Fretwork: Take Five

Sunday 12 January 2025 at 15:30

The five viols of Fretwork play five centuries of music, some of it in five.
Music by Debussy, Byrd, Kate Bush, Dave Brubeck and Arvo Pärt.

Take five viols, and what can you play? The answer is as varied as it is remarkable. Beyond the renowned English consort music from the golden age—featuring masters like Byrd, Purcell, Gibbons, and Weelkes—the viol is an instrument capable of embracing music across eras and styles, from classical counterpoint to contemporary jazz and even pop.
 
Fretwork delves into this rich musical journey by performing works composed initially for different instruments and in various forms. Including a stunning arrangement of an early organ work by J.S. Bach, who inspired generations of jazz musicians. Reimagined by Fretwork’s own Jon Rees, the famous jazz standard Take Five —written by Paul Desmond of the Dave Brubeck Quartet—is infused with a touch of the ancient In Nomine plainchant. This chant served as the foundation for countless 16th- and 17th-century pieces, and today’s program includes works based on it by Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Weelkes, and Christopher Tye, the latter known for his striking piece set in an unusual five-beat rhythm.
 
Staying with the theme of ‘five,’ the programme continues with an extraordinary and experimental work from the late 16th century by John Baldwin. His Proporcions to the minim challenge expectations, with a bass part adhering to five minims per note, while the upper parts create an entirely different tempo—a fascinating interplay of time and rhythm.
 
Celebrating the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt (2025), his mesmerizing work Fratres, arranged for countless ensembles, will be performed in a version for viols. Contemporary composer Michael Nyman is equally celebrated, though very different in style from Pärt; his piece Balancing the Books, written initially for The Swingle Singers, has been expertly adapted for viols. Likewise, the limpid beauty of Debussy’s eighth Prelude from 1910 lends itself to the delicate sounds of viols.
William Byrd’s music for viol consort stands out from the crowd in that it is of supreme quality and his choice of idiosyncratic forms. The Fantasia may have been ubiquitous, but it was only Byrd who designed one where the two top parts are in canon throughout, and his setting of the folk song Browning is a tour-de-force of contrapuntal, rhythmical and harmonic virtuosity.
 
As part of their recent project, Albion, Fretwork invited ten composers to create new arrangements reflecting British identity. Among these is Sally Beamish’s beautiful arrangement of Kate Bush’s iconic hit, a song that recently re-entered the charts thanks to its appearance in a popular TV show—though Beamish reimagined it long before its resurgence.
 
Join us for an unforgettable musical journey, bringing the rich sounds of the viol to life across centuries.