Bryars, Gavin: Super Flumina

for four unaccompanied voices or male choir (CtenTTBar)

texts selected from the hymn Ave Regina Caelorum and Psalm 137

Commissioned by the York Early Music Foundation for the Orlando Consort, Super Flumina focuses on a legend associated with St Mary’s Abbey in York where in 1377 fisherman brought the lifeless body of a 14 year-old girl who had fallen into the Ouse to the chapel. The monks prayed that the girl would intercede and had begun to sing the anthem Ave Regina Caelorum when she regained consciousness and went on to recover completely that same evening. This work for four male voices or male choir demonstrates Bryars’ vocal writing at its best and breathes new life into early musical traditions. A treat for both amateur and professional singers or choirs.