Shut the Gate Against My Thoughts

Forever entwined with music, melancholy has long been a powerful source of artistic inspiration, reflecting humanity’s enduring fascination with sorrow.

In this evocative programme, soprano Nardus Williams, winner of the Rising Star award at the 2022 International Opera Awards, joins Liz Kenny, one of Europe’s leading lute and theorbo specialists, to trace the musical expression of melancholy across 16th- and 17th-century Europe.

Featuring works by composers including John Dowland, Francesca Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, and Barbara Strozzi, this programme explores the many shades of melancholy: introspective, romantic, forlorn, and deeply expressive.

Voice and theorbo intertwine to bring to life songs of longing, love, and reflection. Moments of profound lament are lifted by flashes of wit and light, revealing melancholy not merely as sadness but as a rich and complex emotional landscape.

Beautifully curated, this programme invites you to pause, listen, and connect with a timeless human instinct: the healing power of music in moments of introspection.

Programme:
John Danyel If I could shut the gate against my thoughts
Robert Johnson Come, Heavy Sleep
John Dowland Now cease my wand’ring eyes
Robert Johnson Have you seen the bright lily grow?
Lucrezia Vizzana O Magnum Mysterium
Francesca Caccini Non sò se quel sorriso
John Dowland Can she excuse my wrongs
Nicholas Lanie Qual musico gentil
Giulio Caccini Alme luci beate
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger Toccata
Francesca Caccini Lasciatemi qui solo
Claudio Monteverdi Si dolce è’l tormento
Barbara Strozzi Lagrime mie