Dowland: Lend ears and tears, O hapless man

The world of song – from 19th-century art-song by Schumann to the biggest acts at Glastonbury, to songs heard at an open-mic night – started right here in the creativity of John Dowland and his contemporary, John Danyel, whose music we perform in our final concert. Dowland called on his audiences to “lend ears and tears” to give his art life, so we have lent his venerable combination of voice and lute to composers Anna Semple and Ben Rowarth, adding a vital 21st-century extension to this extraordinary lineage of song. I’m delighted to be returning to York with Toby Carr, following the performance of our Gramophone Award-winning Battle Cry programme last year HC