The Rivered Earth

\"The Rivered Earth\" contains four effervescent libretti written by Vikram Seth - the international bestselling author of \"A Suitable Boy\" - to be set to music by Alec Roth - together with an account of the pleasures and pains of working with a composer. Entitled \"Songs in Time of War\", \"Shared Ground\", \"The Traveller\" and \"Seven Elements\", they take us all over the world - from Chinese and Indian poetry to the beauty and quietness of the Salisbury house where the poet George Herbert lived and died. Spanning centuries of creativity and humanity, these poems pulse with life, energy and inspired brilliance. They are accompanied by four pieces of calligraphy by Vikram Seth, who also captured the ethereally beautiful photograph of his Salisbury garden for the book cover. \"Signum Classics\" has released two CDs of the music written to accompany \"The Rivered Earth\", entitled \"Shared Ground\" and \"Songs in Time of War\". Both recordings feature the violinist Philippe Honore and Birmingham\'s Ex Cathedral choir.