The Conference of Birds
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Birdsong and Gypsies

Jennifer Raven (flute)
​Liz Cowdrey (violin)
Peter Cowdrey (piano)


This project covers 350 years of birdsong-inspired music, starting with the Sonata Representativa by Johann Schmelzer (1668), through Couperin, Rameau and Granados to our own transcriptions of slowed down songs of chiffchaff, goldfinch, goldcrest, chaffinch and other birds that are commonly found in West European gardens, as well as semi-improvised music inspired by exotic East African birdsongs. Click here to see a short BBC documentary including our transcription of a goldcrest song. In tune with the outdoor theme, we will also include Eastern European Gypsy tunes, which are a great speciality of Liz's, interspersed with our improvisations on birdsongs. Click here to see Liz playing gypsy music.

Repertoire includes:

Schmelzer Sonata Representativa
Rameau La Poule, Le Rappel des Oiseaux 
Couperin Le Rossignol-en-amour, La Linotte effarouchée, Les Fauvettes Plaintives,
Vivaldi Il Gardellino
Peter and Liz Cowdrey  Garden Birds, Irish Air with Song Thrush
Peter Cowdrey and Jennifer Raven African Birds  
Peter Cowdrey Wrens, Auroriole
Granados The Maiden and the Nightingale 
Messiaen Le Merle Noir, Le Rouge-gorge
Gypsy Music from Transylvania, Serbia, Bulgaria

All of our 2020 performances have all been cancelled due to CoronaVirus. Please watch this space for 2021



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