Festival of the Voice: Marian Consort

As a signet of an emerald in a work of gold: so is the melody of music with pleasant and moderate wine.’ This quotation from Ecclesiasticus is one of the many Latin inscriptions found in the partbooks compiled by the scholar and bibliophile Robert Dow, and it is these, along with another august collection of Tudor and Elizabethan polyphony found in the library of Christ Church, Oxford, which provide the sources for this evening’s music. Our concert traces patterns of development, inspiration and homage among the finest English composers of the sixteenth century in some of their greatest works, drawing out musical subtleties through intimate chamber performance akin to how these pieces may first have been heard.

Taking its name from the Blessed Virgin Mary, a focus of religious devotion in the sacred music of all ages, The Marian Consort is a Gramophone Award-nominated and internationally-renowned early music vocal ensemble, recognised for its dynamic freshness of approach and innovative presentation of a broad range of repertoire.