for Upper Voices and Orchestra. The Lost Words by composer James Burton takes its inspiration and text from the award-winning cultural phenomenon and book of the same name by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris: a book that was, in turn, a creative response to the removal of everyday nature words like acorn, newt and otter from a new edition of a widely used children s dictionary. Both the book and Burton s 32-minute work, which is written in 12 short movements for upper-voice choir in up to 3 voice parts (with either orchestral or piano accompaniment), celebrates each lost word with a beautiful poem or spell , magically brought to life in Burton s music. At its heart, the work delivers a powerful message about the need to close the gap between childhood and the natural world. Burton s piece was co-commissioned by the Hallé Concerts Society for the Hallé Children s Choir and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The piano accompaniment version was premiered at the Tanglewood Festival in 2019 by the Boston Symphony Children s Choir, of which Burton is founder and director. The Hallé Children s Choir will premiere the orchestral version of the full work in Manchester, UK, post-pandemic.
