Judith Weir |
Welcome change of summer fare
Jennifer Snapes and Marie Lee Gustafsson
St Martin-in-the-fields
CLARA Schumann is only now receiving the attention that she probably deserved during her lifetime for her composition and general musicianship.
But it does seem to have always been the case that women are somewhat marginalised in the world of classical music.
One composer who has been holding the flame for British female composers is Judith Weir, a composer whose work has been critically well received since the 1970s.
This week her work for soprano, with eight roles, King Harald’s Saga, is to be performed by soprano Jennifer Snapes and pianist Marie Lee Gustafsson at St Martin-in-the-Fields during a lunchtime concert.
The work was one of the first with which she achieved fame in 1979.
Her work owes much to mediaeval history, stories and music from her native Scotland – as well as her training with the spiritual John Taverner.
The concert, on Monday, also features Herbert Howells’ A Queer Story and The Lady Caroline, Finzi’s Farewell to Arms and McDowall’s What ’tis to love, from Four Shakespeare Songs.
This is a bold and unusual programme providing something different from the normal crowd-pleasing summer fare.
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