New texts by poet Peter Oswald from first-hand accounts of modern-day migrants are set to John Dowland’s famous instrumental pavans, Lacrimae or Seaven teares. Interspersed with these are virtuosic performances by Rihab Azar. Specially designed lighting and projections will make this a truly immersive experience, and the performance will culminate with a new work written for Stile Antico and Rihab Azar by legendary British composer Giles Swayne.
Songs of Longing and Exile premieres this evening at 8:30pm, as part of the Brighton Festival, with two further performances at Wigmore Hall and a free performance in Hackney, where Stile Antico and Rihab Azar will be joined by Woven Gold, a remarkable choir of refugees and asylum seekers.
17 May, 8:30pm – All Saint’s Church, Hove
13 June, 7:30pm – Wigmore Hall, London
23 June, 5:00pm – Round Chapel, Hackney
This project has been made possible through the support of Arts Council England, the RVW Trust, and the Stile Antico Foundation, and will be touring again in 2020.