Byrd takes Flight
Thursday August 1, 2024, 8:00pm at St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch, London
Corvus Consort (vocal ensemble)
Music on the Edge (flute and saxophone duo)
Ave verum corpus – William Byrd
Byrd Transubstantiated (after Byrd’s ‘Ave verum corpus’) – Shruthi Rajasekar
O nata lux de lumine – Thomas Tallis
Christe qui lux es et dies – William Byrd
Rorate caeli desuper – William Byrd
Rorate caeli desuper (after Byrd’s ‘Rorate caeli desuper’) – Derri Joseph Lewis
Thou wast, O God, and Thou wast blest – Thomas Tallis
Kyrie, from Mass for 3 Voices – William Byrd
Vigilate – William Byrd
Vigilate (after Byrd’s ‘Vigilate’) – Harry Baker
Sancte Deus – Thomas Tallis
Justorum animae – William Byrd
Ne irascaris, Domine – William Byrd
Ecce respice populus tuus (after Byrd’s ‘Ne irascaris’) – Anna Semple
Byrd Takes Flight sees the vocal ensemble Corvus Consort join forces with the instrumental duo Music on the Edge to present a groundbreaking convergence of old and new, where voices and instruments intertwine to create a timeless blend of soundworlds, spanning centuries.
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 his musical voice in direct dialogue with the voices of some of today’s most exciting young composers.
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 concert will last approximately 75 minutes, with no interval.