The Lost Words - Spell Songs Concert Perfromance at The Barbican

2019 saw The Lost Words: Spell Songs, a musical companion piece to The Lost Words: A Spell Book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris enjoy standing ovations at sell-out performances in major venues across the UK. Spell Songs was a highlight of The Hay International Literary Festival in May, and in August they were invited to perform at the BBC’s Lost Words Prom in the Royal Albert Hall.

Recognising great musical potential, Folk by the Oak eagerly commissioned Spell Songs. They invited eight remarkable musicians whose music engages deeply with landscape and nature, to respond to the creatures, art and language of The Lost Words. Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Kris Drever and Rachel Newton join Seckou Keita, Kerry Andrew (London), Beth Porter and Jim Molyneux (London) to sing nature back to life through the power of music, poetry, art and magic. Spell Songs is a performance rich in spoken voice, whispers, accents, dialects, native languages, proverbs, sayings, birdsong, river chatter and insect hum, alongside beguiling music, poetry and visual beauty.

With her visionary artistic skill, Jackie will also be painting live at each venue, conjuring creatures using inks and poetry.

Pre-show talk with Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris

At the Barbican we are joined for an exclusive talk by the co-authors of The Lost Words Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane. These two award winning authors will enlighten us as to the origins of their creative collaboration and the enduring influence of The Lost Words book.

Photo Credit Elly Lucas