brand new miniature carols originally commissioned by the Corvus Consort as part of their “Twelve Composers Composing” project for Christmas 2020.
These two outstanding ensembles join forces, combining saxophones and voices to provide a totally new perspective on Baroque and Renaissance vocal works plus favourites from Vaughan Williams. The evening, which also features music performed by Corvus Consort or Ferio alone, closes with an especially commissioned arrangement of Vaughan William’s Cantata, In Windsor Forest, for Choir and Saxophone Quartet.
G. Gabrieli O magnum mysterium, arr. Freddie Crowley
Bach Zion hört die Wächter singen, from Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, arr. Freddie Crowley
Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G major, BWV 1048, arr. Iain Farrington
J. M. Bach Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil, arr. Freddie Crowley
Bach Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist, from Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138, arr. Freddie Crowley
Handel Water Music Suite no. 3 in G major, HWV 350, Minuet II, arr. Iain Farrington
Schütz Ich weiss das mein Erlöser lebt, from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11, arr. Freddie Crowley
Purcell Rondeau from Abdelazer Suite, Z. 570, arr. Iain Farrington
J. C. Bach Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben
Bach Jesus bleibet meine Freude, from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, arr. Freddie Crowley
Interval
Lago Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, from The Wordsworth Poems
Lago With ships the sea was sprinkled, from The Wordsworth Poems
Vaughan Williams Three Shakespeare Songs
Vaughan Williams In Windsor Forest, arr. Freddie Crowley
Reproaches, Lamentation & Penitence
An hour-long concert of choral music for Lent, exploring themes of repentance, lamentation and petitions for mercy.
Works by Renaissance masters are cast alongside music from the present day, including two settings of text from the 'Improperia' or 'Reproaches' published over 400 years apart. Featuring music by renowned 16th-century composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, as well as their lesser-known contemporaries Sulpitia Cesis, an Italian lutenist-composer and nun, and Vicente Lusitano, whose 1555 book of motets makes him Europe's first published composer of African descent. Early music sits shoulder-to-shoulder with works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including James MacMillan's masterful 'Miserere', which reimagines Gregorio Allegri's iconic setting of the same text into a rich contemporary soundworld full of drama, beauty and deep emotional outpouring.
Tallis Sancte Deus
Sanders The Reproaches
Lusitano Emendemus in melius
Cesis Stabat Mater
Crowley Stabat Mater
Byrd Civitas sancti tui
MacMillan Miserere
Reproaches, Lamentation & Penitence
An hour-long concert of choral music for Lent, exploring themes of repentance, lamentation and petitions for mercy.
Works by Renaissance masters are cast alongside music from the present day, including two settings of text from the 'Improperia' or 'Reproaches' published over 400 years apart. Featuring music by renowned 16th-century composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, as well as their lesser-known contemporaries Sulpitia Cesis, an Italian lutenist-composer and nun, and Vicente Lusitano, whose 1555 book of motets makes him Europe's first published composer of African descent. Early music sits shoulder-to-shoulder with works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including James MacMillan's masterful 'Miserere', which reimagines Gregorio Allegri's iconic setting of the same text into a rich contemporary soundworld full of drama, beauty and deep emotional outpouring.
Tallis Sancte Deus
Sanders The Reproaches
Lusitano Emendemus in melius
Cesis Stabat Mater
Crowley Stabat Mater
Byrd Civitas sancti tui
MacMillan Miserere
Reproaches, Lamentation & Penitence
An hour-long concert of choral music for Lent, exploring themes of repentance, lamentation and petitions for mercy.
Works by Renaissance masters are cast alongside music from the present day, including two settings of text from the 'Improperia' or 'Reproaches' published over 400 years apart. Featuring music by renowned 16th-century composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, as well as their lesser-known contemporaries Sulpitia Cesis, an Italian lutenist-composer and nun, and Vicente Lusitano, whose 1555 book of motets makes him Europe's first published composer of African descent. Early music sits shoulder-to-shoulder with works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including James MacMillan's masterful 'Miserere', which reimagines Gregorio Allegri's iconic setting of the same text into a rich contemporary soundworld full of drama, beauty and deep emotional outpouring.
