Acclaimed tenor Ian Bostridge, renowned for his lyric gifts and “instinct for conveying meaning and emotion with disarming clarity” (The Guardian), performs music set to profound texts from his native England. This signature program features a kaleidoscope of composers inspired by William Shakespeare alongside Bostridge’s heartfelt rendition of Britten’s transcendent Holy Sonnets, with texts by poet John Donne. Master collaborative pianist Julius Drake joins for this imaginative collection.

PROGRAM:

John Dowland - "In darkness let me dwell"

Gerald Finzi - Let Us Garlands Bring, Op. 18

Franz Schubert - “An Sylvia,” Op. 106, No. 4

Franz Schubert - “Ständchen,” D. 889

Franz Joseph Haydn - “She never told her death,” Hob. XXVIa/34

Roger Quilter - “Come away, Death,” Op. 6, No. 1

Ivor Gurney - "Under the Greenwood Tree"

Ivor Gurney - "Sleep"

Erich Korngold - “Desdemona’s Song,” Op. 31, No. 1

Erich Korngold - “Come away, death,” Op. 29, No. 1

Erich Korngold - “Adieu, Good Man Devil,” Op. 29, No. 3

Benjamin Britten - The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Op. 35