Southwell Festival Chamber Soloists
Marcus Farnsworth baritone
Libby Burgess piano
Charles Ives The Unanswered Question
Michael Torke Adjustable Wrench
Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring
Songs by Samuel Barber, Charles Ives and Benjamin Britten
Welcome to the distinctive and engaging soundscape of American music. This concert presents three highly individual and iconic pieces for chamber ensemble from the beginning, middle and end of the 20th century:
★ the eternally enigmatic and thought-provoking six minutes of Ives’ The Unanswered Question
★ the wide American landscape and homely comfort of Copland’s evocative ballet score Appalachian Spring
★ the fun minimalism of Michael Torke’s Adjustable Wrench (his music has been described by Gramophone magazine as “some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years”).
In between there are songs including Britten’s sensitive and entertaining settings of Appalachian folk melodies.
