A Cry Was Heard showcases the astonishing virtuosic, lyrical, and dramatic power of the sackbut, in the hands of internationally acclaimed sackbut player Emily White. Joined here by countertenor Guy James and the ensemble, Sackbut Frenzy, White interweaves traditional repertoire such as Schütz and Castello with new music by John Kenny, Peter McCarthy, and White herself, along with historically informed fresh takes on music by Strozzi, Grandi, and Palestrina. This is an album that must be heard to be believed.

A Cry Was Heard (DXL 1190) Digital Booklet

Sackbut Frenzy

Emily White, sackbut and director
Guy James, countertenor
Bojan Čičić, violin and viola
Theresa Caudle, viola
Kate Bennett Wadsworth, viola da gamba
Robin Bigwood, harpsichord
Elinor Chambers, sackbut and spoken voice
Peter Thornton, sackbut
Adam Crighton, bass sackbut

Track List:

1) PALESTRINA Io Son Ferito, Ahi Lasso (5:42)
2) PETER MCCARTHY O’r Galons (5:27)
3) JOHN KENNY Haiku (1:18)
4) EMILY WHITE Spring in an Unreal World (2:59)
5) GRANDI O Quam tu Pulchra Es (3:31)
6) PHILLIPS Fantasia (3:03)
7) STROZZI Che si Puo Fare? (3:45)
8) PHILLIPS Amarilli Mia Bella (3:41)
9) FRESCOBALDI Se L’aura spira tutta vezzosa (4:04)
10) SCHÜTZ Auf Dem Gebirge hat Man ein Geschrei
Gehöret (5:09)
11) CASTELLO Sonata Quinta from Sonate concertate
libro secondo (5:26)

Emily White is professor of sackbut and trombone at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, sackbut and trombone tutor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and trombone teacher at Wells Cathedral School. She enjoys both contemporary and early music and works in both fields. She is a member of The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble (ECSE) whose fourteen discs include two Gramophone Award winners, a Diapason D’Or and Classic FM disc of the Month. She plays trombone and violin with In Echo and appears on their fêted debut disc Music in a Cold Climate. Emily is in the trio Pandoras Box, who have taken their improvisatory trio across UK, Europe and to the USA and plays in the Italian ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and appeared on the disc La Morte della Ragione, winner of Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2019. She freelances with groups such as Alte Musik Berlin, B’Rock and Les Talens Lyrique.