Ophelia's Flowers

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English Songs and the Sounds of Plants

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Sunday, 19 September 2027, 19:00

Kartäuserkirche, Basel

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Programme

• Henry Purcell (1659–1695): Trio Sonatas, “O let me weep” from The Fairy Queen

• James Oswald (1710–1769): The Daisy and The Columbine from Airs for the Seasons

• Traditional folk songs from the British Isles

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Musicians

Anne Simone Aeberhard (recorders and concept) – Mojca Gal (violin) – Bruno Hurtado Gosalvez (cello) – Christina Boner-Sutter (soprano) – Niels Pfeffer (Baroque lute) – Thys Grobelnik (harpsichord)

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Plants – essential to life, fascinating, endlessly diverse and beautiful. For some time, we have wanted to dedicate a concert to the plant world, exploring these remarkable organisms through sound.

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The symbolism of a red rose is universally familiar, and we often use it, consciously or unconsciously, to convey a particular message. Yet the language of flowers is far from a modern invention of the floral industry. Already in Elizabethan times, plants carried profound symbolic meanings, allowing complex messages to be communicated through seemingly simple gestures.

 

Floral symbolism also played an important role in painting and literature.

A striking example is Ophelia's mad scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Driven to madness by disillusionment and disappointed love, Ophelia distributes flowers and herbs to those around her, each carrying a particular meaning – remembrance, sorrow or unrequited love. Through music by Henry Purcell (1659–1695), James Oswald (1710–1769) and traditional folk songs from the British Isles, we explore the symbolism of Ophelia's flowers in sound.

 

As passionate plant enthusiasts, we are delighted to present a concert not only about plants, but also with plants. This dialogue between humans and the plant world invites us to reflect on the importance and many fascinating facets of these inspiring living beings.