Fervour & Follies

Mezzo-soprano Georgia Burashko and lutenist Sergio Bucheli open a window into the world of 17th-century song, where desire, devotion and drama run close to the surface.

The first half of the programme, 'Fuoco Interiore', draws on the emotional fire of the Italian Baroque: music by Strozzi and Monteverdi that burns with ire and longing. In the second half, 'Ravished Thought', the mood turns inward, as English and French composers like Dowland and Purcell offer songs of melancholy, tenderness and reflection.

Programme:
Barbara Strozzi - 'L'Eraclito Amoroso'
Giulio Caccini - 'Dovrò Dunque Morire?'
Girolamo Frescobaldi - 'Se l'aura spira'
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger - Toccata VI
Claudio Monteverdi - 'Disprezzata Regina!' (L'incornazione di Poppea)
Benedetto Ferrari - 'Amanti io vo se dire'
Jean-Baptiste Besard - 'Ma Belle Si Ton Ame'
Antoine Boesset - 'Je voudrais bien Ô Cloris que j'adore'
Michel Lambert - 3. 'D'un Feu Secret Je Me Sens Consumer'
Robert Jones - 'What if I Seek for Love of Thee?'
Nicholas Lanier - 'No more shall meads'
John Dowland - 'Forlorn Hope Fancy' (Fantasy No. 2)
Sebastien Le Camus - 'Amour, cruel Amour'
James Hart - 'Adieu to the pleasures'
Henry Purcell - 'Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air, Appear!' (The Fairy Queen)

Georgia Burashko is a Canadian mezzo-soprano with a “full-bodied and velvety” voice and “nuanced” interpretations – recent performances include international tours with Les Arts Florissants. Sergio Bucheli, a Mexican lutenist and continuo player, appears regularly with leading ensembles including The English Concert and La Nuova Musica. Together, they are fast becoming distinctive voices in the world of early music.