Poetry in Music

Does music add substance to words, or is music inspired by them? The transcendent nature of music and the power of poetry to challenge and alter perceptions of reality harnessed by English composers over many centuries flow through a program that invites contemplation of life and death, love and loss, creation and eternity. In a journey covering six centuries of musical history, The Sixteen performs a cappella anthems with powerful texts by writers as varied as Edmund Spenser, Christopher Fry, and W.H. Auden.