Choral Music of Our Time
The Phoenix and the Turtle. for chamber choir. mixed choir (SATB), minimum 12 voices. Partition de chœur.

The Phoenix and the Turtle sets a poem by Shakespeare published 1601 that uses the metaphor of a bird's funeral to describe the death of an idealistic love. Watkins spins out a jazzy melody surrounded by close harmonies using the text to create a lively, rhythmic opening. The textures and rhythms settle into homophonic movement as the chords open ever outward in a slower middle section, before resolving onto a solemn ending in unison.
Instrumentation : mixed choir (SATB), minimum 12 voices

With 2016 marking the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Huw Watkins' hauntingly beautiful setting of Shakespeare's poem serves as a unique tribute. Besetzung : mixed choir (SATB), minimum 12 voices