Andrew Earis and St Martin’s Voices at church of St Martin within the Fields

The 2024/25 season at St Martin within the Fields opens with a extra intimate recital within the crypt when tenor Mark Padmore is joined for by guitarist Morgan Szymanski for a programme that features songs by John Dowland and Schubert, plus folksong preparations and the London premiere of Alec Roth’s music cycle A Highway Much less Travelled, which takes its title from the poem by Robert Frost, The Highway Not Taken. Frost wrote the the poem about Edward Thomas and Roth composed his music cycle to commemorate the centenary of Thomas’ loss of life on the Battle of Arras in 1917, and was commissioned by the Autumn in Malvern Competition for its premiere in September 2017.

The season continues with the London Mozart Gamers in Vivaldi and Roxanna Panufnik, each exploring the 4 seasons, and additional forward, the orchestra is joined by conductor Jonathan Bloxham and pianist Louis Schwizgebel for music by each Schumanns and their pal Mendelssohn, then Angela Hewitt joins the orchestra as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat main, ‘Jeunehomme’ in an all-Mozart programme carried out by Jonathan Bloxham. 

I Fagionlini and Robert Hollingworth proceed their exploration of the music of Benevoli along with his Missa Maria Prodigio Celeste (for 4 choirs) alongside Carissimi’s Jephthe, while Nicel Quick and Tenebrae’s programme Music and Meditation, mixes music with mindfulness. Kristian Bezuidenhout directs the English Live performance in an all-Bach programme together with Cantatas No. 54, 150, 161 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. Andrew Earis conducts St Martin’s Voices in a Remembrance Day programme that includes the English premiere of Cecilia McDowall’s Angel of the Battlefield, plus John Rutter, Barry Mills and Lucy Walker. David Bates and La Nuova Music current Haydn’s Creation (in English) with soprano Nardus Williams, tenor Andy Staples and bass James Platt. The BBC Singers and Sofie Jeanin shall be exploring music by John Tavener alongside that of Kristina Arakelyan

Qanum participant Maya Yousseff [whom I interviewed last year] is joined by Zoe Rahman piano and Elizabeth Nott percussion. We return to the crypt for one more intimate recital from Plínio Fernandes guitar and Hadewych Van Gent cello. Santoor participant Eeshar Singh and tabla participant Shahbaz Hussain shall be presenting Indian Music by Candlelight within the crypt.

Full particulars from the St Martin within the Fields web site.