‘Dowland’s Lute’ from The Song Company
Australia’s premier vocal ensemble, Song Company presents the internationally renowned lutenist, Nigel North, as guest artistic director for the second concert in their 2013 season entitled Dowland’s Lute.
Celebrating the 450th anniversary of the birth of English Renaissance composer, singer and lutenist John Dowland, the Song Company has invited celebrated lutenist Nigel North for an all-out tribute to the elusive English master.
Dowland’s Lute will celebrate Dowland in all his facets and place him and his music into a cultural and historical context. The program also features the music of other prominent Renaissance composers such as Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Morley and John Ward.
Englishman Nigel North is Professor of Lute at the Early Music Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, a post he has held since 1999. He has been Professor of Lute at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (1974–1995), Hochschüle der Kunste, Berlin (199–1998) and the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag, Holland (2005-2008). Obsessed with the lute since the age of 15, and originally self-taught, North now has an unique musical life as teacher, accompanist, soloist, director and writer. His principal music passions, apart from teaching, are accompanying singers and the solo lute repertoires of Elizabethan England.
Says North: “Not only was Dowland an excellent lutenist – probably the best in Europe in his lifetime – he was also an inventive, tuneful composer who could write in a wide range of emotions. His solo lute music covers the whole gamut of emotions, even though the musical forms are dances, fantasies or variations on ballad tunes. ”
The Song Company is a versatile Australian vocal ensemble which showcases and celebrates the magic of the human voice. Led by Artistic Director Roland Peelman, the ensemble is made up of six professional singers with an international reputation for outstanding quality and innovation. This upcoming concert featuring five voices will showcase the ensemble’s expertise under the direction of Nigel North.
The Programme:
DOWLAND (1563-1626) solo songs, ensembles and lute pieces
WARD (1571-1638) madrigals
RAVENSCROFT (1582/92-1635) songs, rounds and catches
Tickets: $59; concessions available; additional fees may apply.
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