Curated Projects

Temple Song

Artistic Director

“Middle Temple Hall, the setting for a first-rate concert series, is one of those London spaces that would make a tourist swoon. With its suits of armour and coats-of-arms it seems the perfect setting for stirring songs of martial derring-do. “

Ivan Hewitt, The Daily Telegraph 2015

Over the last few years, since the inauguration of Temple Song in 2006, I have performed in the glorious Middle Temple Hall with an array of the best singers in the world, most of them discovering the hall for the first time.

Olaf Bär, Thomas Allen, Felicity Lott, Christoph Pregardien, Ian Bostridge, Simon Keenlyside, Sergei Leiferkus, Gerald Finley, Willard White, Robert Holl, Danielle De Niese, Ann Sofie Von Otter – they all say it is one of the very best acoustics for song they know, a wonderful place to sing.

Julius Drake
Artistic Director Temple Song

14 Feb 2019 – The Temple Church

Valentines Day Concert

Schumann and Brahms Liebeslieder

Gemma Summerfield
Fleur Barron
James Way
Julien van Mellaerts

Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes op 52

Schumann Spanische Liebeslieder op 138 (part 1)

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Schumann Spanische Liebeslieder op 138 (part 2)

Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes op 65

4 July 2019 – Middle Temple Hall

A Rachmaninov Love Story

Sofia Fomina, soprano
Roderick Williams, baritone
Julius Drake, piano

Julius Drake has assembled a collection of Rachmaninov’s unique romances to tell a love story in song. He is joined by two superb singers, the young Russian soprano Sofia Fomina and the British baritone, already a firm favourite at Temple Song, Roderick Williams.

7 May 2019 – The Temple Church

Barbara Kozelj soprano
Nicky Spence, tenor
Julius Drake, piano

The Diary of One who disappeared

The brilliant young Scottish tenor, Nicky Spence and Slovenian soprano, Barbara Kozelj join Julius Drake in a feast of great Czech masterpieces.

Dvorak Four Songs op 2 for mezzo and piano

Dvorak Gypsy Songs for tenor, mezzo and piano

Janacek Moravian Folksongs for tenor, mezzo and piano

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Janacek Diary of One who disappeared for tenor, mezzo, piano and offstage chorus

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25 November 2019 – Middle Temple Hall

Dame Sarah Connolly
Julius Drake, piano

One of today’s great singers returns to Middle Temple Hall.

Click here to download the January – July 2019 Temple Music brochure.

Visit official website

The Concertgebouw Amsterdam Mahler Celebrations in May 2020

The Mahler Songs in five concerts

Can one really grasp the whole of Mahler’s output without knowing his songs? Not only do they extensively appear in the first four symphonies, often known as ‘Wunderhorn symphonies’; they also encapsulate the fundamental principles of his reading of the world.

Concert 1 May 10 2020

Julius Drake, piano
Fleur Barron, mezz
James Newby, baritone

Drei Frühe Lieder (1880)

Im Lenz

Maitanz im Grünen

Winterlied

Lieder und Gesänge (1880/81)

Frühlingsmorgen

Errinerung

Hans und Grete

Serenade aus Don Juan

Phantasie aus Don Juan

Lied eines fahrenden Gesellen (1883-85)

Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert (1901-2)

Concert 2 May 12 2020

Julius Drake, piano
Barbara Kozelj, mezzo
Milan Siljanov, bass baritone

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Lieder, Humoresken und Balladen

(1892-98)

Der Schildwache Nachtlied (duet)

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Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht S

Trost im Unglück B

Rheinlegendchen S

Verlorne Muh (duet)

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Das himmlisches Leben S

Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt B

Lob des hohen Verstands B

“Es sungen drei Engel S

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Lied eines Verfolgten im Turm (duet)

Das irdisches Leben S

Revelge B

Der Tambourg’sell B

Urlicht S

Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen (duet)

Concert 3 May 14 2020

Julius Drake, piano
Catriona Morison, mezzo
Julien van Mellaerts, baritone

Lieder und Gesänge aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1887/89)

Um schlimme Kinder artig zu machen

Ich ging mit Lust

Aus! Aus!

Starke Einbildungskraft

Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz

Ablösung im Sommer

Scheiden und Meiden

Nicht wiedersehen!

Selbsgefühl

Kindentotenlieder (1901-4)

Concert 4 May 16 2020

Julius Drake, piano
Feride Buyukdenktas, mezzo
Stuart Jackson, tenor

Das Lied von der Erde (1907-9)

for tenor, mezzo and piano

Concert 5 17 May 2020

Julius Drake, piano
Sophie Rennert, mezzo
Ashley Riches, baritone

The Songs of Alma Mahler, Friends and Lovers

The songs of Alma Mahler written in Vienna at the turn of the century, with music by Alexander von Zemlinsky, Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg.

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Beethoven Series at New York’s 92nd St Y

Of all Beethoven’s extraordinary achievements the birth of the song cycle, with his masterpiece ‘An die ferne Geliebte’ in 1816, is often overlooked. These five recitals in a survey of the genre place Beethoven’s ground breaking work alongside song cycles by five of his greatest successors.