Byrd Takes Flight

A groundbreaking convergence of old and new where voices and instruments intertwine to create a timeless blend of soundworlds spanning centuries.
In collaboration with instrumental duo Music on the Edge.

2024 mini-tour     •     about     •     the commissions     •     the premiere

Mini-tour: 25 July – 1 August 2024

About ‘Byrd Takes Flight’

“Byrd Takes Flight” is part of our ongoing collaboration with innovative instrumental duo Music on the Edge, made up of Susie Hodder-Williams (flute, alto flute) and Chris Caldwell (soprano sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet).

Commemorating 400 years since the death of William Byrd in 1623, four newly-commissioned works explore the enduring strength of Byrd’s influence, which stretches right through to the 21st century. Each new commission is a response to a particular work by Byrd, placing Byrd’s musical voice in direct dialogue with the voices of some of today’s most exciting young composers.

Stunning new music by young composers Shruthi Rajasekar, Derri Joseph Lewis, Harry Baker and Anna Semple sits alongside glorious vocal polyphony by William Byrd, one of Renaissance England’s greatest musical masters. Byrd’s music is also paired with works by his mentor Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585), to reveal the ways in which Byrd’s own musical voice was shaped by his great teacher and partner.

The New Commissions

 

In Byrd Transubstantiated, Shruthi Rajasekar draws out heightened emotion and drama from Byrd’s iconic Ave verum corpus, particularly exploring the tensions around Byrd’s Catholic faith in Protestant England. Taking a more broad harmonic inspiration from Byrd, Derri Joseph Lewis focuses on the imagery of rain and new growth in Rorate caeli desuper, painting a vivid and characterful picture of water droplets throughout much of his piece. With her trademark handwritten graphic scoring techniques for Ecce respice populus tuus, Anna Semple constructs a beautiful tapestry using fragments from Byrd’s Ne irascaris Domine, in her search to bring out the anguish of the text, again exploring the tumult of Byrd’s private faith. And in Vigilate Harry Baker draws inspiration from his background in jazz, to reinterpret Byrd’s setting of the same text into a pulsating journey, full of drama, energy and rhythmic impetus.

We are very grateful for the support of the Fidelio Charitable Trust, the Vaughan Williams Foundation and the Hinrichsen Foundation, whose support enabled us to commission these four new works.

The Premiere

“Byrd Takes Flight” received its premiere performance at a sold-out concert in the candlelit setting of Drewsteignton Church in Devon on 13 September 2023, as part of the third annual Whiddon Autumn Festival.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
“Excellent musicianship … brilliantly performed … just sheer magic.”
“Everyone involved are such wonderful musicians, a real class act!”
“We are so very lucky to be able to see such quality singers and instrumentalists.”
“It was a joy to see and hear so many young and talented musicians.”
“It was lovely seeing and hearing young talented people doing what they love with such brio!”
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Photos by Felix Alexander Bush