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ENSEMBLE INFO

Ensemble Contact:

Email:

gawain@inecho.co.uk

2016

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Salt Road: In Echo + Horatio Clare

Project Outline:
The ancient Salt Road road between Lüneburg and Lübeck, walked by Bach on his way to meet Buxtehude, has existed beyond memory. It was a vital artery for transporting the ‘white gold’ upon which the wealth of the region depended. For this project In Echo are joined by the writer Horatio Clare reading from his book Something of his art, written after Horatio retraced Bach’s footsteps all the way from Arnstadt to Lübeck. In Echo present a skilfully curated selection of music by Bach and Buxtehude alongside composers such as Schütz, Brade, Isaac and Walther, all linked by the idea of journeys real and imagined, physical and spiritual.
The music includes settings of melodies such as 'Mit fried und freud ich fahr dahin' and 'In Gottes namen fahren wir', plus works such as Schütz’s 'Ich fahr dahin zu Jesu Christ' and William Brade’s 'Pilligrienen tanz'. The programme also includes several new transcription of Bach and a new ensemble commission by Silas Wollston called 'White Gold'.

Performances:
We have 3 confirmed performances so far this year:
Ryedale Festival (July 24th)
Little Missenden Festival (October 11th)
Birmingham University Evening Concert Series (October 21st)
Discussions with other festivals are ongoing, including with some literary festivals.

Audiences:
It is our hope that by collaborating with Horatio Clare we can attract different people to our concerts – and also spark an interest amongst our traditional audiences in spoken-word events. By stepping into the repertoire of J.S. Bach for the first time as an ensemble we also hope to reach classical audiences who wouldn’t ordinarily listen to the cornetto – or even know what one is.

Video:
If funding is successful, we aim to produce quality video content at our rehearsals in June/July this year.

Creative programming has been a hallmark of the ensemble since our first recital programme featured a 10min new commission in four movements by Andrew Keeling called ‘Northern Soul’. We have been looking for an opportunity to commission more new music ever since. In Echo programmes are thoroughly researched and draw upon Gawain’s distinctive knowledge of unexplored corners of repertoire. They aim to draw new connections between composers and periods. As Robert Hollingworth wrote after a performance in York:

‘there are still individuals researching this period that we think we know, coming up with repertoire that surprises and challenging what we thought we knew. I went to in Echo's inaugural concert this week and was very taken not only with the whole concept about the northern response to southern European music but with the highly inventive and colourful repertoire of this early-mid period of the 17th century, generally seen as a slightly awkward thumb-twiddling exercise until Corelli/Vivaldi conveniently arrive - presumably not how they saw it at the time. Add to this the fantastic playing of some of the most thoughtful but also virtuosic players around and you have that wonderful thing - a genuinely interesting, musically rewarding concert that leaves you understanding the period better too.'

Performances by In Echo since 2022:
June 2022: Brighton Early Music Festival: ‘Birth of the Baroque’
July 2022: CD recording of Philips and Dering motets with choir of Gonville & Caius. Linn Records.
October 2022: Kenardington. ‘Battaglia’
November 2022: Kendal Midday Concert Club. ‘Music in Cold Climate’
May 2023: Regensburg Tage Alter Musik. ‘Music in a Cold Climate’
May 2024: Purbeck Arts Weeks. ‘In the Summertime’
June 2024: Silverdale Renaissance. ‘In the Summertime’
July 2024: York Early Music Festival. ‘Metamorfosi’
September 2024: Korcula. ‘Battaglia’
November 2024: Durham University concert series. ‘In the Summertime’

Also upcoming:
June 2026: Birmingham. ‘Battaglia’
June 2026: CD recording with choir or Merton College, Oxford. Delphian Records.

In Echo’s CD collaboration with Gonville & Caius choir drew excellent reviews, with David Fallows writing in Gramophone that ‘In Echo perform with such infectious joy’