MArk PAdmore and Morgan Szymanski launch the 2024/25 season at St Martin in the Fields with Alec Roth’s song cycle, A Road Less Travelled

Andrew Earis and St Martin’s Voices at church of St Martin in the Fields

The 2024/25 season at St Martin in the Fields opens with a more intimate recital in the crypt when tenor Mark Padmore is joined for by guitarist Morgan Szymanski for a programme that includes songs by John Dowland and Schubert, plus folksong arrangements and the London premiere of Alec Roth’s song cycle A Road Less Travelled, which takes its name from the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. Frost wrote the the poem about Edward Thomas and Roth composed his song cycle to commemorate the centenary of Thomas’ death at the Battle of Arras in 1917, and was commissioned by the Autumn in Malvern Festival for its premiere in September 2017.

The season continues with the London Mozart Players in Vivaldi and Roxanna Panufnik, both exploring the four seasons, and further ahead, the orchestra is joined by conductor Jonathan Bloxham and pianist Louis Schwizgebel for music by both Schumanns and their friend Mendelssohn, then Angela Hewitt joins the orchestra as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat major, ‘Jeunehomme’ in an all-Mozart programme conducted by Jonathan Bloxham. 

I Fagionlini and Robert Hollingworth continue their exploration of the music of Benevoli with his Missa Maria Prodigio Celeste (for four choirs) alongside Carissimi’s Jephthe, whilst Nicel Short and Tenebrae’s programme Music and Meditation, mixes music with mindfulness. Kristian Bezuidenhout directs the English Concert in an all-Bach programme including Cantatas No. 54, 150, 161 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. Andrew Earis conducts St Martin’s Voices in a Remembrance Day programme featuring the English premiere of Cecilia McDowall’s Angel of the Battlefield, plus John Rutter, Barry Mills and Lucy Walker. David Bates and La Nuova Music present Haydn’s Creation (in English) with soprano Nardus Williams, tenor Andy Staples and bass James Platt. The BBC Singers and Sofie Jeanin will be exploring music by John Tavener alongside that of Kristina Arakelyan

Qanum player Maya Yousseff [whom I interviewed last year] is joined by Zoe Rahman piano and Elizabeth Nott percussion. We return to the crypt for another intimate recital from Plínio Fernandes guitar and Hadewych Van Gent cello. Santoor player Eeshar Singh and tabla player Shahbaz Hussain will be presenting Indian Music by Candlelight in the crypt.

Full details from the St Martin in the Fields website.