Philomel In Short @ Richmond

Richmond Unitarian Church hosted Philomel In Short on 31 October 2020, for a socially distanced concert featuring music by Strozzi, Mazzocchi, Monteverdi, Sheena Phillips, Paul Ayres, Emily Doolittle, Janet Oates and Tansy Davies. Philomel were again thrilled to be performing a combination of their early repertoire, and some specially-commissioned musical miniatures in a concert which slid in just under the wire before Lockdown 2.

Break of day, from Virelais
words of John Donne set by
Emily Doolittle

‘Tis true, ‘tis day, what though it be?
O wilt thou therefore rise from me?
Why should we rise because ‘tis light?
Did we lie down because ‘twas night?
Love, which in spite of darkness brought us hither,
Should in despite of light keep us together.

Light hath no tongue, but is all eye;
If it could speak as well as spy,
This were the worst that it could say,
That being well I fain would stay,
And that I loved my heart and honour so,
That I would not from him, that had them, go.

Must business thee from hence remove?
Oh, that’s the worst disease of love,
The poor, the foul, the false, love can
Admit, but not the busied man.
He which hath business, and makes love, doth do
Such wrong, as when a married man doth woo.

Source: Selected Poetry (Oxford University Press, 1998)

Che si puo fare by Barbara Strozzi
Suzy Robinson, soprano
Janet Oates, recorder
Toby Carr, theorbo

Folle cor by Domenico Mazzocchi

Suzy Robinson, soprano
Janet Oates, soprano
Felicity Hayward, soprano
Toby Carr, theorbo

Musical Miniatures: recording workshop

Philomel is back with some socially-distant workshop-recordings of newly written musical miniatures. Stay, O Sweet from Virelais is a setting of words by John Donne by Canadian-born Glasgow-based composer Emily Doolittle.

Recorded in Richmond Unitarian Church, August 2020. Suzy Robinson, Janet Oates and Michael Keen perform.

Stay O Sweet (video)

Emilydoolittle.com

Philomel.co.uk

Folle Cor: Philomel at the Barn Church

Philomel’s last performance was an evening of 17th century passion and intimacy. ‘Folle Cor’ presented duets and trios from the courts of Northern Italy, by composers including Mazzocchi, Strozzi, Monteverdi, Luzzaschi and Casulana, on the themes of love and obsession. This was Philomel’s first programme of purely historical repertoire.

Here is a short video of sopranos Janet Oates, Suzy Robinson and Charlotte Bröker accompanied by Michael Keen and Arngeir Hauksson in the enchanting candle-lit venue of the Barn Church, Kew (http://barnchurchkew.uk/).

Philomel at the Barn Church, Kew, November 2019

Cecilia Sings: Philomel in concert 4 May 2019

The six sopranos of Philomel will be performing their Cecilia Sings concert on Saturday 4 May, 7.30pm, at St George the Martyr, Southwark. It will be a repeat of the eclectic programme performed at the Swiss Church, Covent Garden, last autumn.

With music by early 17th century composers such as Barbara Strozzi, Maddalena Casulana and Domenico Mazzocchi, alongside specially commissioned works by Dominic McGonigal, Sheena Phillips, Joel Järventausta and Janet Oates, this promises to be an unforgettable evening of sublime music.

Here is a short video of highlights from Cecilia Sings Cecilia Sings

Tickets can be bought in advance here https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/philomel or on the door.

Take a look at Philomel’s website for more information http://philomel.co.uk/

Never work with…

…children or animals.

It was a beautiful christening at the Temple Church. Jimmy the corgi was pretty restrained on the whole. He only barked at the vicar once, growled but momentarily at the sleeping Knights, and while he did bite at his backside vigorously as I sang a bit of Mozart, he didn’t invade the performance space like little M. Nor did he try and join in, or do a little comedy routine, or dance a jig. Valiant efforts from others to encourage the mini-performer to vacate the stage were met with tenacity and evasion. She saw the spotlight and liked it. Like mother, like daughter. Oh well.