The Gesualdo Six, England, 1600

On the eve of the 17th century, England is balancing on a fault line. The cultural flourishing under Elizabeth I goes hand in hand with religious repression, political uncertainty, and a growing sense of threat. That tension resonates in the music of that time. Composers search for new means of expression and find them in pronounced chromaticism, thorough text illustration, and strong contrasts. The Gesualdo Six evokes this dark-glowing England with an intense program of sacred and secular music. Werk van William Byrd – a Catholic in a Protestant nation – stands alongside the refined craftsmanship of Orlando Gibbons, the theatrical sharpness of Thomas Weelkes, the melancholy of John Dowland, and the expressive madrigals of Thomas Morley. From their music rises an England with its own voice in the choir of polyphonic Europe: seemingly controlled, but full of inner tension.