A Pleasure for the Ear | Dowland’s Foundry ensemble | Banchetto musicale festival

A Pleasure for the Ear
Commemorating the 400th anniversary of John Dowland’s death

Dowland’s Foundry ensemble (Australia / United Kingdom):
Daniel Thomson – tenor
Sami Brown – lute

John Dowland (c. 1563–1626) was one of the most distinguished English Renaissance composers and lutenists. His contemporaries, like listeners today, admired the variety, depth and beauty of his music. In this programme, members of the Dowland’s Foundry ensemble Daniel Thomson and Sami Brown reveal the multifaceted talent of Dowland through performances of music not only by Dowland himself, but also by his contemporaries whose work was influenced by his music.

In the first of his published songs, Dowland invites us to imagine his tongue as a kind of forge: “my tongue, that makes my mouth a mint / and stamps my thoughts to coin them words…” – by extension, voices, lute and viol strings, ensemble, can be seen as parts of the same: elements of a workshop, crafting thoughts into sounds. In this sense, Dowland’s Foundry is a process: a tradition of minting ideas into music, four centuries in the making.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, tenor Daniel Thomson is a graduate of Basel’s Schola Cantorum. His performances are distinguished by an expressive approach, carefully grounded in the meaning of the text. He performs widely across the UK, Europe and Australia with leading ensembles, including Huelgas Ensemble and Rune, Medieval Ensemble in Residence at St Bartholomew the Great in London.

Sami Brown is a graduate of London’s Royal College of Music and one of the leading chordophonists of his generation, known for his sensitive interpretation of Elizabethan music. He has performed across Europe, China and Kenya.

Since meeting at singer Emma Kirkby’s home, Daniel Thomson and Sami Brown have performed together across the UK, many European countries and Australia. Their ensemble playing is admired for its cohesion and their deep understanding of, and affection for, the tradition of lute song. Together, the two performers also run the historical social media channel Lute_Tok, where they explore the history, cultural context and music of England’s “Golden Age”.

Programme

John Dowland (c. 1563–1626)
Time stands still

John Danyel (c. 1564–1626)
Like as the lute delights

John Dowland
Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home
Can she excuse my wrongs
It was a time when silly bees could speak

Anonymous
Light of love

John Dowland
Awake sweet love
Sweet stay a while
Dear if you change
Come away, come sweet love

John Dowland
Mourn, mourn
Go nightly cares
Lacrime

Philip Rosseter (1568–1623)
No grave for woe

John Danyel
Dost thou withdraw

Thomas Campion (1567–1620)
To music bent

John Dowland
I must complain

Daniel Bacheler (1572–1619)
Monsieur’s Almaine

John Dowland
Now cease my wandering eyes
Come again, sweet love doth now invite

Concert duration – 1 hour
Doors open – 5.30 pm
Unreserved seating. To choose your preferred seat, please arrive early.

Tickets are available at www.bilietai.lt

Concert partner – Museum of Applied Arts and Design.

The event may be photographed and filmed. Your image may appear in photographs or video recordings published for the purposes of promoting, communicating and archiving the event.

More information: www.bmfestival.lt

Festival organiser
Public Concert Institution ‘Banchetto musicale’

Festival is funded by
Lithuanian Council for Culture
Vilnius City Municipality

Partners

National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Trakų Vokė Manor
LNDM Museum of Applied Arts and Design
Montis Magia Climbing Centre
Merchants’ Club
Cathedral Apart-Hotel
Feel Reel
Ministry of Culture of Spain
Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions

Media partners

LRT KLASIKA
Moteris Magazine
Culture and Arts Magazine Nemunas
Weekly Magazine 7 meno dienos
Weekly Magazine Savaitė
Lrytas News Portal
UAB Media traffic

The festival organisers reserve the right to amend the programme in the event of unforeseen circumstances.