Continuo Connect — Concert // The Gesualdo Six: Lux Æterna

A poignant, hopeful sequence of music commemorating the departed.

The Gesualdo Six have quickly established themselves as a truly remarkable vocal ensemble, small in numbers but immense in impact, with a reputation for innovative and intriguing programming juxtaposing vocal music from across the ages. Their Director and bass Owain Park describes their Lux Aeterna programme as ‘A sequence for the souls of the departed, to be heard by those who remember them’. Tallis and Byrd beautifully capture a sense of powerlessness in their works, asking for forgiveness and protection. The pieces by Tavener and Morales present a series of questions, seeking reassurance for those whose lives are at an end. Settings by Eleanor Daley and Joanna Marsh call on us to enjoy all that life has to offer, with a reminder not to let grief overwhelm us.

Cristóbal de Morales — Parce mihi Domine
John Tavener — Funeral Ikos
Orlande de Lassus — Clamaverunt ad Dominum
Thomas Tallis — In Jejunio et fletu
Byrd — Peccantem me quotidie
Howard Skempton — And there was war in heaven
Donna McKevitt — Lumen (Nunc Dimittis)
Cristóbal de Morales — Requiem aeternam (Introitus)
Vincente Lusitano — Heu me Domine
Judith Bingham — Watch with me
Joanna Marsh — I take thee
Cristóbal de Morales — Lux aeterna (Communio)
Richard Rodney Bennett — A Good-Night