Sweet, stay a while   Henry & William LAWES

The season opener takes us back to politically turbulent times, with civil war, the execution of Charles I, and the Commonwealth. Dorothee Mields and the Hathor Consort convey how closely music, loyalty and loss can be intertwined.

A good example is provided by the brothers Henry and William Lawes, two of the foremost composers of 17th-century England. Henry is considered the leading English songwriter in the period between John Dowland and Henry Purcell, and William was famous for his bold, expressive consort suites for viols. They both served in the private musical ensemble of the Prince of Wales, the later King Charles I, and Henry was also appointed Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. During the troubled years of the Civil War, poets, courtiers and musicians remained loyal to King Charles, including William, who suffered an untimely death on the battlefield. His death filled the King with a very special, personal sense of grief – for someone he had loved during his lifetime and whom he often referred to as the father of music.

Dorothee Mields – Soprano
Hathor Consort
Dir: Romina Lischka