THE AUGUST MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014
20 concerts of chamber music starting at 1.00pm
‘Be not afeard, the Isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet
airs, that give delight and hurt not’
We celebrate Shakespeare in this his 450th anniversary
year, together with another of the six greatest composers
of all time, Mozart.
Friday 1st
The festival opens with the soprano Zoe South, the actor
Jonathan Oliver and the organist Catherine Ennis. Central to
their programme is Richard Wagner’s magnificent Wesendonck
Lieder, and Richard III will make his presence felt in both music
and the spoken word.
Monday 4th
The MELICUS DUO, soprano Marie Vassiliou, and pianist
Nico de Villiers, will include the Four Shakespeare Songs, Op 31
by Erich Korngold as part of their debut recital with the Festival.
Tuesday 5th
The tenor Neil Jenkins returns to our summer music together with
the pianist Terence Allbright, in a performance of one of the most
famous song cycles, Schumann’s Dichterliebe Op 48, which he
composed in 1840 – his annus mirabilis.
Wednesday 6th
This is first of three concerts in which the SILK STREET
STRING QUARTET – Henry Tong and Oliver Cave, violins,
Jordan Bowron, viola, and Joel Sandelson, cello, will perform
one of the six Mozart string quartets dedicated to Haydn. They
begin with No 16 in E flat major K428, composed in 1783.
Thursday 7th
SONG IN THE CITY – soprano Holly Marie Bingham,
mezzo-soprano Natalie Davies, tenor Eduard Mas Bacardit
and baritone Christian Valle with Libby Burgess and
Gavin Roberts sharing the keyboard present the ravishing
Lieberslieder Waltzes Op 52 by Brahms.
Friday 8th
The gifted young mezzo-soprano Claire Barnett-Jones, in
partnership with the pianist Chad Vindin have created a veritable
Shakespearian banquet of song entitled All the World’s a Stage.
The electrifying scena by Joseph Horovitz, Lady Macbeth, is not be
missed!
Monday 11th
David Horwich, horn, Christiane Eidsten Dahk, violin and Chad
Vindin, piano form TRIO SOL. Their programme will include one
of Brahms’ most famous chamber works, the Horn Trio in E flat
major commemorating the death of his mother, Christiane in 1865.
Tuesday 12th
The pianist Walid El-Yafi makes a very welcome return to the
festival in a programme which, in keeping with this year’s theme,
includes Mozart’s ravishing Sonata in A minor K310.
Wednesday 13th
This concert, the second festival appearance of the SILK STREET
STRING QUARTET, brings another of the Mozart Haydn quartets
– No 17 in B flat major K458 (The Hunt), composed in 1783.
Thursday 14th
The international baritone, Stephan Loges together the pianist,
Sholto Kynoch present a lieder programme which will include three
Shakespearean settings by Schubert as well as Beethoven’s greatly
loved, An die ferne Geliebte.
Friday 15th
HEXACHORDIA – Sarah Diog, Jane and Tony Scheuregger, a
trio of early music specialists offer The Food of Love, a programme
inspired by the Bard of Avon – John Dowland’s lute song, Sleep
Wayward Thoughts, The Lord of Salisbury his Pavin by Orlando
Gibbons, and much more.
Monday 18th
For her programme this year the pianist Tessa Uys has chosen to
highlight Prokofiev’s Transcription Romeo and Juliet Op 75,
movements 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10, premiered in 1937 by the composer.
Tuesday 19th
An opportunity to hear a special instrumental twosome, the
UTAH DUO, saxophonists Daniel Gooch and Hannah Peters
together with the pianist (TBA). They will include an arrangement
of Mozart’s Serenade No 11 in E flat, K375 in their fascinating and
unusual programme.
Wednesday 20th
For the SILK STREET STRING QUARTET’S last appearance in
this year’s festival, they will play the final quartet which Mozart
dedicated to Haydn; No 19 in C major K465 (The Dissonance),
composed in 1785.
Thursday 21st
Twin violinists, Iain and Mark Gibbs, are joined by the cellist
Hannah Lewis for a programme to include one of Mozart’s finest
chamber works, the wonderful Divertimento in E flat, K563.
Friday 22nd
We are fortunate to have the international guitarist, Raymond
Burley with us this year. His South American programme will
conclude with one of the guitar repertoire’s most brilliant and
celebrated works, the Seria Americana by the Argentinian
composer, Hector Ayala (1914 – 1990).
Tuesday 26th
Katie Stevenson, mezzo-soprano, Chris Ma, piano, and
Hannah Lewis, cello, have created a programme to include
the beautiful Viola Songs, Op 91 by Brahms. Fascinating to
hear the cello instead of the more usual viola in these songs!
Wednesday 27th
The cellist Peteris Sokolovskis and the pianist Peter Limonov
have programmed Beethoven’s Seven Variations on Mozart’s
Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen, a duet from arguably the
greatest opera in the repertoire Die Zauberflöte.
Thursday 28th
For the festival’s final voice and piano recital we are fortunate to
have the company of the soprano, Ilona Domnich and the pianist,
Benjamin Frith. They will highlight the great Russian poet,
Pushkin, and his love of the music of Mozart.
Friday 29th
The festival closes with one of the best and most remarkable
chamber works in the repertoire, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in
A major K581. Playing us out, the clarinettist Max Mausen,
the EKA String Quartet:- Jonathan Chan and Jan Bislin,
violins, Luba Tunnicliffe, viola with Sergio Serra, cello.
Our steps will have a spring in them as we look forward to 2015!