Gerald Place: tenor, viol and recorders

Dorothy Linell, lute & theorbo

The duo England's Helicon made their debut at St Margaret’s Lothbury in the City of London, in a recital for the Academy of St Cecilia. Since then they have travelled all over the British Isles. The name is taken from a 17th century collection of poetry whose subtitle is appropriately “The Muses Harmony”. Between them Gerald & Dorothy draw on a wide range of musical & literary experience and remarkable degree of versatility to present fascinating programmes of words and music. In these recitals, as well as the spoken voice and song, you will hear lute, theorbo, viols, recorders and other renaissance wind instruments. They have collaborated with several distinguished actors including Clive Francis and Richard Briers. Recently they recorded a CD for Naxos International entitled Music forShakespeare's Theatre. Twenty-five or so plays are represented and included are several songs not recorded before. 

Gerald Place read English at Trinity College Cambridge, where he made a special study of the music & literature of the seventeenth century. He was also a member of the choir of King’s College. His first freelance engagements were with the Praetorius Consort with whom he both sang and played. His subsequent career has taken him in many other directions, including several years with the BBC Singers; opera for ENO & the Opera National de Lyon, and early music for groups like the Sixteen and the English Concert. For many years he has directed his own ensemble, the Gesualdo Consort with whom he has made several CDs and appeared in a film about Gesualdo for Werner Herzog, “Death for Five Voices”, which won the Italia Prize. This is now available on DVD from Arthaus/Naxos.

Dorothy Linell gave her debut recital at the Purcell Room as winner of a national young artists competition. Since then she has played instruments ranging from baroque guitar to banjo in venues from Memphis to Moscow, from castles to sewers. She works with many distinguished singers including the counter-tenors James Bowman & Stephen Rickards with whom she has made two CD’s of lute songs for Naxos. She is also a busy continuo player both in the concert hall and opera house. On Channel 4 she has recently been heard playing Andy Price’s incidental music for David Starkey’s series on Henry VIII & Elizabeth I.