Secret Byrd
Secret Byrd
“profound, spiritual and beautiful”
The Financial Times
“Musically it’s glorious... chillingly authentic... ominous, buoyant and uplifting..."
The Guardian
“effortless perfection”
The Observer
Hear Byrd’s Mass for 5 Voices as he intended: sung for worship in strictest secrecy in an extraordinary theatrical concert which celebrates the 400 year legacy of one of England’s finest composers.
England’s finest composer William Byrd was a covert Catholic facing brutal persecution. Hear his Mass for 5 Voices as he intended: sung for worship in strictest secrecy. The Gesualdo Six and Fretwork have collaborated with creator Bill Barclay in an historic theatrical concert by candlelight, communing with some of the most ravishing music ever written.
Part art installation, part concert, and part immersive theatre, Secret Byrd celebrates Byrd’s remarkable story. Created by writer, director and composer Bill Barclay, former Director of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe, this immersive concert brings together vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six and viol consort Fretwork to perform Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices for an intimate audience in St John’s Kirk.
Commissioned by the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Washington National Cathedral and presented to rapturous acclaim in cities across the US and UK, Secret Byrd is a concert experience like no other: a thrilling mix of music and drama that recreates the experiences of Catholics in Tudor England and makes a powerful and timely plea for tolerance.
There will be two performances beginning at 5.30pm and 8.30pm. Audiences will have the opportunity to move around the performance space in this roving, immersive event. Our Top Tier ticket gives you a guaranteed seat for the performance.
William Byrd
William Byrd was one of the most important English composers of the Renaissance, renowned for his brilliantly inventive music, but his courage is sometimes overlooked. Byrd was a recusant Catholic writing secret masses to be sung by worshippers during the Reformation. These masses were held in people’s homes with smuggled priests and hidden Catholic artifacts.
A Catholic at the court of Elizabeth I, Byrd was obliged to write music for the Anglican Church, yet at the height of his fame he defied his paymasters, composing three Latin masses and giving up his post to join a community of Catholic recusants. Byrd’s courage in using his art to allow people the freedom of belief inspires us today, when three quarters of the world’s population still live in countries engaging in some form of religious intolerance.
What to Expect - Seating and Tickets
This is a roving event that will see some audience members standing and moving during the immersive performance. However there will be chairs available for those that need them. Seating is generally unreserved.
Our top tier ticket - 'Soup and a Seat' - includes a small cup of warm soup (vegetable) served by the cast as part of the performance, and a seat for the duration of the event if desired.
A General Admission ticket (promenade/ limited seating) enables the audience member to move around the performance freely, at times standing and at times sitting when chairs become available. Please note that a seat is not guaranteed. If you have access needs and need a designated seat for the duration, please indicate this when booking your General Admission ticket.
The performance will last approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
Doors open 20 minutes before start time for top tier tickets and 10 minutes before for General Admission tickets.
This promises to be a moving and unique experience. For more details on what to expect as an audience member, visit Concert Theatre Works website which displays a carousel of photos from another performance.
Concessions: Under 18 £10. Disabled, Registered Unemployed and Students £3 off.
Discounts: Eligible for Best and Lifetime Friend Discounts.
There are two performances at 5.30pm and 8.30pm.