THE 14TH Galway Early Music Festival takes place from May 15 to 17, and is organised around the theme ‘Islands and the Waters Between.’ It promises to bring audiences on an exciting voyage to Ireland, Guernsey, and Cyprus.
Once again the festival committee has prepared a remarkable programme full of high quality early music performed by the world’s foremost musicians who, just for one weekend, will become our musicians in residence and will be giving recitals for adults, concerts for children, and workshops for local musicians.
Among the notable performers who feature in this year’s line-up is continuo-wizard and harp virtuoso Andrew Lawrence-King who will perform with his much-acclaimed Harp Consort ensemble, as well as giving a solo harp recital - and a harp workshop for good measure.
Born in Guernsey in 1959, Lawrence-King is recognised as one of Europe’s leading early music artists, and the rising new star of the baroque scene as conductor ‘from the continuo’ of orchestras, choirs, and staged operas.
His musical career began as head chorister at the Cathedral and Parish Church of St Peter Port, Guernsey. From there he went on to study at Selwyn College, Cambridge and London Early Music Centre. After finishing his studies, Lawrence-King pursued a double international career as counter-tenor and continuo-player.
He took up the harp quite by chance, and in the absence of a modern school of baroque harp-playing, taught himself to play, using period treatises and iconography. He now has a large collection of harps copied from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque originals, and has made particular study of the original techniques of ‘striking’ the harp.
He quickly established himself in London, performing and recording with nearly all the leading specialist ensembles: he has made more than 100 recordings of music ranging from troubadour lyrics to new music for early harp.
After six years as harpist and keyboard player with the Baroque ensemble Tragicomedia, Lawrence-King formed his own ensemble, The Harp Consort in 1994. The Harp Consort is a mixed vocal and instrumental ensemble that brings together world-class soloists in various line-ups, according to the repertoire being performed.
It is not an ensemble of harps, rather the combination of one early harp with singers, lutes, baroque guitars, viols, violins, early flutes, shawms, bagpipes, and percussion - anything from a medieval trio to a baroque orchestra. Their repertoire contrasts folk dances and the highest art music; medieval song, Renaissance consorts and Baroque operas. They don’t just play dance-music. Guitarist Steven Player brings historical dance-steps to life with rhythmic footwork and improvised choreographies.
The Harp Consort’s combination of detailed historical research with the dramatic spontaneity of improvised performance won them instant critical acclaim and their CDs have topped the classical charts.
For their Galway performance The Harp Consort will range wide over the high seas with a programme designed especially to suit the festival theme - The Boatemen: Songs of the 17th century Seas. Galway audiences will surely delight in hearing the group combine “the spontaneity of improvised jazz and the perfection of state-of-the-art early music”.
Concert dates
The Harp Consort will perform at St Nicholas’s Collegiate Church at 8.30pm on Friday May 15 (tickets €22/15 ).
On Sunday 17, the festival’s final chords will be played by Lawrence-King with his solo concert of historical harp entitled The Lament of Tristan which explores the music surrounding the legends of Tristan and Iseult, a story which started in the Celtic areas of Europe. This performance is at 4pm in Kilcummin Parish Church, Oughterard. Tickets are €16/12.
Also on Sunday 17 at 10.30am in the Granary Learning Centre, Dominick Street, Lawrence-King will give a masterclass in early harp music. Places are still available (€25/20 ) and can be booked through www.galwayearlymusic.com or 087 - 9305506.
