Fretwork: Birds On Fire - Jewish Music For Viols

Fretwork Ensemble

Orlando Gough: Birds on Fire (1); Salamone Rossi "Ebreo": Hashkivénu; Pieces from the Lumley Part Books: Desperada / Pavana / Gallyard / Seconda Desperada / Pavin & Gallyard of Albarti (Albert Kellim) / Terza Desperada; Leonora Duarte: Two Sinfonias in 5 parts; Thomas Lupo: Fantasia in 6 parts No.1; Orlando Gough: Birds on Fire (2); Phillip Van Wilder: Fantasia con pause e senza pause; Thomas Lupo: Pavan in 3 parts no.26; Fantasia (Air) in 4 parts no.5; Fantasia in 6 parts no.9; Augustine Bassano: Pavan & Galliard no.1; Hieronymus Bassano: Fantasia no.1; Joseph Lupo: Pavana a 5; Thomas Lupo: Fantasia in 6 parts no.4 & no.11; Orlando Gough: Birds on Fire (3); Salamone Rossi "Ebreo": Shir hamma'alót

The programme presented by Fretwork illustrates the genuinely cosmopolitan atmosphere that sustained musical creation at the Tudor and Stuart courts, which did not hesitate to draw on the sources of Franco-Flemish or Italian music. Although the Jews had been banished from the kingdom of England since 1290, the Italian-Jewish Bassano and Lupo families became veritable compositional dynasties, dominating music at court for the best part of a century between 1550 and 1650. 'Birds on Fire', by the British composer Orlando Gough, adds a contemporary echo inspired by klezmer music.