Invoke Now The Angels

For Soprano, Mezzo Soprano,
Countertenor and Piano
(2013) 12 minutes
Text by Kei Miller

Commissioned by the Prince Consort and premiered at the Wigmore Hall, 22 November 2013 by Anna Leese (soprano), Jennifer Johnston (mezzo soprano), Tim Mead (countertenor) and Alisdair Hogarth (piano).

Programme note

Conceived as a response to Britten's Canticles I and II, 'the cutting edge of the vocal lines increased by their density and the bold gestures of the piano writing' (George Hall, The Guardian), Invoke Now the Angels (2013), a joint-commission to mark the centenary of Britten's birth, was premiered by The Prince Consort at the Wigmore Hall, 22 November 2013. For the text Cheryl commissioned a poem from the Jamaican poet and essayist Kei Miller. Tensionally, the work phases strikingly between drama, dream and decay.

Text

Available to download (via the Sleeve Notes tab) from Champs Hill Record's website (this work features on Cheryl's Magic Lantern Tales disc).

Review(s)

"A large-scale, powerful piece with angular harmonies and a remarkable spareness."

Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill

"A gripping dramatic scena" Arnold Whittall, Gramophone Magazine

Performance history (post-premiere)

19th May 2017- Anna Huntley, Collin Shay, Alisdair Hogarth at the Wigmore Hall, London, UK

Listen

Buy Magic Lantern Tales, Cheryl's CD featuring Invoke Now the Angels