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Matthew presents a lovely programme for all the family that embraces classic favourites (inc. Beethoven's 'Moonlight' sonata) and legendary film music by John Williams, Bernard Herrmann and Ennio Morricone.
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Silver Keys are passionate about exploring all styles of music, and their programme for Paxton will explore Bizet, Gershwin, the Beatles, traditional music and more.
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A major, Op.12 No.2Schubert: Rondo in B minor, D.895Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G, op.96One of the world’s greatest virtuoso violinists, Russian-born Viktoria Mullova is renowned for her exceptional versatility and musical integrity in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to jazz, both in recital and in collaboration with many of the world’s great orchestras, and we are thrilled that she is appearing alongside Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson, not only an outstanding soloist and chamber musician but also a regular favourite with Paxton audiences. Together they are currently recording the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas, two of which they play here with Schubert’s dramatic ‘Rondo brillant’.“[Mullova’s] spectrum of tones, from the merest whisper to full-throated songfulness in lyrical passages, compel the attention throughout.” Beethoven Sonatas, GramophoneArtist info: viktoriamullova.com | alasdairbeatson.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Northumberland-based Coquet Concert Band presents an entertaining programme of popular, classical, traditional and swing music arranged for wind band that ranges from Holst and Shostakovich to Charlie Parker and ABBA.
Paxton House
Marquee
Beth (named ‘Scots Singer of the Year’ in 2022) and Heather form an exciting modern folk-inspired duo, performing traditional songs of friendship and laughter with fresh eyes and ears.
Paxton House
Marquee
Clara Schumann: Six Songs, Op.13Robert Schumann: String Quartet in F, Op.41 No.2Felix Mendelssohn: Die Liebende Schreibt; Auf Flügeln des GesangesFanny Mendelssohn: Die Mainacht Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben, Op.42For the opening concert of their 2024 residency, the Consone Quartet is joined by recent BBC New Generation Artist Helen Charlston in a family-inspired concert. Wife and husband, Clara and Robert Schumann, were close friends with sister and brother, Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and often attended the ‘big soirées’ Fanny hosted in Berlin. Robert’s joyous Quartet in F, one of three dedicated to Felix, was written during his famous ‘Year of Chamber Music’ (1842), while ‘Frauenliebe und -leben’ and all other songs in this concert are performed in new arrangements for voice and string quartet by Bill Thorp.“Charlston has a superbly clear timbre, exemplary intonation and diction, and an admirable way of bringing out the core emotions.” The TimesArtist info: consonequartet.com | helencharlston.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Mozart: String Quartet in D, K.499 ‘Hoffmeister'Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op.95 ‘Serioso’Beethoven’s high intensity ‘Serioso’ quartet is a seething, melancholic work that eventually gives way to a wild exuberance, and it is a stark contrast to the ‘Hoffmeister’, named after the publisher who specifically asked Mozart to write a ‘popular’ piece that could be sold at great profit.“Absolutely brilliant playing sent us out at the interval breathless but exhilarated!” Edinburgh Music ReviewArtist info: consonequartet.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
‘Meet the composer’: Gavin Bryars in conversation with Angus SmithFREE to ticket holders for Consone Quartet concert at 3.30pmYorkshire-born Gavin Bryars – composer, jazz-bassist and founder of the legendary Portsmouth Sinfonia – gained international success through the hauntingly beautiful works Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.“Listen to him, he’s intelligent…” LuluArtist info: gavinbryars.com
Paxton House
Hayloft Gallery
