My chosen Tenebrae track is the motet Versa est in Luctum by Alonso Lobo. The text is pretty miserable so we won’t dwell on that for now, but this choice is more for what the piece represents in the context of my relationship with Tenebrae.

We open our ‘Spanish Glories’ concert programme with it and we perform it as far away from the audience as is practical, often starting with no introduction and emerging from the ambient sounds of the building. I think for everyone it’s a great way to collect ourselves, put the day behind us, whether it’s been a long car journey or an early morning flight, and set our intention for the concert, just us, before we share it with the audience. Personally, as I’ve taken time off from performing over the last few years to look after two small children, I’ve found the first few precious moments of this programme with my friends in the group and this piece bring things back into focus for me.

It’s a far cry from social-distancing at home with the family! We’ve introduced quite a bit of early evening crazy dancing to burn those last drops of energy and what could be a better than a spot of Count Basie. I’ve picked Flight of the Foo Birds for some pure silliness! Like all parents right now I’m sure, we are grasping for stuff to fill the days, managing to get out in the fresh air – helped enormously by the weather, and enjoying a congratulatory stiff drink at the end of it.

Cheers! Stay at Home!

Listen to our full lock-down playlist on Spotify here.