Lyric Opera of Melbourne: Songs of Devotion & Desire
April 12 @ 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
$40 – $50
If you’re feeling the pace of the world right now, this is your invitation to step away for a moment.
Our first concert of the year, Songs of Devotion and Desire, is this Sunday. A 75-minute, no interval concert of powerful, deeply human music, centred on three of Benjamin Britten’s Canticles,presented in the 50th anniversary year of his death, alongside the world premieres of Kevin March’s Sacred Songs.
An intimate concert centred on Benjamin Britten’s extraordinary Canticles – miniature dramas that distill complex emotional and spiritual themes into concentrated musical forms.
Often described as “operas in miniature”, Britten’s Canticles serve as profound psychological portraits. They trace themes of love, sacrifice, transcendence and doubt, revealing the fragile boundary between the sacred and the deeply human.
Britten openly acknowledged that Henry Purcell’s Divine Hymns provided the creative impulse for the Canticles – part of his broader engagement with the English Baroque tradition established by Purcell and later shaped by Handel.
In a powerful contemporary response, Lyric Opera of Melbourne will present the World Premieres of Sacred Songs Books I & II by Australian composer Kevin March. Presented in dialogue with Britten’s Canticles, March’s new works offer deeply personal reflections on faith and meaning in the modern world.
Artists: Louis Hurley – Tenor; Olivia Federow-Yemm – Mezzo-soprano; Abbie Edlin – French Horn; Stefan Cassomenos – Piano
Benjamin Britten
Canticle I: My beloved is mine and I am his, Op. 40
Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac, Op. 51
Canticle III: Still Falls the Rain, Op. 55
Kevin March
Sacred Songs Book I (World Premiere)
Sacred Songs Book II (World Premiere)
Sunday 12 April, 3pm
Church of All Nations, Carlton
Tickets are available below or can be purchased at the door on the day.
