Royal Rivals

The royal rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England affected many aspects of their reigns and, although they never actually met, it coloured their relationship to the end. Ultimately, Mary’s ambitions for the English crown would see her imprisoned and executed for plotting against Elizabeth.

Interspersed between readings of letters from the queens and those around them, recorder quartet The Flautadors explore music of the period. From Scottish and English dance music to sacred music of Christopher Tye and William Byrd – synonymous with the ‘Golden Age’ – the programme concludes with John Dowland’s famous ‘Pavan Lachrymae’, perhaps one of the finest examples of Elizabethan melancholy.

"Beautifully balanced consort playing" Gramophone