About

Gramophone award winning duo, Helen Charlston & Toby Carr bring the heartfelt music of superstar English Renaissance songwriter John Dowland to Barnes for this lunchtime concert. The world of song, whether lieder by Schubert; to the biggest acts at Glastonbury or songs heard at an open mic night, all started right here in the creativity of John Dowland. For centuries these songs have bewitched audiences and performers alike. Full of direct emotion and knowing humanity, these songs remind us despite the centuries of distance we are not so far removed from our renaissance ancestors.
Dowland knew the power of his music to move hearts and change people. He called on his audiences to lend their ears (and tears) to bring the music to real life, as what is music without an audience? In return, we have lent his music to 21st century ears in the form of composers Ben Rowarth and Anna Semple, who have written new songs responding directly to Dowland’s ideas, adding a modern-day extension to this extraordinary lineage of song and emotion.