Winestead

Hear composer Gavin Bryars’ piece inspired by the mysterious landscape of Holderness/Spurn Head, and by the life and poetry of Andrew Marvell.

Born in Yorkshire, Gavin has been described as a composer ‘who falls under no category’. For over a decade he has collaborated with Opera North on projects such as settings of Shakespeare’s Sonnets and a subterranean sound installation.

For this commission, he evokes the eerie environs of Holderness/Spurn Head, along with the work of Andrew Marvell (1621 – 1678), the metaphysical poet who was born and raised in the Holderness region. When a young man, Marvell may have witnessed his father drowning while attempting to cross the Humber.

Named after the church where Marvell’s father was a curate, Winestead is performed by an ensemble of musicians and the tenor John Potter.

Presented in association with the PRS Foundation.