Commotio return to SJE with an abundance of 20th and 21st-century British part-song rarities. Although composers such as Warlock, and Berkeley and Britten may be known to choral music fans, several of the works in this programme are likely to be new to the audience. Dedicated to “the immortal memory of the Prince of Venosa”, (Carlo Gesualdo), Warlock’s first choral work The Full Heart emulates the chromatic and surprising harmonies of its dedicatee. Berkeley’s Legacie, written in 1943 remained unpublished until Commotio’s Director Matthew Berry discovered it in the British Library, leading to its publication in 2019. Britten’s set of seven songs AMDG is rarely performed, but its complexity will delight. Written in 1939, its first performance was prevented by the start of war. AMDG was not performed in full until 1984, and only published in 1989.
Commotio would like to thank Judith Godsland for her generous funding of a new work, A Modest Love by Kerensa Briggs, which will receive its premiere at this concert.