Vocal

AT THE ROUND EARTH'S IMAGIN'D CORNERS [2021]

Commissioned by Coro Spezzato for their inaugural concert on 20th July 2021 and premiered at St. James' Church, Sussex Gardens, London.

This piece received a subsequent workshop with the BBC Singers at the Maida Vale Studios.

For double SATB a cappella choir.

Holy Sonnet VII

At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow

Your trumpets, angels and arise, arise

From death, you numberless infinities

Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go,

All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow,

All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,

Despair, law, chance, hath slain, and you whose eyes,

Shall behold God, and never taste death's woe.

But let them sleep, Lord, and make me mourn a space,

For, if above all these, my sins abound,

'Tis late to ask abundance of Thy grace,

When we are there. Here on this lowly ground,

Teach me how to repent; for that's as good

As if Thou'hadst seal'd my pardon with Thy blood.

John Donne (1571-1631)

Recueillement (excerpt)

Sois sage, ô ma Douleur, et tiens-toi plus tranquille.

Tu réclamais le Soir; il descend; le voici:

Une atmosphère [...] enveloppe la ville,

Aux uns portant la paix, aux autres le souci.

[...]

Loin d'eux. Vois se pencher les défuntes Années,

Sur les balcons du ciel, en robes surannées;

Surgir du find des eaux le Regret souriant;

[...]

Entends, ma chère, entends la douce Nuit qui marche.

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867)

Written for Lizzie Robbings, and premiered at Queen's College, Oxford, 2017.

This setting takes an excerpt of Baudelaire's poem from his collection, Fleurs du Mal. Opposite is the excerpt of text that is set.

For soprano and piano.