Sestina Music presents Out of Darkness: Musical Reflections at Passiontide, a contemplative programme centred on François Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres, among the most profound and expressive works of the French baroque.

 

Written for the services of Holy Week, these intensely intimate pieces set the Lamentations of Jeremiah, charting a deeply human journey through sorrow, desolation, and ultimately hope. Couperin’s writing is remarkable for its emotional directness, exquisite ornamentation, and luminous vocal lines, drawing the listener into a world of quiet intensity and spiritual reflection.

 

Performed by sopranos Aisling Kenny and Charlotte O'Hare, with Tristan Russcher on harpsichord and Reiko Ichise on viola da gamba, this programme places the Leçons de ténèbres at its heart, surrounded by music by Purcell, Monteverdi, Charpentier, and Hildegard Von Bingen.

 

Out of Darkness invites audiences to pause, listen, and experience the stillness and beauty of this extraordinary repertoire, brought to life by some of the leading early music performers of today.