Four Last Songs continues the 2024 Debenham Chamber Music season with an evening of music for harp, flute, and mezzo soprano performed by The Erda Ensemble with drinks before the concert and again during the interval.
Programme to include
Vaughan Williams – Four Last Songs
William Alwyn - Naiades
Grace Williams - Songs of Sleep
Elizabeth Maconchy - 3 Songs for Voice and Harp
Claude Debussy - Syrinx
Evan J Lawson - In the Red Fire of Passion
Harriet Adie - Songs of Childhood
We are grateful for the support of the PC at St Mary's, without whom these concerts would not be possible, and to the Vaughan Williams Foundation for their financial support of this concert.
All proceeds from refreshments go directly to the church.
About The Erda Ensemble
The Erda Ensemble is a collaborative and flexible ensemble with three founding members: Marta Fontanals-Simmons (mezzo-soprano), Chloë Vincent (flute) and Olivia Jageurs (harp).
Initially inspired by the final movement Der Abschied of Mahler’s Das Lied Von Der Erde at the Roman River Festival, the group subsequently discovered a shared passion for storytelling and rediscovering neglected works for this unusual combination of instruments.
About Marta Fontanals-Simmons
Marta has collaborated with some of the most celebrated pianists, conductors and orchestras in the world such as Graham Johnson (Wigmore Hall), Bengt Forsberg (Den Norske Opera), Roger Vignoles (Fundación Juan March), Simon Lepper (Lille Opera), Joanna McGregor (Aldeburgh Festival) and concerts with BBCSO, BBCNOW, RPO, CBSO, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, James Gaffigan (Het Concertgebouw) Stephane Denève (Stuttgart Liederhalle) and Sakari Oramo (Last Night of BBC Proms).
Marta’s operatic repertoire ranges from Gounod (The Royal Opera House), Mozart (Théâtre Champs Elysées), Strauss (Grand Théâtre de Genève) to Weinberg (Teatro Real Madrid), Weill (Opéra de Monte Carlo), Birtwistle (English National Opera), Ethel Smyth (Glyndebourne Festival), Ligeti (Het Concertgebouw) and Britten (Banff Centre, Canada.)
Marta was awarded the Prix de Lied at Le Concours International in Paris.
About Olivia Jageurs
Olivia is in demand as a collaborator with the UK' s top musicians and composers. She freelances with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Sinfonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sinfonia Cymru, Ballet Rambert, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and The Hallé. Olivia has recorded for Universal, Hyperion and Decca Classics.
She has performed in recital with a number of well-known singers including Allan Clayton, Mark Padmore and Roderick Williams. She regularly performs at high-profile events such as the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and for Dior in front of the Pyramids of Giza.
Olivia has recorded over 500 original compositions for her project 15 Second Harp. In 2021 Olivia became a Royal Philharmonic Society Enterprise Fund trailblazer for her online concert series Harpy Hour.
About Chloë Vincent
Chloë is a graduate of the Guildhall School and has built a busy freelance career performing with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia. Chloë regularly records at the leading London studios, working for artists such as Kanye West, Madonna and Michael Kiwanuka as well as numerous film and TV sessions.
Chloë appears on the Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello award winning Grey Area by Little Simz and Hannah Peel’ s The Unfolding which topped the classical music charts in 2022. Her professional concerto debut was in 2019, performing Mozart’ s flute concerto with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Chamber music recitals include performances at the Barbican, St James Piccadilly, Henley Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts and Dartington.
Chloe is proud to be a Miyazawa Artist.
Musician photo by Helena Marion Photography