Battle Cry: she speaks

This programme re-balances an obsession with female abandonment and lament in the 17th century. The stories of women such as Dido and Ariadne have been told and re-told throughout history, as Greek myths and ancient tales dealt with the reality of war and high mortality rates on the women seen to be ‘left behind’ by male adventure and success. We consider this trope through the hands of women and men writing music in 17th century, exploring whether this abandonment and lament always does in fact have the air of helplessness that might be assumed.

Battle Cry (Owain Park CMF commission, 2020) considers this stance in the 21st century, giving so-called ‘abandoned women’ a platform for their own voice. What would they say today? It also illuminates the voice and theorbo as a modern-day musical pairing, a less-explored idiom in contemporary chamber music than one would expect. Join with us as we breathe a new life into this instrumental combination and let the battle cry of women throughout the centuries resound.

Helen Charlston (Mezzo Soprano) // Toby Carr (Theorbo)

Tickets available via City Music Foundation