Tallis Sancte Deus
Sanders The Reproaches
Lusitano Emendemus in melius
Cesis Stabat Mater
Crowley Stabat Mater
Byrd Civitas sancti tui
MacMillan Miserere
The Corvus Consort presents an improvisatory exploration of Renaissance soundworlds in collaboration with Music on the Edge.
At the centre of the programme sits a selection of vocal music by some of Renaissance Europe’s most masterful composers, which will be extended and embellished by the saxophone and flute of Chris Caldwell and Susie Hodder-Williams of Music on the Edge. The harmonic language of the Renaissance lends itself effortlessly to a treatment of improvisation and experimentation that casts this music in a fresh and emotionally-heightened light.
In addition, medieval plainchant will feature as a starting point for both voices and instruments as part of improvisatory episodes that will begin and end the concert. The programme will also incorporate Renaissance choral works performed by the Corvus Consort alone.
Plainchant Ave maris stella
Victoria Ave maris stella
Byrd Ave verum corpus
Lassus Prophetiae Sibyllarum (selection)
Morales O magnum mysterium
Melgás Salve Regina
Victoria O vos omnes
Palestrina Sicut cervus
Byrd Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
Byrd Agnus Dei, from Mass for Three Voices
Improvisation on Church Bells with Flute and Saxophone
Tallis Sancte Deus
De la Rue O salutaris hostia
Plainchant Kyrie De Angelis
Max Reger - Morgengesang, op. 138, no. 2
Robert Lucas Pearsall - Take, O take those lips away
Robert Lucas Pearsall - Light of my soul
Robert Lucas Pearsall - There is a paradise on Earth
Johannes Brahms - Fünf Gesänge, op. 104
Gustav Holst - Light Leaves Whisper
Max Reger - Nachtlied, op. 138, no. 3
Judith Weir - Love bade me welcome
Alec Roth - I will move thee
Alec Roth - Men & Angels
Rebecca Clarke - Ave Maria
Franz Lachner - Ave Maria, op. 141/4
Gerald Finzi - I praise the tender flower, op. 17/1
Gerald Finzi - Clear and gentle stream, op. 17/4
Gerald Finzi - Haste on, my joys, op. 17/6
Gerald Finzi - Nightingales, op. 17/5
Max Bruch - Morgengesang, op. 71, no. 7
Louise Thomson (harp) and the Corvus Consort
Imogen Holst - Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Hilary Campbell - Our endless day
Esther Swift - Time Spinner
Amy Beach - Dusk in June
Gustav Holst - Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)
John Hearne - Alba
Josef Rheinberger: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Gustav Holst: Two Eastern Pictures
Hilary Campbell: Our endless day
Esther Swift: Time Spinner
Amy Beach: Dusk in June
Imogen Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Gustav Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)
Marcel Grandjany: Rhapsodie
Olivia Sparkhall: Lux aeterna
Gustav Holst: Ave Maria
John Hearne: Alba
Corvus Consort is the Ensemble in Residence at the festival. Details of all of the festival events can be found here.
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Jesus bleibet meine Freude, from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147
Andrea Gabrieli, arr. Freddie Crowley: O salutaris hostia
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Zion hört die Wächter singen, from Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Owain Park: Miserere after Allegri
Johann Michael Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Ich weiss das main Erlöser lebt
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist, from Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138
James MacMillan, arr. Freddie Crowley: Christus vincit
"Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnet unter uns , from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11"
Ralph Vaughan Williams, arr. Freddie Crowley: In Windsor Forest
Corvus Consort with Harry Baker (piano)
Harry Baker: I call to you
Jonathan Dove: The Passing of the Year
Anna Semple: Tithonus and the Dawn (string quartet) – new commission
Performance by Come&Sing choir
Performance by Schoolchildren choir
Anna Semple: Darting (choirs and piano) – new commission
‘Music from the Bach Family’ – featuring performances by the world-renowned violinist Rachel Podger and by the sixteen voices of Corvus Consort
Sumptuous choral music and virtuosic solo violin combine in a beautiful setting to showcase the incredible musicality of the extensive Bach family. This concert offers a rare opportunity to hear world-renowned violinist Rachel Podger (frequently heard on BBC Radio 3 and across the world) perform a complete Partita and Sonata by J. S. Bach, widely regarded as the greatest music ever written for solo violin.
