Programme includes
DVOŘÁK (arr. Matthews) Love Songs (18’)
DEBUSSY Trois poèmes de Stéphane Malllarmé (13’)
MUSSORGSKY The Nursery (selection) (10’)
DEBUSSY String Quartet (25’)
Claire Booth is a singer celebrated around the world for her distinctive and characterful voice and the relentless curiosity in the range of work she presents. In recent years she has become a frequent collaborator with Ensemble 360, including a much-lauded CD release Pierrot Portraits. As they prepare for Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2026, of which Claire is Guest Curator, they present a dazzling evening of French chamber music.
In 1913 Debussy and Ravel began a somewhat friendly rivalry to set three poems by Stéphane Mallarmé, whose words, like the music of these great French composers, explored the same shimmering textures beloved of their contemporary impressionist painters. Ravel’s Chansons madécasses – one of the most popular works in SCMF 2024 – opens this sensuous celebration of light and love which concludes with Debussy’s glittering string quartet.
About the Artists
Claire Booth
British soprano Claire Booth has become internationally renowned both for her commitment to an extraordinary breadth of repertoire, and for the vitality and musicianship that she brings to the operatic stage and concert platform. In the 2019-20 season alone her diverse schedule included Benjamin’s A Mind of Winter with The Hong Kong Philharmonic, a streamed 5 star performance of Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine for Grange Park Opera, The title role in Handel’s Berenice for ROH, the critically acclaimed recording of Grieg songs, performances of Knussen’s Where the Wild Things Are with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Tippett’s Child of Our Time with the CBSO.
Ensemble 360
Ensemble 360 has gained an enviable reputation across the UK for the quality and integrity of their performances. Formed in 2005, eleven musicians of international standing came together to take up residency in South Yorkshire with Music in the Round, establishing a versatile group comprising five string players, five wind players and a pianist.
The Ensemble 360 musicians share a passion for the music which radiates through each performance. Their enthusiasm, drive and musicality captivate audiences both through the quality of their playing and their engaging spoken introductions. Due to the flexible nature of the group’s line-up the repertoire possibilities are enormous; anything from baroque duos, through classical quartets to new commissions for all eleven players.
