Summer Sessions: Music from the Black Mountains
$13.88
Robert Fayrfax — Somewhat musing
Traditional — Awake awake
Traditional — Four seasons of the year
Traditional — Cold blows the wind
William Cornysh — Selected works
John Forest — Selected works
Henry VIII — Selected works
Guy James, countertenor
Andrew Leslie Cooper, countertenor
Joseph Wicks, tenor
Josh Cooter, tenor
Michael Craddock, baritone
Sam Mitchell, bass
The Gesualdo Six present sacred and secular music of the English Renaissance in a selection of beautiful ancient churches, riven into the rolling hills of the Herefordshire borders.
Join us throughout August 2021 for devotional sacred settings in old English vernacular, bawdy drinking songs of Henry VIII’s court, early English settings of the Song of Songs, and Herefordshire folksongs as they drift across the hedgerows and valleys under the shadow of the Black Mountains.
About the music
2021 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Robert Fayrfax, who was considered one of the most prominent and influential Tudor composers during the reigns of Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII of England.
We perform two of his songs: Alas, for lack of her presence and Somewhat musing, alongside contemporaneous settings by William Cornysh, John Forest, and King Henry VIII.
We will also perform local folk songs from Herefordshire, including Cold blows the wind, Four seasons of the year, and Awake, awake, sweet England.
The broadcast will take place at 3pm British Summer Time / 7am Pacific. Available to watch on-demand until the end of September.
Each of the four recitals will premiere on a Saturday in August. The release dates are 7 August, 14 August, 21 August, and 28 August 2021. Series ticket holders will receive access to each recital as it is released. If a ticket it bought after a recital has already been premiered, the series ticket holder will have access to watch it on demand.
Tickets: Pay what you like starting at £10 / $13.88 USD for all 4 recitals