William Byrd was one of the most important English composers of the Renaissance, renowned for his brilliantly inventive music, but his courage is sometimes overlooked. A Catholic at the court of Elizabeth I, Byrd was obliged to write music for the Anglican Church, yet at the height of his fame he defied his paymasters, composing three Latin masses and giving up his post to join a community of Catholic recusants.
Part art installation, part concert, and part immersive theatre, Secret Byrd celebrates Byrd’s remarkable story. Created by writer, director and composer Bill Barclay, former Director of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe, this immersive concert brings together vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six and viol consort Fretwork to perform Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices for an intimate audience in The Black Abbey.
12th - 13th August
