Whiddon Autumn Festival: Devon

—   C O N C E R T S   —

Thursday 19 September 2024, 6:00 pm

Moretonhampstead Church

Concert 2: “Thronged with Flowers”

A programme of vocal music spanning centuries to celebrate the beauty of flowers.

With repertoire from ancient carols to contemporary music by living composers, Corvus will explore how floral imagery permeates religious narratives as well as popular culture, and how flowers have inspired composers through the ages to create beautiful music.

The programme culminates with Benjamin Britten’s iconic Five Flower Songs, written as a wedding anniversary gift for Dorothy & Leonard Elmhirst, the founders of Dartington Hall where the Flower Songs were premiered in 1950.This concert will also feature a special guest appearance from the WAF Children’s Choir, who will present a short set of songs they are learning as part of the festival’s Learning & Engagement programme, run in collaboration with Corvus Consort. Their performance will include a brand new song, written specially for the Children’s Choir by WAF 2024 Composer-in-Residence Sun Keting.

Trad.

Ther is no rose of swych vertu

Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

A spotless rose

Gerda Blok-Wilson (b. 1955)

O Little Rose, O Dark Rose

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen

Jan Sandström (b. 1954)

Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen

Sun Keting (b. 1993)

thronged only with flowers

Performance from the WAF Children’s Choir

Selection of songs, including world premiere by Sun Keting

Alec Roth (b. 1948)

The Flower

attrib. Leonora d’Este (1515-1575)

Sicut lilium inter spinas

Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c.1510-c.1555)

Ego flos campi a 7

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Three Flower Songs, Op. 31

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Five Flower Songs, Op. 47

 

© Corvus Consort 2024
Registered Charity no. 1207144