Countertenor Iestyn Davies, a smiling white man dressed in a black shirt and jacket, poses looks into the camera

Oct 25, 2026, 3pm

Iestyn Davies, countertenor
Oliver Wass, Baroque triple lever harp and modern harp

Name: Iestyn Davies, countertenor; Oliver Wass, Baroque triple lever harp and modern harp
Start: 10/25/2026T15:00

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About This Performance
Program

About This Performance

The most respected countertenor of his generation, Iestyn Davies is praised for his sensitive musicianship and the beauty and technical dexterity of his voice. An esteemed Handelian, he is a Grammy winner and recipient of multiple Gramophone awards, and has collaborated with many of today’s leading composers, including Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, and Nico Muhly. At Cal Performances, Davies sang the role of Bertarido in Rodelinda with The English Concert several seasons ago, and now he returns in recital with Oliver Wass, the first harpist ever to win the prestigious Guildhall Gold Medal, for a ride through 400 years of music from the Old and New Worlds.

“One of those hallowed few countertenors who can take a single note on a single syllable and spin it out into a long-breathed thing of immaculate beauty—shifting, modulating, and shaped to tug at the heartstrings”—Bachtrack

This performance is made possible in part by Bernice E. Greene.

Program

TRABACI	Toccata Seconda & Ligature per l’arpa
MONTEVERDI	Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius SV 287
FRESCOBALDI	Se l’aura spira F 7.15
CAVALLI	Delizie contente from Il Giasone
PURCELL	Strike the Viol from Ode on the Birthday of Queen Mary II, Z323
DEBUSSY	Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque
POULENC	Le Bestiaire FP 15 Le Dromadaire La Chèvre du Tibet La Sauterelle Le Dauphin L’Ecrevisse Le Carpe
SCHUBERT	‘Im frühling’ Op.101, no.1, D.882 ‘Seligkeit’ D.433 ‘An den Mond’ Op.57, 3 D.193
BEACH	‘Ecstasy’ Op.19, no.2
ANNA MEREDITH	‘Fin like a flower’
PURCELL	‘Sweeter than Roses’
DE FALLA	‘Spanish Dance’ from La Vida Breve
NICO MUHLY	Traditional Songs A Brisk Young Lad Searching for Lambs The Cruel Mother The Bitter Withy
BRITTEN	Suite for Harp Op. 83
HANDEL	‘Sento amor’ from Partenope ‘Oh Lord Whose Mercies Numberless’ from Saul

Program notes will be available approximately one week before the performance.

Add to Calendar 10/25/2026 03:00 pm 10/25/2026 04:30 pm America/Los_Angeles Iestyn Davies, countertenor; Oliver Wass, Baroque triple lever harp and modern harp https://calperformances.org/events/2026-27/early-music/iestyn-davies-countertenor-oliver-wass-baroque-triple-lever-harp-modern-harp/ Hertz Hall

Sun, Oct 25, 2026
3pm

Hertz Hall

Tickets start at $75

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