Summary

Ian Bostridge and Britten Sinfonia embark on a journey around Europe with folk-inspired chamber music from Bartók to Britten, including a new arrangement by Sir James MacMillan of his Three Scottish Songs.

Join a musical expedition across Europe, exploring folk-inspired chamber music from Scotland, Ireland, Romania and Denmark.

In his lifetime, Benjamin Britten produced over 60 arrangements of folk songs. Here Ian Bostridge sings four of the most evocative: O Waly, Waly, The Salley Gardens, Bonny at Morn, and She’s Like the Swallow. The concert also features the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Three Scottish Songs, new settings of three poems by the early 20th century Scottish poet William Soutar in a style based on traditional folk song. They will be heard with his 1996 work, Meditations on Iona, a musical portrait of the Scottish island where St Columba founded one of the oldest churches in Europe.

Listen to our Sir James MacMillan playlist on Spotify for free: