New Music

A keen exponent of contemporary music, Lesley-Jane has performed many 20th century works, including Ligeti’s highly comic Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures, Brian Ferneyhough’s Missa Brevis for twelve solo voices, Berio’s famous unaccompanied Sequenza III for female voice (listen) and Schoenberg's iconic Pierrot Lunaire.  She has given more very nearly 200 premières, and is honoured to be the dedicatee of various songs, song-cycles and dramatic scenas. Several choirs have also commissioned choral works with Lesley-Jane as soprano soloist, including Joseph Phibbs' Tenebrae (St Albans Bach Choir), Michael Finnissy's Favourite Poets (Chantonbury Chorus), and Alistair Jones' A Prodigal Song (Chiswick Choir).

However, it is perhaps for her chamber music performances that Lesley-Jane is most well-known.  In particular she works frequently with the recorder player John Turner and whilst John’s dedication to new music is legendary, it is his particular interest in 20th century English music that has led to Lesley-Jane giving performances of songs by such interesting composers as Peter Crossley-Holland, Julius Harrison, Percy Young, Thomas Pitfield, Stephen Dodgson, Ian Parrott, Cyril Scott, Wilfrid Mellers, Walter Bergmann and John Joubert among others. Recordings include 'John Joubert Four Song-Cycles', 'Celtic Magic with music by 'Peter Crossley-Holland and his circle', 'High Barbaree - a CD of music by the composer Stephen Dodgson', and 'Grains of Sand - music by and for Wilfrid Mellers'.  To purchase CDs, please click here.

Current ventures include working with the Dr K. Sextet on the 'Pierrot Project'.  Alongside full and partial performances of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, there are plans for composers to re-imagine the 21 movement texts, and to present other new material that reflects the moods and themes of Pierrot.  January 2015 saw new workings of Schoenberg's eight Brettl-Lieder  (cabaret songs) alongside song cycles by Sadie Harrison and Joseph Phibbs.  Full details can be found at www.thepierrotproject.weebly.com.

Lesley-Jane has recorded some 24 CDs of 20th-century repertoire for labels as diverse as Divine Art, Metier, Prima Facie, Campion Cameo and Toccata Classics, and these include many first recordings.  For full details of these items and all the other CDs featuring Lesley-Jane, please visit the SHOP page of this website where you will find track listings, reviews and the facility for secure on-line sales.