A la surface de l’eau / Vers les étoiles

Bridges and Mirrors

English, Irish and French compositions including a commission and two UK premières for voice and piano.
Performed by François Dumont, piano and Helen Kearns, soprano.

Programme:
Claude DEBUSSY – Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. Marche écossaise
Sophie LACAZE – Vers les étoiles (UK Première) and À la surface de l’eau (New commissioned work – UK Première)
Rebecca CLARKE – Three songs
Christian MASON – On Love and Death (UK Première)
Jane O’LEARY – Palette of Preludes
Nicola LEFANU – A birthday card for Jane O’Leary
Benjamin BRITTEN – Moore’s Irish Melodies

The composers Sophie Lacaze and Christian Mason will present their works and answer questions. They both have their own path and tradition : the French taste for sonority and « timbre », the English poetic mood and characterisation, following a long tradition of art song. The goal of the project is not only to contribute to contemporary creation but also to make it accessible to a wider audience.

Supported by Diaphonique, Franco-British fund for contemporary music, in partnership with the SACEM, the Friends of the French Institute Trust, the British Council, the Institut français, the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, the Centre National de la Musique, Creative Scotland and the Salabert Fondation.