[H]ear classic songs of old Cumberland and Westmorland performed by The Cumbrian Duo at Egremont’s Florence Arts Centre this Friday (6 October).
Classical guitarist Ed Heslam is joined by harpist Jean Altshuler to play a collection of music dating back to the 1700s from Cumberland and Westmorland. Many of the pieces were originally performed in the time of the poet William Wordsworth and the Lake Poets, and they will brought to life some 300 years after they were first heard. Florence Arts Centre is a unique venue, based at the now disused Florence Iron Ore Mine in Egremont, and this intimate concert promises to be uplifting, nostalgic and entertaining, with the haunting and evocative sounds of classical guitar and harp.
As well as their recently released CD, The Music of Cumberland and Westmorland, The Cumbrian Duo have published an anthology of Cumbrian music and are collecting an ever expanding repertoire of music from old manuscripts, focussing on pre 20th century music. Some of the sources to date include manuscripts by Joseph Barnes, Robert Harrison, William Irwin (as copied by Anne Gilchrist) and James Lishman. Through their own research and by exploring the Cumbria County Archive, the Armitt Museum in Ambleside and the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library in London the collection of tunes is evergrowing.
Enjoy a trip back into time with two superb musicians, armed with some great songs from our own shared heritage.