“There is probably no more inspirational musician working today than Podger”
Gramophone Magazine
“The Corvus Consort is a marvel: glorious voices, expressive singing, highly creative and imaginative programming, inspired direction!”
Simon Carrington, founder member of The King’s Singers
Taking full advantage of the glorious acoustic of St. Mary’s Church, Rachel Podger (the globally-recognised interpreter of music from the late Baroque era) performs two of Bach’s greatest works for solo violin. Both the Sonata No. 1 and Partita No. 3 showcase Bach’s masterful writing for the violin, with meticulously-constructed lines carving out soaring melodies and eloquent harmonies.
These spellbinding performances are each bookended with beautiful choral music by J. S. Bach and other members of his highly-musical family, sung by the sixteen glorious voices of the Corvus Consort, directed by Freddie Crowley. Featuring J. S. Bach’s most famous choral motet Jesu, meine Freude, a long-standing favourite with audiences worldwide, the programme also includes lesser-known works by his brilliantly-talented older cousins Johann Michael and Johann Christoph, including the heartrendingly beautiful Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil.
Johann Michael Bach: Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Johann Sebastian Bach: Ich lasse dich nicht, BWV Anh. 159
Johann Michael Bach: Ich weiss das mein Erlöser lebt
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No. 1 for solo violin in G minor, BWV 1001
Johann Christoph Bach: Merk auf, mein Herz
Johann Michael Bach: Halt, was du hast
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 3 for solo violin in E major, BWV 1006
Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227
Rachel Podger (violin)
Corvus Consort
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No. 1 for solo violin in G minor, BWV 1001
Johann Sebastian Bach: Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 1 for solo violin in B minor, BWV 1002
Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No. 2 for solo violin in A minor, BWV 1003
Johann Sebastian Bach: Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226
Part of a mini-festival at Exeter Cathedral featuring J. S. Bach's complete choral Motets and Sonatas/Partitas for solo violin.
Rachel Podger (violin)
Corvus Consort
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No. 3 for solo violin in C major, BWV 1005
Johann Sebastian Bach: Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden, BWV 230
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 3 for solo violin in E major, BWV 1006
Johann Sebastian Bach: Fürchte dich nicht, BWV 228
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 2 for solo violin in D minor, BWV 1004
Johann Sebastian Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229
Part of a mini-festival at Exeter Cathedral featuring J. S. Bach's complete choral Motets and Sonatas/Partitas for solo violin.
Corvus Consort and Ferio Saxophone Quartet join forces to present a programme drawn from their critically-acclaimed album ‘Revoiced’, released on Chandos Records in 2022. Exploring the magical blend of saxophones and voices, the combined ensemble brings new colours to Baroque and Renaissance music, and features contemporary works composed and arranged specially for ‘Revoiced’.
Described as “one of the most innovative and adventurous vocal ensembles presently performing”, the Corvus Consort is a young vocal ensemble based in the UK, fast becoming known for its exciting instrumental collaborations.
Signed to Chandos Records, with whom they have released four acclaimed discs, the Ferio Saxophone Quartet frequently appears at the UK’s leading venues and festivals, and consistently receives a highly enthusiastic reception from audiences and critics alike.
