Secret Byrd | Gesualdo Six and Fretwork
12 July 2024, Mediaeval Hall, Salisbury UK
This stunning concert was the highlight of a recent trip I made to England. Set in the Mediaeval Hall in Salisbury, we were permitted to enter in small groups of no more than eight to ten. We had some of the dynamics of the concert explained to us. We were allowed to sit anywhere of move about during the evening and to eat and drink what was on the tables. At one stage there was to be a complete blackout for a minute or so when all the candles, the sole lighting in the hall, were blown out. There were seats around the edge of the hall and a large table with communion bread and wine in the middle as well as a few other small tables up on the dais where one could have a bird’s (!) eye view of the singers at the big table.
This concert was more or less a celebration of the catholic mass with music by William Byrd when being a catholic in England could cause you to lose your life. Around three quarters of the way through the concert a loud banging (on the front door supposedly) interrupted proceedings and the candles were blown out. This manner of highlighting the dangers of being found out by the secret agents charged with finding out where catholic masses were still being celebrated was most effective and brought home how dangerous it was to stick to your religious convictions at the time.
At “stations” around the hall banners were set with information about the music, times and philosophy behind the show, some of which were about religious freedom and its importance. This brought the relevance home to me about how throughout the world we still have religious wars and conflicts and how silly these really are. These can be found on their website as well.
The singers were mostly but not exclusively sitting round the table with their part books to sing, although it seemed this was more for historical accuracy as the six males had obviously memorised the whole programme. Some works required fewer singers so that one or two singers were free to move about amongst the audience taking up positions from where to sing next. The intonation was perfect as was the blend and at no time did I feel barraged by loud over produced voices, but rather blended in to the sound that was around and in me. Quietly ecstatic is the way one review puts their work. In this way being inside the music was an experience of sublimation. Being scattered around the room at times and some distance from each other, did not seem to make any difference to their performance.
Fretwork is well known for their work as a viol consort. Their inclusion here was highly apt with Byrd Fantasias and In nomines. Weaving a continuous stream of music from vocal to instrumental and back again was highly effective with the consort sitting in the gallery above us. The viols played where the proper of the mass would have occurred.
The final work was a six part work with the viols playing the vocal parts at times as had happened seamlessly at some earlier points in the evening. Again the blend was exquisitely subtle. I was fortunately sitting at the large table just below the six singers who were on the dais at this point and noticed that the music was just in front of me. Trying not to overly look at the music it nevertheless was great to hear whilst reading the music in the score.
In chatting to the producer, Bill Barclay, of this show I learnt that it may come to Australia in 18 months’ time or so. For weeks afterwards I was under the influence of the divine peace and beauty of this concert whilst weeping for the way we as a society try to convince other people that they’re wrong1 for their beliefs. This concert goes way beyond merely being a performance of profound beauty and artistic achievement which it absolutely was; it is a monument to a vision of bringing a brave new world into being. Do not miss this experience if this show comes to Australia and look at the link below to whet your appetite!
Peter
STOP PRESS This group is considering performing in the Sydney festival; I have asked that they also perform in Melbourne.
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68416 with review on the side bar.
1 Loosely quoted from the website
