About this Event
Join us for a special evening celebrating the music, friendship and legacy of two of Britain's most influential composers, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The evening recital of songs and piano music explores themes of love, nature, family, loss and contemplation. Highlights include Holst's My True Love Hath My Heart, Margrete's Cradle-Song and Song of the Woods, alongside Vaughan Williams' The Lake in the Mountains, Hearts' Haven and Silent Noon.
A special highlight is Before the Mirror, a previously unknown Vaughan Williams song rediscovered in Morley College's archives. Exploring themes of loss and remembrance, this moving work receives its first public performance since its rediscovery, bringing a forgotten Vaughan Williams composition to life 125 years after it was written.
The performance includes a reading from a lecture delivered by Ralph Vaughan Williams at Morley College in 1953 about the life and work of his close friend, Gustav Holst, Morley's Director of Music from 1907 to 1924. Preserved in Morley's archives, the lecture offers a rare and deeply personal portrait of Holst as a composer, teacher and friend. Reflecting on their creative partnership, Vaughan Williams said: "Holst used to say that we shared a muse; that when I dried up, he was prolific, and vice versa. Holst used to say that he plagiarised from me. I see no evidence of this, but I know very well I plagiarised from him, and I am proud of it."
Bringing together performance, archival discovery and first-hand recollections, this unique event celebrates Morley's rich classical musical heritage and the enduring friendship of two giants of British music.
The Performers:
Mariana Suri is a soprano, conductor and contemporary music collaborator whose work spans from the performance of opera, concert and recital to the delivery of radical new music. Recent collaborations include solo recitals for Penge Music and the Ledra Music Soloists. Other recent projects include Fragments of Experience, a William Blake inspired audio visual song cycle, produced with the support of Arts Council England and Oxford International Song Festival. An accomplished voice teacher and choral conductor, she is curriculum lead for vocal studies at Morley College London.
Dimitris Karydis was born in Crete, Greece. Virtuosity, vitality, accuracy and excitement - indisputable elements in his playing - have assured him appearances with outstanding success in England, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA, Venezuela, Canada and Greece. His piano duo 'Antithesis' (with pianist Petros Moschos) has been awarded top prizes in most major international duo competitions in the world. Dimitris is manages the Classical Music department at Morley College London, and he is also the artistic director of the Heraklion Piano Festival in Greece.
Tickets
Full Price: £15.00
Students tickets: £10.00
Doors open: 18.30
Performance: 19.00 - 20.00
Event venue & nearby stays
Morley College Waterloo, 61 Westminster Bridge Road, London, United Kingdom
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