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Jesus bleibet meine Freude, from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147
Sarah Rimkus, arr. Sarah Rimkus: Mater Dei
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist, from Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138
George Frideric Handel, arr. Iain Farrington: Water Minuet II, from Music Suite no. 3 in G major, HWV 350
Andrea Gabrieli, arr. Freddie Crowley: O salutaris hostia
Johann Michael Bach: Nun treten wir ins neue Jahr
Johann Michael Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Ich weiss das main Erlöser lebt
Owain Park: Miserere after Allegri
Henry Purcell, arr. Iain Farrington: Rondeau from Abdelazer Suite, Z. 570
Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Selig sind die Toten, from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Zion hört die Wächter singen, from Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Johann Michael Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit, from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11
Johann Christoph Bach: Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben
James MacMillan, arr. Freddie Crowley: Christus vincit
"Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnet unter uns , from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11"
"Byrd Takes Flight"
Corvus Consort
Music on the Edge
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Roderick Williams: Ave verum corpus re-imagined
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated (world premiere)
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper (world premiere)
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate (world premiere)
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus (world premiere)
Women's Voices
Corvus Consort upper voices
Louise Thomson (harp)
Imogen Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Hilary Campbell: Our endless day
Carol J Jones: All shall be well
Gustav Holst: Two Eastern Pictures
Amy Beach: Three Flower Songs, Op. 31
Gemma McGregor: Love Was His Meaning
Olivia Sparkhall: Lux aeterna
Gustav Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)
Bach: Then & Now
Knut Nystedt: Immortal Bach
Harry Baker: Piano improvisation based on Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major
Caroline Shaw: Punctum (for string quartet )
Harry Baker: I call to you
Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227
Nathan James Dearden: New commission based on Bach's Unfinished Prelude, BWV 932
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Ward Swingle: Organ Fugue in G minor, BWV 578, arranged for voices
Corvus Consort
Harry Baker (piano)
Festival String Quartet
Festival Compline
Jean Mouton: Salva nos, Domine
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
Gabriel Jackson: Salve Regina
Tomás Luis de Victoria: O quam gloriosum
Raffaella Aleotti: Surge, propera amica mea
Jonathan Dove: In Beauty May I Walk
James MacMillan: Dominus dabit benignitatem
William Byrd: Diliges Dominum
Judith Weir: Ave Regina caelorum
Anna Semple: Ad te, Domine
Arvo Pärt: The Deer's Cry
Interval
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
Alec Roth: Men & Angels
Jean Mouton: Nesciens Mater
Diogo Dias Melgás: Salve Regina
Sulpitia Cesis: Stabat Mater
Hilary Campbell: Ave Maria
Cecilia McDowall: Alma redemptoris Mater
Pierre de la Rue: O salutaris hostia
Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil (Vespers)
After its acclaimed Exeter debut last April performing Bach’s Motets in the Cathedral, Corvus Consort returns to the Cathedral in May 2024 with a performance of Rachmaninov’s Vespers, a “haunting cornerstone of the choral repertoire”.
John Ireland: When May is in his prime
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Silence and Music
Jonathan Dove: In Beauty May I Walk
John Ireland: The Hills
Gerald Finzi: I praise the tender flower, from Seven Poems of Robert Bridges, op. 17, no.1
Gerald Finzi: I have loved flowers that fade, from Seven Poems of Robert Bridges, op. 17, no. 2
Benjamin Britten: Five Flower Songs, op. 47
Interval
Alec Roth: The Flower
Anon.: Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Jacobus Clemens non Papa: Ego flos campi a 3
