Immortal Legacy: Tudor Giants
Matthew Robertson, conductor
Founded in 2012, the professional chamber choir The Thirteen has quickly garnered a reputation of excellence among top American professional choirs. The choir maintains a busy schedule of home concerts, master classes at universities and tours throughout the nation. The Thirteen is composed of thirteen professional musicians from around the country specializing in early music, and committed to a “non-hierarchical music making process where every member plays a part in the artistic choices of the Choir, bringing about a unity and depth of voice.”
The Yale concert will feature William Mundy’s Vox Patris Caelestis as well as works by Tallis, Byrd, and White.
“There is a reason why the names of Tallis and Byrd are synonymous with the finest choral music in the canon. No less exemplary is the music of those who, by quirks of circumstance, are less well known – in this case Robert White and William Mundy. These four composers together composed a vast majority of the finest repertoire of the second half of the sixteenth century. Yet this music is just as new today as it was late in the sixteenth century; its striking harmonic shifts, transcendent sonorities, and ethereal character all help to make this repertoire truly unique,” notes The Thirteen’s artistic director Matthew Robertson.
The Thirteen’s newest CD RADIANT DARK, released in October, 2014, features the music of Robert White, John Sheppard and more.
P R O G R A M
Walter Lambe (1450/1 - c.1499 or c. 1504): Stella caeli
Robert Fayrfax (1464 - 1521): I love unloved
William Cornysh, Jr. (d. 1523): Ah Robin, gentle Robin
King Henry VIII (1491-1547): Hélas Madame
Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 - 1585): Salve intemerata
Thomas Weelkes (1576 - 1623): Sweet heart arise
William Mundy (c. 1529 - 1591): Vox Patris caelestis
King Henry VIII: Quam pulchra es
Thomas Tallis: If ye love me
William Byrd (c. 1540 - 1623): Ambitious love