Winter Carol Composers
At the first rehearsal for our Winter Carols by Candlelight project we asked our quartet of singers to choose which of the pieces they were most looking forward to performing. They chose music by four very different composers:
Imogen Holst, Judith Weir, Eliza Flower and some of the arrangements and adaptations of traditional carols by Frances M Lynch.
Have a listen below to what our EVT singers had to say………….
PS – Traditional carols of course having just as likely been written or contributed to by women as men!
(L to R) Laurence Panter (Tenor), Amy Kearsley (Mezzo), Frances M Lynch(Soprano), Gwion Thomas (Baritone) rehearsing Winter Carols!
Winter Carols by Candlelight
11th December 7pm, Conway Hall, London, WC1R 4RL
Full Programme Details Here
Laurence Panter is struck by the narrative formed from two quite different pieces. In the centre is “Fellowship” for acapella quartet by Eliza Flower (1803 – 1846) which our in-house composer, Frances M Lynch, wanted to include despite it not having an immediately obvious winter or Yultide reference. On either side are two verses of an acapella setting of the traditional carol “God rest ye merry gentlemen” with brand new words to complete a modern narrative which echoes Flower’s South Place Unitarian Chapel Sunday Concerts where the music forms the homily.
Amy Kearsley was attending her first EVT rehearsal and talks of the experience of finding her voice within the ensemble. The video begins with a snatch of an arrangement of “Peace on Earth” by Emily Josephine Troup (1853 – 1913) from the Ethical Hymn Book. Troup was known by the South Place Ethical Society as the Eliza Flower of her generation. However, Amy’s choice of composer is one of our Patrons – Judith Weir whose “My Guardian Angel” we are all looking forward to, particularly as it involves the audience in a crucial role!
Frances M Lynch loves the music of Imogen Holst (1907 – 1984), particularly her vocal music and has worked with the archive at Britten Pears Arts to perform and record some of her unpublished works. In her published collection of arrangements of folk songs there are a number of Yuletide carols which we are delighted to present in our Winter Carols by Candlelight programme: “My father gave me an acre of land”, “There was a pig went out to dig” and “We have been a wandering”. These inspired Lynch to set some very old and very familiar wassailing carols for the quartet herself including “Past Three O’Clock” and “We have been a wassailing”. You’ll have to come to Conway Hall on December 11th to hear them – no recordings as yet!
Gwion Thomas was pleased to finally have the opportunity to perform “December – Winter Minstrelsy” by Eliza Flower (1803 – 1846) one of her “Songs of the Months” written in 1834. Gwion made a wonderful recording of this beautiful, evocative song for the Flower Website two years ago. You can hear the recording here, but do join us in December 11th to experience the first live performance for almost 200 years.
Why not come along to see what it’s all about!
All images are copyright and used with permission from Conway Hall, Judith Weir, Herbie Clarke and Britten Pears Arts Archive
