The Kestrel Road and other stories

Tue, 25 Jan 2022

This concert of haunting and compelling music was heralded by a choral fanfare, Prelude, by the Norwegian, Ola Gjeilo, followed by two song cycles for choir and piano, including The Kestrel Road by Peter Maxwell Davies, a piece suggestive of the ‘elusive land and seascapes’ of the Orkney Islands and influenced by folklore and music.  Bob Chilcott’s setting of five Aesop Fables uses the composer’s gift for melody and delivers some powerful settings of the famous texts.

Two unaccompanied works by female composers: Media Vita by Kerensa Briggs and Kyrie after Byrd by Roxanna Panufnik were performed, as well a setting of James Agee’s poem, Sure on this Shining Night by Morten Lauridsen, already one of the classic choral works of this century.

COVID complications meant this concert was rescheduled from the original date of Saturday November 27th 2021 to Tuesday 25th January 2022.