From the Heart

This programme of Nonets marks two 150th anniversaries: the birth of Coleridge-Taylor and the death of Louise Farrenc (1875). Both were composers of astonishing talent, yet they have long been sidelined in the story of 19th- and 20th-century music. To celebrate them together, and to perform their works on historical instruments, is our way of placing this music from the margins centre stage.

FROM THE HEART brings together two composers at opposite ends of their lives: Farrenc, writing at the height of her career but soon silenced by grief, and Coleridge-Taylor, still a student, yet already revealing the voice of a major composer whose life would end far too soon. Their stories remind us that music is not simply an abstract art but one shaped by experience, resilience, joy and loss.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) Nonet in F minor Op.2
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) Nonet in E-flat major Op.38