The Welsh Camerata choir and I have had an intensive time recently, exploring some of the most intellectually challenging music from 15th-century France, following our remit to be an ‘early music choir’. After a highly successful if exhausting concert of Dufay’s greatest works, we are looking for a more relaxing moment!
So we return to music from three of the most creative periods in European music, at St Andrew and St Teilo, Woodville Road, Cathays, Cardiff CF24 4ED on Saturday 6 July at 7.30pm.
About a hundred years ago, musicians rediscovered the amazing beauties of music of a long-forgotten past, initiating a great revival of interest in composers who are now household names to any member of a mixed choir or listener to Classic FM. On July 6th we celebrate this moment of revival, firstly by singing madrigals from the time of Queen Elizabeth I, well-known titles such as Bennet’s ‘Weep O mine eyes’ or Morley’s ‘April is in my mistress’ face’ to the less well-known ‘Our bonny boots could toot it’! Second, we explore the intense passion of 17th-century Italy: music by the famous Monteverdi and the equally infamous Gesualdo, the latter known as much for murdering his wife as for his unique style of music.
Inspired, at least indirectly, by these figures of the past, British composers of the earlier 20th-century poured their inspiration into these intimate forms of the past and by way of contrast, I’ve scheduled some exquisite gems from Vaughan Willliams, Finzi and Britten.
The unifying theme running through the evening, which also includes poetry both profound and frivolous, is love.
After such a feast of music and verse, we hope the audience will join us for strawberries and cream and a glass of something cool and fizzy. I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer evening.
http://www.welshcamerata.org/