Decoding Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia
John William Waterhouse: St Cecilia Why have we programmed Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia in a concert of Irish and American music? The superficial answer is that Britten wrote it…
Samuel Barber – Reincarnations
Like Pachelbel with his Canon, or Allegri with his Miserere, Samuel Barber has become one of those composers who is mostly remembered for just one piece, the grief-stricken arrangement for…
Why we sing new music
In the last few years, our summer concert has become a time for us to explore new music – sometimes that means pieces that are just new to us, such…
The Night in the Garden – programme note
In his programme note for our concert on 8 April 2017, Michael Gilmore takes us back to 16th century Rome, using Rosselli’s Last Supper fresco in the Sistine Chapel as…
Monteverdi Vespers: workshop with Robert Hollingworth
This week, our Monteverdi 1610 Vespers plans started to take shape, as we had a first peek at the music and a workshop with Robert Hollingworth, the director of I…
Our of the shadows: Allegri’s Miserere
The candles illuminating the chapel are being snuffed out one by one; the serenely beautiful faces painted on the walls and ceiling fade slowly into the gloom; and somewhere above…