Programmes

Lamentations

4 viola da gamba’s & voice
(60 minutes)
This program presents an evocative journey through English Renaissance consort music and sacred polyphony, contrasting intricate In Nomines and reflective lamentations with poignant vocal settings for solo voice and four violas da gamba. By juxtaposing masterworks from Tudor icons like Byrd, Tallis, and Taverner with the intense, expressive chromaticism of Carlo Gesualdo, the concert explores themes of devotion, sorrow, and contemplative beauty across the 16th and early 17th centuries.
 

  • The English In Nomine Tradition (Settings by Byrd, Tallis, Bull, and Taverner)

  • Lamentations & Sacred Sorrow (Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah • White: Lamentations)

  • Devotional Motets & Consort Songs (Ferrabosco: ‘Hear me o God’ 4-note Pavan • Byrd: ‘Ave verum corpus’, Miserere mei I & II)

  • Madrigalian Expressivity & Continental Chromaticism (Gesualdo: ‘Tristis est anima mea’, ‘O vos omnes’)

Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares

5 viola da gamba’s & lute

(60 minutes)

Centering on John Dowland’s masterwork Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares (1604), this 60-minute program traces an extraordinary arc of melancholia, grace, and noble reflection scored for viol consort and lute. Through the iconic sequence of seven descending pavans interspersed with lively galliards, almands, and poignant personal portraits like Semper Dowland Semper Dolens, the ensemble showcases the expressive depth and sublime craftsmanship of Jacobean instrumental chamber music.

  • The Seven Lachrimæ Pavans (Antiquæ, Antiquæ Novæ, Gementes, Tristes, Coactæ, Amantis, Veræ)

  • Featured Pavans & Almands (Semper Dowland Semper Dolens, John Langton’s Pavan, Almands for George Whitehead & Mrs. Nichols)

  • Galliards & Dedicated Portraits (Including The King of Denmark, The Earle of Essex, Captaine Piper, Sir Henry Umpton’s Funeral, and dedicated dances for court patrons)