Xuefei Yang guitar; Ian Bostridge tenor

Songs from Our Ancestors is an original one-hour programme for tenor Ian Bostridge and guitarist Xuefei Yang that reflects the musical ancestry of the two performers. Drawing on the Western and Eastern traditions that have shaped their musical inheritance, the programme traces a journey across four centuries, bringing together songs by Dowland, Schubert, Argento and Britten with Chinese solo guitar interludes from corresponding historical periods. Culminating in Britten’s Songs from the Chinese, setting texts from the ancient Book of Songs, the programme offers a personal and imaginative exploration of cultural memory and the enduring power of words set to music.