Gavin Bryars: String Sextet ‘The Bridges of Königsberg’ (Scottish première)Richard Strauss: Prelude to Capriccio, Op.85Mozart: Grande Sestetto Concertante (1808 arrangement of Sinfonia Concertante, K364)The addition of two players to the Consone Quartet’s line-up allows the opportunity to luxuriate in the warm sound of string sextets from the classical period to the present day. Gavin Bryars’s lyrical sextet refers to a well-known and fiendish historic mathematical puzzle; in the words of the composer, “my problem (was) how to manage the integration of two players into the string quartet unit, in as many ways as possible, step by step and with maximum diplomacy…”. Strauss’s unique string sextet opening to an opera is a gloriously seductive movement and is followed by an enchanting arrangement of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.Sponsor: Wynne HarlenArtist info: consonequartet.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Music and storytelling with Roo (fiddle) and Neil (accordion) – an interactive and fun performance specially designed to introduce traditional Scottish tunes and songs to young children and their families. Back by popular demand! Recommended for families with children aged 3 - 7.Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult (max 3 children per adult).“Our children loved the event on the lawn.” Audience feedback
Paxton House
Lawn/Marquee
In Autumn 2023 Roo travelled to Mexico at the invitation of inspirational guitarist Morgan Szymanski to work with brilliant folk singer and guitarist Lavinia Negrete. We invite you to join us at this free event to hear the fruits of their collaboration.Artist info: facebook.com/lavinianegreteSupported by The British Mexican Society
Paxton House
Marquee
Handel: Trio Sonatas in F major and B minorPlayford: ‘Grimstock’ and ‘Bobbing Joe’ from The English Dancing MasterPurcell: Sonatas of Three Parts, No.1 in G minorTelemann: Trio Sonata in G minorOswald: Sonata on Scots Tunes; Airs for Autumnwith additional music by Blow, Sammartini, Elisabetta de Gambarini, and Robert BremnerIn the early 1700s, London was quickly becoming the musical hub of Europe, and its epicentre was the area around the Strand, home to famous music shops and print-houses. Ensemble Hesperi – renowned for their dynamic and innovative programmes – present lively and enticing music from theatres and taverns, churches and private homes, and reflect on the craze for Scottish music that was sweeping the English capital!POST-CONCERT: Followed by informal Q&A immediately after the concert (free to ticket holders)“…sheer delight and pleasure is communicated by this exceptionally talented ensemble.” MusicWeb InternationalArtist info: ensemblehesperi.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
'DUSK'J.S. Bach: Duo Sonata for Violin & Keyboard in F minor, BWV1018Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (‘Mirror in the Mirror’)Robert Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D minor, Op.121Our series of three concerts with Tamsin and Cordelia features music to be enjoyed at different times of the day. Bach’s early F minor sonata was believed by his son, CPE Bach, to be “among the best works of my dear father.” Arvo Pärt’s profoundly beautiful Spiegel im Spiegel (‘Mirror in the Mirror’) was his last work written before he moved from Estonia to the west in1978, but one of his earliest minimalist pieces. Violinist Joseph Joachim, who premiered Schumann’s 2nd Violin Sonata, declared that the work “overflows with noble passion…one of the finest compositions of our time.”“Waley-Cohen’s playing is radiant and soaring.” The Sunday TimesArtist info: tamsinwaleycohen.com | cordeliawilliams.net
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
’NIGHT'Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.2 in G sharp minor, Op.19Thomas Tomkins: A Sad Pavan for these Distracted Times (1649)Bill Evans: Peace Piece (1958)Robert Schumann: Songs of Dawn (Gesänge der Frühe), Op.133“This sequence formed itself during the countless hazy hours I spent awake with two newborn sons. I felt lost within the constant interplay of overflowing joy and love with an unbearable desperation and loneliness. Those endless nights awake, my new life of which I had no understanding or certainty, were a kind of hell and, simultaneously, heaven. The programme ‘finds’ itself in Schumann’s Songs of Dawn: shimmering hope, glory just beyond the horizon.” Cordelia Williams.“Williams finds astonishing beauty in these pieces that had me shaking my head in wonder. Consummate artistry…touching real greatness.” ‘Nightlight’, MusicWeb International, Recording of the YearArtist info: cordeliawilliams.net
