Counter-tenor Iestyn Davies (pictured) premieres the work with Liam Byrne (bass viola da gamba) and Jonas Nordberg (Theorbo)
Keepers of the Corallite is a setting of five poems, written by Zoë Palmer, that in her words explore stories “held in the landscape” surrounding Messums, Wiltshire — a recently restored fourteenth-century Tithe Barn in Tisbury — where the first performance took place. It was commissioned by the Veronica Stewart Arts Trust for Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Liam Byrne (bass viola da gamba) and Jonas Nordberg (Theorbo), and performed by them for the first time on 21st July in an event that marked the culmination of the trust’s work over five years.
Zoe created a set of powerful portraits that depict, in her words again, “very different lives, in different epochs, grappling with remarkably similar dilemmas.” I set out to build a consistent harmonic universe around these texts to mirror their symbolic cogency, while also creating a distinctive musical shell for each.
Keepers of the Corallite for counter-tenor, bass viola da gamba and theorbo comprises:
1. Corallite
2. The Dentist, The Axe and The Old Young Girl
3. The Weaver
4. Ouroboros
5. The First Lady Geologist
We look forward to making this work available at Composers Edition soon.
Daniel Saleeb Profile & WorksTags: Daniel Saleeb, Iestyn Davies, Jonas Nordberg, Keepers of the Corallite, Liam Byrne, Zoë Palmer