Harriet Burns soprano
Nick Pritchard tenor
Kate Wakeling poet and reader
Christopher Glynn piano

Schumann’s song cycle Myrthen
Retold in English by Jeremy Sams
With new poems by Kate Wakeling
WORLD PREMIERE

In 1840, Robert Schumann was finally able to marry the woman he loved – the sensationally gifted pianist Clara Wieck – after a long and bitter legal battle with her father. His hardwon happiness found expression in an extraordinary collection of songs, presented to Clara on the morning of their marriage and named after the white myrtle sprigs that for centuries have symbolised love and hope in every wedding bouquet. With secret messages, riddles and lucky charms, these twenty-six songs are an A-Z of Robert’s hopes, fears, experiences and beliefs as he stands at a crossroads in life. Performed in English, alongside new poems by Kate Wakeling to set the scene, this is a fresh take on one of the most unusual and captivating of all song cycles.

‘Sams’s translations are unaffected and idiomatic … an unusually direct Lieder experience’ The Guardian

£22 • £18 • £5 (UNDER 25)
All Saints’ Church, Kirkbymoorside

This performance will last around 60 minutes with no interval.