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
’DAWN'Biber: PassacagliaJ.S. Bach: Partita No.3 in E, BWV 1006Ysaÿe: Violin Sonata in G, Op.27 No.5Inspired by J. S. Bach’s historic 250-mile walk from Arnstadt to Lübeck to meet the composer Dietrich Buxtehude, we invite you to join us for our very much shorter 3.6km/2.25 mile walk around Duns prior to Tamsin’s solo recital featuring three masterpieces of solo instrumental writing.10am: Meet at church10am-11am: Walk with group (led by members of Duns U3A Walking Group, tbc)11am-11.30: Coffee/tea will be available11.30: PerformanceNB: walk is optional, and free to ticket holdersPlease ensure that you have adequate footwear and note that this is an all-weather event. Further practical information will be posted on the Music at Paxton website.Artist info: tamsinwaleycohen.com
Duns Parish Church
Church
Expect an evening of undiluted pleasure as Kosmos entertain with electrifying music from around the world, created from their encounters and studies with musicians working in North African, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Balkan and Gypsy, Argentine tango, flamenco, Celtic and jazz traditions. These brilliant players combine these influences with respect for their own Western classical music training, performing with panache, innovation and creativity, and incorporating improvisation into their unique arrangements and compositions that have been hailed by The Times as “a hurricane of imaginative invention.”“…telepathic rapport, dazzling virtuosity, serious scholarship, intellectual curiosity and impeccable musicianship, I defy you not to be mesmerised.” The TimesArtist info: kosmosensemble.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Programme includes:Beethoven: AdelaideSchubert: Der Musensohn; Der Wander an den MondBrahms: MeerfahrtFauré: Automne; Les BerceauxRebecca Clarke: The Cloths of Heaven; Tiger, Tiger; The Seal ManBritten: Winter Wordsand songs by Clara & Robert Schumann, Vaughan Williams, Ireland and StanfordMark Padmore has for many years been internationally regarded not only as one of the most persuasive and enthralling song recitalists of our times, but also as a commanding presence on opera stages. The programme he and award-winning pianist and conductor Jocelyn Freeman have prepared specially for this festival embraces some of Beethoven and Schubert’s finest songs, centenary tributes to Fauré and Stanford, a focus on the early 20th-century impressionistic songs of Rebecca Clarke, and Britten’s entrancing ‘Winter Words’, a cycle of 8 songs set to poems by Thomas Hardy.POST-CONCERT: Followed by informal Q&A immediately after the concert (free to ticket holders)“The superb British tenor Mark Padmore was a revelation; emotionally harrowing yet vocally beautiful.” Schubert recital review, New York TimesSponsor: Andrew & Hilary WalkerArtist info: markpadmore.com | jocelynfreeman.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Mark Padmore has a rare ability as a singer to penetrate to the deepest meaning of both music and text and then convey his full understanding of each to his audience in unaffected yet totally compelling performances. In this workshop, he and Jocelyn share insights on interpretation and presentation with young professional singers.“Remarkable emotional subtlety…and revelatory story-telling.” The Scotsman on Mark PadmoreArtist info: markpadmore.com | jocelynfreeman.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op. 67Chekhov: Rothschild's Violin, from 'Novellas and Stories'Yakov Ivanov, an ill-tempered village coffin-maker and violinist, has always hated the local orchestra’s popular Jewish flautist, Rothschild. When Yakov becomes sick after his long-suffering wife dies, he experiences an epiphany that leads to an extraordinary act of generosity that astonishes everyone who knows him.Shostakovich began work on his klezmer/Jewish-inspired 2nd Piano Trio just 10 days after completing the orchestration of ‘Rothschild’s Violin’, an opera by his pupil Veniamin Fleishman who died at the Siege of Leningrad. For this performance, the movements and the story alternate.Artist info: mithrastrio.co.uk | gerdastevenson.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Classic toe-tapping Bluegrass! Admiration for American roots music from the Appalachian mountains has inspired The Fountaineers to create their own unique blend of harmonies with buoyant musical improvisation.
