Appear and Inspire - Edington Festival 2014

The 2014 Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy runs from 18 August to 25 August this year. The festival offers four services per day at Edington Priory Church in Wiltshire sung by three choirs, an all male schola cantorum, a mixed voice consort and a choir of boys and men, directed by Peter Stevens, Matthew Martin, Jeremy Summerly and Paul Brough with Benjamin Nicholas as the festival director. The theme of the festival is inspired by the female saints, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Calcutta, St Cecilia and Teresa of Lisieux. 

The music includes Durufle's Requiem Mass, three of Victoria's masses (Massa O quam gloriosum, Missa Dum complerentur and Missa Ave maris stella), motets by Lalou, Lobo, Machicourt, Peter Phillips, Lassus, Rebelo, plus music by Hildegard of Bingen, Purcell, Holst, Finzi, Howells and Tippett. Britten is celebrated with his Hymn to St. Cecilia, Te Deum and Jubilate in C.

Teresa of Calcutta's words are set in a piece commissioned from Neil Cox. A piece by Latvian composer Eriks Esenalds also sets Teresa of Calcutta's words. Other contemporary pieces include music by William Matthias, Matthew Martin and Francis Pott. Though its a shame that a way could not be found of including some of Lennox Berkeley's settings of Teresa of Avila (written for solo contralto and strings).

All the music is performed in the context of the liturgy and in the lovely 14th century priory church. Further information from the Edington Festival website.

Elsewhere on this blog:

• Madama Butterfly at OHP
• Singing the Changes
• The Nibelung Ballad
• JAM - onwards and upwards
• Vivat Brahms! - CD review
• Carmelites at Grange Park
• These New Puritans - Field of Reeds
• Eugene Onegin at Grange Park
• I Puritani at Grange Park
• Owen Wingrave at GSMD
• Viktoria Mullova in Bach Concertos - CD review
• Home