Harawi

Lotte Betts-Dean joins us a resident artist in this year’s Festival programme. A a mezzo soprano and vocalist who has established herself as a leading interpreter of contemporary repertoire, art song and chamber music, Lotte is equally at home in early music, vocal ensemble, opera, experimental music and non-classical collaborations, and has a passion for curation, programming, and interdisciplinary projects, and a fast-growing discography.

In the first of a trio of performances in her Festival residency, Lotte is joined by fellow Australian and pianist, Joseph Havlat to perform Messiaen’s Harawi – Chant d’amour et de mort. Considered his grandest song cycle, Harawi is the first part of his Tristan trilogy, a collection of works inspired by the medieval myth of Tristan and Isolde.

A harawi is a genre of Peruvian folk music and poetry, akin to a tragedy, often dealing with themes of lost love or death. Together, Lotte and Joseph, bring their own magical take on this majestic and dramatic song cycle.