for Soprano and Piano. Par LEFANU NICOLA. The Moth-Ghost by Nicola LeFanu is a 10-minute dramatic scena for soprano and piano, setting a poem by James Harpur. The work tells the story of Thetis, a sea-goddess of Greek mythology, who knew that her son Achilles must die. In the poem, she is a grief-stricken mother, mourning his death in the Trojan war. The imagery of the poem and the music is of the sea: the sonority of its turbulence, the rhythm of its tides. The Moth-Ghost was written for soprano Gabriella di Laccio, who commissioned it with funds provided by the PRS Foundation, and it was premiered by her, accompanied by Clélia Iruzun, on 21 October 2021 at St James Church, Sussex Gardens, London. / Date parution : 2022-09-07/ Répertoire / Soprano et Piano

Six of Ahmatova's poems set to music (for soprano and cello) by John Tavener.In these settings Tavener has tried to reflect the deceptive simplicity of the verse which stems from classical tradition. In the final song Deaththe musical material of the earlier songs is gathered together. Then the poet bids a painful farewell to her beloved homeland and steps into the ‘cabin’ that has been particularly prepared for her.The Akhmatova Songs werecommissioned by the Cricklade Music Festival and first performed on 28 September 1993 by Patricia Rozario and Steven Isserlis at St Sampsons Church Cricklade.