Events

The Courtesan’s Gaze takes its name from the duet ‘Begl’occhi’ and is inspired by the famous and controversial portrait of Barbara Strozzi holding the viewer’s gaze. Barbara’s father Giulio Strozzi led an academic study group for whom Barbara performed and composed music as a young woman. It has been believed for centuries that she also acted as a courtesan in this circle and was part of considerable scandal. Several satires were published about these musical and intellectual meetings where apparently…

We are sorry that this event has been cancelled.   Luca Marenzio’s seventh book of madrigals (1595) is notable for drawing its texts from Guarini’s tragicomedy play Il pastor fido (The Faithful Shepherd). The collection is arranged to follow the courtship between two lovers Amarilli and Martillo and represents an important step between the 15th-century madrigal and 16th-century opera. It is said that ‘Marenzio broke a path along which Monteverdi could proceed’ and indeed the latter was strongly influenced by…

Fieri Consort vocal ensemble Tim Horton piano Gesualdo Motets and Madrigals (Fieri Consort) interspersed with pieces by Stockhausen, Michael Berkeley and György Kurtág (Tim Horton) ~ Schubert Piano Sonata in D major D850 Fieri make their Plush debut alongside pianist Tim Horton for an innovative concert that mixes early music with repertoire from the present day. Carlo Gesualdo was a Renaissance composer who broke harmonic rules in ways that would not be seen again until centuries later. His motets and madrigals are interwoven with short piano pieces that are equally adventurous…

Choral reflections on darkness and light. Out of the Shadows is an exploration of transgression, and humanity's journey towards redemption. Through the works of English and Italian composers, and the stark anachronism of American shape notes, the music guides us from the first moment of darkness in the fall of Man through to long-awaited forgiveness and rest. The music has been chosen for its originality and its otherworldly character; there are tender moments in the vivid musical depictions of sin,…

Fieri Consort return to the Brighton Early Music Festival to sing passionate madrigals from the anthology Musica Transalpina, alongside sacred Spanish gems from the time of Mary Tudor’s marriage to Philip II of Spain, and other works reflecting rich cultural exchanges between England and the Continent. 1588 – a year that almost drastically changed the course of history in Britain. But for a change in the wind, the Spanish Armada would almost certainly have succeeded in invading these shores with…

A concert of traditional and contemporary music including works by Monteverdi, McDowell, Howells, Victoria and Palestrina. Fieri travel through the Christmas story from the glory of the Annunciation, through the wonder of the shepherds and magi to the celebration of the birth.