William Byrd: This sweet and merry month of May
Robert Lucas Pearsall: Sweet as a flower in May
Gustav Holst: Five Partsongs
Arthur Sullivan: Sullivan The long day closes
John Ireland: When May is in his prime
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Silence and Music
Jonathan Dove: In Beauty May I Walk
John Ireland: The Hills
Gerald Finzi: I praise the tender flower, from Seven Poems of Robert Bridges, op. 17, no.1
Gerald Finzi: I have loved flowers that fade, from Seven Poems of Robert Bridges, op. 17, no. 2
Benjamin Britten: Five Flower Songs, op. 47
Interval
Alec Roth: The Flower
Anon.: Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Jacobus Clemens non Papa: Ego flos campi a 3
William Byrd: This sweet and merry month of May
Robert Lucas Pearsall: Sweet as a flower in May
Gustav Holst: Five Partsongs
Arthur Sullivan: Sullivan The long day closes
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated
Thomas Tallis: O nata lux
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper
Thomas Tallis: Thou wast O God and thou wast blest
William Byrd: Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
William Byrd: Justorum animae
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated
Thomas Tallis: O nata lux
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper
Thomas Tallis: Thou wast O God and thou wast blest
William Byrd: Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
William Byrd: Justorum animae
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated
Thomas Tallis: O nata lux
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper
Thomas Tallis: Thou wast O God and thou wast blest
William Byrd: Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
William Byrd: Justorum animae
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated
Thomas Tallis: O nata lux
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper
Thomas Tallis: Thou wast O God and thou wast blest
William Byrd: Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
William Byrd: Justorum animae
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Shruthi Rajasekar: Byrd Transubstantiated
Thomas Tallis: O nata lux
William Byrd: Christe qui lux es et dies
William Byrd: Rorate caeli desuper
Derri Joseph Lewis: Rorate cæli desuper
Thomas Tallis: Thou wast O God and thou wast blest
William Byrd: Kyrie, from Mass for Three Voices
William Byrd: Vigilate
Harry Baker: Vigilate
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
William Byrd: Justorum animae
William Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
Anna Semple: Ecce respice populus tuus
Pre-concert drinks from 5pm.
Anon.: Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Herbert Howells: A Spotless Rose
Gerda Blok-Wilson: O Little Rose, O Dark Rose
Michael Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Jan Sandström: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Sun Keting: thronged only with flowers
Alec Roth: The Flower
Leonora d'Este: Sicut lilium inter spinas
Jacobus Clemens non Papa: Ego flos campi a 7
Amy Beach: Three Flower Songs, Op. 31
Benjamin Britten: Five Flower Songs, op. 47
Pre-concert drinks from 5pm.
Plainchant: Ave maris stella
Tomás Luis de Victoria: Ave maris stella
Diogo Dias Melgás: Salve Regina
Alonso Lobo: Versa est in luctum
Jean Mouton: Nesciens Mater
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Sicut cervus
Sulpitia Cesis: Stabat Mater
Hans Leo Hassler: O sacrum convivium
Pierre de la Rue: O salutaris hostia
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
Robert Ramsey: How are the mighty fallen
Robert Parsons: Ave Maria
William Byrd: Vigilate
Trad., arr. Simon Jackson: Trilo / Never weather-beaten sail
Trad., arr. Benjamin Britten: O Waly Waly
Nathan James Dearden: Suo Gân
Trad., arr. Simon Carrington: My love is like a red, red rose
Sun Keting: New commission for choir
Gustav Holst: Six Choral Folksongs, op. 36
Trad., arr. Harry Baker: Scarborough Fair
Karine Polwart, arr. Baz Chapman & Freddie Crowley: Follow the heron home
Corvus Consort and Louise Thomson mark the release of their disc for Chandos, 'Welcome Joy' - A celebration of women’s voices - which goes on general release this day.
