Stunning female vocal consort Papagena present their new programme, featuring medieval, folk, classical and contemporary music of hope, renewal and bittersweet contrasts. Works to be presented include 6 world premieres, including the first performance in modern times of a renaissance Stabat Mater by Vecchi, specially edited and reconstructed by the group, together with Papagena's new commission from John Duggan, a setting of the more unusual text Stabat Mater Speciosa, which features Mary standing at the foot of the cradle.
Papagena will be joined by instrumentalists Cathy Lamb (keyboards) and Lynda Sayce (lute and flute).
Papagena is the leading professional all-female vocal consort in the UK and has made many appearances on BBC Radio 3 and 4 (including Woman's Hour), as well as giving concerts at festivals such as the Edinburgh and Three Choirs Festivals. The group has released three CDs, two of them on the Somm label, as well as video recordings, and has toured extensively. Papagena regularly collaborates with the Orchestra of the Swan, creating intriguing multi-genre programmes which have been premiered in both Birmginham and Stratford, and further collaborations are planned for December 2021.
"If Papagena were an all-male ensemble...they would be household names" (Gramophone Magazine, March 2020)
"extraordinary voices" (BBC, Sarah Walker)