After a night at Yewfield Vegetarian Guest House, above Hawkshead and close to Tarn Hows, we drove down to Brantwood, on Coniston, to enjoy two performances by Flutes and Frets.
These performances were part of Lake District Music Festival. I booked them months ago as a birthday treat for Chris. The night at Yewfield was an afterthought, and we were really glad that we stayed. It's a gorgeous guest house, with stunning views across Tarn Hows and the Langdales. Unfortunately, the view from our veranda was of drizzle and mist, but we didn't mind at all. Having an all vegetarian breakfast was an absolute treat.
The music began in the Renaissance with some plainchant by Robert White: Christie Lux Es Et Dies III; moved on to the Renaissance with William Byrd's My Sweet Little Darling; then some Baroque music with Henry Purcell's When I am Laid in Earth. We moved through the centuries and ended with some traditional folk tunes. It was a very lovely and varied programme. Both musicians played on period appropriate instruments, so they changed them as we moved from century to century.
The afternoon concert was entitled La Dolce Vita and we enjoyed a programme of all Italian music, again journeying through the centuries. We enjoyed Palestrina, Claudio Monteverdi and Niccola Pagannini. As with the morning's music, the selection was varied and complementary.
We also learned a lot about the instruments: flutes, lutes and guitars, as the performers shared insights into the music and the instruments as we moved through the centuries.