Imogen Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Gemma McGregor: Love was his meaning
Hilary Campbell: Our endless day
Elizabeth Poston: An English Day-Book
Interval
Judith Weir: We sekyn here rest
Olivia Sparkhall: Lux aeterna
Gustav Holst: Two Eastern Pictures
Shruthi Rajasekar: Ushās (Goddess of Dawn)
"Shruthi Rajasekar: Priestess"
Gustav Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)
Maurice Duruflé: Requiem, op. 9
Interval
Britta Byström: Lux Aeterna
Morton Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Jesus bleibet meine Freude, from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147
Andrea Gabrieli, arr. Freddie Crowley: O salutaris hostia
Sarah Rimkus, arr. Sarah Rimkus: Mater Dei
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist, from Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Iain Farrington: Air from Suite no. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Johann Michael Bach: Nun treten wir ins neue Jahr
Johann Michael Bach: Ich weiss das main Erlöser lebt
Owain Park: Miserere after Allegri
Interval
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Iain Farrington: Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G major, BWV 1048
Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Zion hört die Wächter singen, from Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit, from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11
Johann Michael Bach, arr. Freddie Crowley: Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Johann Christoph Bach: Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben
James MacMillan, arr. Freddie Crowley: Christus vincit
"Heinrich Schütz, arr. Freddie Crowley: Das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnet unter uns , from Geistliche Chor-Music, op. 11"
Tomás Luis de Victoria O quam gloriosum
Plainchant: Salve Regina
Diogo Dias Melgás: Salve Regina
Thomas Tallis: Sancte Deus
Arvo Pärt: Da pacem, Domine
Alec Roth: Sol justitiae
Sulpitia Cesis: Stabat Mater
Plainchant</strong: Ave maris stella
James MacMillan: Ave maris stella
Interval
Jonathan Dove: In Beauty May I Walk
Melanie Demore: Blessed Be
Becky McGlade: To a Skylark
John Ireland: The Hills
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Silence and Music
Benjamin Britten: Five Flower Songs, op. 47
Felix Mendelssohn: O for the Wings of a Dove
Caroline Shaw: and the Swallow
Sarah Jenkins: Wounded Wings
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Interval
Christopher Tin: The Lost Birds: An Extinction Elegy
Poetry of George Herbert
An exploration of composers’ responses to the words of 17th-century metaphysical poet George Herbert, with a focus on the music of leading contemporary composers Judith Weir and Alec Roth.
Judith Weir: Love bade me welcome
J. D. Jones: King of Glory, King of Peace
Alec Roth: I will move thee
Alec Roth: Men & Angels
George Herbert: The Flower (recitation)
Alec Roth: The Flower
Interval
Music from the Bach family
An iconic motet by Johann Sebastian Bach sits alongside beautiful music from brothers Johann Michael Bach and Johann Christoph Bach (cousins of J. S. Bach’s father), uncovering the ways in which older members of the Bach family helped to shape J. S. Bach’s mastery of vocal writing.
Johann Michael Bach: Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Johann Sebastian Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229
Johann Christoph Bach: Merk auf, mein Herz
Interval
Songs of the Birds
Corvus reveals how musicians and poets have drawn inspiration from their avian friends for hundreds of years, moving seamlessly from 20th century masterpieces to music by living composers, arrangements of traditional folk songs, and underscored poem recitations.
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Silence and Music
Linda Hirschhorn: I have a million nightingales
Percy Bysshe Shelley: To a Skylark (recitation)
Becky McGlade: To a Skylark
Caroline Shaw: and the swallow
Jessica Powers: Celestial Bird (recitation)
Roxanna Panufnik: Celestial Bird
Edward T. Chapman: The Three Ravens
Karine Polwart, arr. Baz Chapman & Freddie Crowley: Follow the heron home
A Million Nightingales
Corvus Consort reveals how musicians and poets have drawn inspiration from their avian friends for hundreds of years, in a programme
of choral music themed around birds.
Charting a course from the 15th century to the
present day, the singers of Corvus showcase
their great versatility, performing renaissance
madrigals, traditional folksongs, 20th-century
British music, and contemporary works by
leading living composers.
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Silence and Music
Linda Hirschhorn: I have a million nightingales
Poem: Nightingales by Robert Bridges
Gerald Finzi: Nightingales, op. 17/5
Orlando Gibbons: The Silver Swan
Paul Hindemith: Un Cygne
Jacques Arcadelt: Il bianco e dolce cigno
Trad., arr. Freddie Crowley: The Blackest Crow
Trad., arr. John Hearne: The Seagull
Poem: The Celestial Bird by Jessica Powers
Roxanna Panufnik: Celestial Bird
Interval
Charles Villiers Stanford: The Blue Bird
Caroline Shaw: and the swallow
William Cornysh: Ah, Robin
Poem: To a Skylark by Percy Shelley
Becky McGlade: To a Skylark
Maurice Ravel: Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis, from Trois Chansons
Trad., arr. Vaughan Williams: The Turtle Dove
Trad., arr. Edward T. Chapman: The Three Ravens
Clément Janequin: Le Chant des Oiseaux
Karine Polwart, Follow the heron home
The first half of the concert is subtitled “sacred meditation” and will feature a selection of meditative church music, ranging from medieval plainchant and renaissance polyphony to devotional works by living composers. The second half brings us into touch with the seasons by celebrating “a summer’s day”, culminating in Benjamin Britten’s magnificent Five Flower Songs.
