In 2020, when asked whether she thought Musica Viva could put on stage a program she had conceived entirely for the recording studio – a lovely juxtaposition of music old and new, a collaboration with a dear and well-matched friend, renowned harpist Marshall McGuire – the wondrous musician Genevieve Lacey responded: During this time of isolation, people the world round are yearning for shelter, both physical and spiritual. Bower is an associative, ephemeral nest, woven with memories, heart, hope. Musical treasures found, borrowed and made are lovingly fashioned into a sanctuary. Accordingly, this program emerges gently onto the concert platform, offering audiences a unique shared experience, enhanced with sound by Jim Atkins and lighting by Niklas Pajanti. Genevieve’s ‘bower’ is the most authentic extension of the ideas at the heart of one of the programmed pieces, Purcell’s exquisite Evening Hymn: Now, now that the sun hath veil’d his light And bid the world goodnight; To the soft bed my body I dispose, But where shall my soul repose?