Alec Roth: Men & Angels
Alec Roth: I will move thee
Judith Weir: Love bade me welcome
Nathan James Dearden: Full of sweet days
Judith Weir: Vertue
James MacMillan: To My Successor
Alec Roth: Rise Heart (comissioned for Corvus Consort and Fenella Humphreys) - world premiere
Interval
Alec Roth: Ponticelli
Alec Roth: Shared Ground
Festival Compline
Kerensa Briggs: New commission for string quartet
Thomas Tallis: In manus tuas
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Te lucis ante terminum
Kerensa Briggs: Media Vita
All Creatures Now
John Bennet: All creatures now are merry-minded
Orlando Gibbons: The Silver Swan
Pierre Passereau: Il est bel et bon
Performance by the WAF CHILDREN'S CHOIR
Josquin des Prez: El Grillo
Thomas Vautor: Sweet Suffolk Owl
Clément Janequin: Le Chant des Oiseaux
Performance by the SECONDARY SCHOOLS CHOIR
Eric Whitacre: Animal Crackers (vol. 1)
Mia Makaroff: Butterfly
Shared Ground
James MacMillan: To My Successor
Alec Roth: Men & Angels
Judith Weir: Vertue
Alec Roth: I will move thee
Alec Roth: Rise Heart (comissioned for Corvus Consort and Fenella Humphreys)
Interval
Alec Roth: Shared Ground
Alec Roth: Ponticelli
Shakespeare's The Tempest
Repertoire to be feature over the course of the concert…
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Three Shakespeare Songs
Frank Martin: Five Songs of Ariel
Jonathan Dove: Ariel (extracts)
Amy Beach: Come unto these yellow sands
Robert Johnson: Where the bee sucks
John Rutter: The isle is full of noises
Cecilia McDowall: Be not afeared
Joan Armatrading, arr. Freddie Crowley: Honour, riches, marriage-blessing
Music & Coffee Morning
Drop in 10:00-12:00 for coffee & cake at Endecott House, and enjoy some informal performances from our resident artists.
Open Rehearsal
Go behind the scenes with Corvus Consort as they work with Composer-in-Residence Kerensa Briggs on her newly commissioned piece for choir.
Festival Jazz Night
Curated by WAF favourite Harry Baker, this year's Festival Jazz Night features special guest trumpeter Laura Jurd, who jazz superstar Jamie Cullum called "the kind of musician I want to be in my next life".
Laura will front a specially convened jazz quartet, performing her own original music, which celebrates and innovates in the rich traditions of jazz and folk. Described by BBC Music Magazine as "simply stupendous ... a glorious shifting collage of sound", her music digs into something primal and earthy, whilst taking twists and turns that prove Laura to be one of the UK's most distinctive composer-performers in contemporary music.
For their second set, the quartet led by Laura and Harry will be joined by WAF's own Festival String Quartet for a very special one-night-only collaboration.
And back for another year by popular demand, the evening will open with an a cappella set from the "WAFter Eights", formed from the lower voices of Corvus Consort.
Songs of the Sea
Evelin Seppar: Seesama meri (The same sea)
Samuel Barber: To be sung on the water
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Sea Drift
Kerensa Briggs: New commission for choir
James Ross: Grey Coast
Performance by the COME&SING CHOIR
Interval
James Ross: The Swilkie
John Jenkins: A boat, a boat
Trad., arr. The Ballina Whalers: One More Pull
Charles Villiers Stanford: Songs of the Sea
Cyril Tawney, arr. Freddie Crowley: The Grey Funnel Line