Paxton House
Marquee
Germaine Tailleferre: Piano Trio (1916/17, rev. 1978)Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio No.1 in F, Op.18Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat, Op.97 ‘Archduke’Saint-Saëns first Piano Trio, a charming and rustic piece that even displays a naïve spirit and irrepressible character, is said to have been inspired by a holiday in the Pyrenees that the 28-year-old composer took in 1863. Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in the famous French group of composers known as ‘Les Six’, wrote this characterful Trio in 1916-17 but revised it over 60 years later with the addition of a spirited finale. Beethoven’s Archduke Trio is a noble and spacious work, widely celebrated for its broad dimensions and rich substance despite having to survive an inauspicious debut with the increasingly deaf composer “pounding on the piano keys till the strings jangled.”“Boasting strikingly truthful sound and balance…I look forward to hearing more from this talented young ensemble.” GramophoneArtist info: mithrastrio.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Join Ionel, Leo and Dominic to hear the story of Ferdinand, a young calf with a big heart who would much rather sit under a tree and smell flowers than fight in a big arena. And expect to hear cats and dogs, and birds and insects, in magical music by Saint-Saëns, Grieg, Gershwin, Alan Ridout and others.Artist info: mithrastrio.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D.395Debussy: Images IIChopin: 12 Études, Op. 25We are delighted to welcome pianist Alim Beisembayev, winner of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition and recently announced a BBC New Generation Artist for 2023-25, for our festival finale. Schubert’s Impromptus have a lightness of touch suitable for pieces that have clearly been carefully conceived, but which are intended to convey an improvisatory spirit. Debussy wrote that “I love pictures almost as much as music” this set of three ‘Images’ allows us to visualise bells (possibly Javanese), the setting moon, and goldfish. Alim concludes with Chopin’s virtuosic 12 Études, of which the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson wrote, “If you can play these…there is basically nothing in the modern repertoire you can’t play.”“A performance of Greatness (with a capital ‘G’). I am not expecting to hear a finer and more moving performance for many years … unless he (Alim) plays them again.” Simon Holt, composer, on Chopin ‘Preludes’, Wigmore HallArtist info: alimbeisembayev.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Matthew presents a lovely programme for all the family that embraces classic favourites (inc. Beethoven's 'Moonlight' sonata) and legendary film music by John Williams, Bernard Herrmann and Ennio Morricone.
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Silver Keys are passionate about exploring all styles of music, and their programme for Paxton will explore Bizet, Gershwin, the Beatles, traditional music and more.
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A major, Op.12 No.2Schubert: Rondo in B minor, D.895Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G, op.96One of the world’s greatest virtuoso violinists, Russian-born Viktoria Mullova is renowned for her exceptional versatility and musical integrity in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to jazz, both in recital and in collaboration with many of the world’s great orchestras, and we are thrilled that she is appearing alongside Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson, not only an outstanding soloist and chamber musician but also a regular favourite with Paxton audiences. Together they are currently recording the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas, two of which they play here with Schubert’s dramatic ‘Rondo brillant’.“[Mullova’s] spectrum of tones, from the merest whisper to full-throated songfulness in lyrical passages, compel the attention throughout.” Beethoven Sonatas, GramophoneArtist info: viktoriamullova.com | alasdairbeatson.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Northumberland-based Coquet Concert Band presents an entertaining programme of popular, classical, traditional and swing music arranged for wind band that ranges from Holst and Shostakovich to Charlie Parker and ABBA.
Paxton House
Marquee
Beth (named ‘Scots Singer of the Year’ in 2022) and Heather form an exciting modern folk-inspired duo, performing traditional songs of friendship and laughter with fresh eyes and ears.
Paxton House
Marquee
Clara Schumann: Six Songs, Op.13Robert Schumann: String Quartet in F, Op.41 No.2Felix Mendelssohn: Die Liebende Schreibt; Auf Flügeln des GesangesFanny Mendelssohn: Die Mainacht Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben, Op.42For the opening concert of their 2024 residency, the Consone Quartet is joined by recent BBC New Generation Artist Helen Charlston in a family-inspired concert. Wife and husband, Clara and Robert Schumann, were close friends with sister and brother, Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and often attended the ‘big soirées’ Fanny hosted in Berlin. Robert’s joyous Quartet in F, one of three dedicated to Felix, was written during his famous ‘Year of Chamber Music’ (1842), while ‘Frauenliebe und -leben’ and all other songs in this concert are performed in new arrangements for voice and string quartet by Bill Thorp.“Charlston has a superbly clear timbre, exemplary intonation and diction, and an admirable way of bringing out the core emotions.” The TimesArtist info: consonequartet.com | helencharlston.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Mozart: String Quartet in D, K.499 ‘Hoffmeister'Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op.95 ‘Serioso’Beethoven’s high intensity ‘Serioso’ quartet is a seething, melancholic work that eventually gives way to a wild exuberance, and it is a stark contrast to the ‘Hoffmeister’, named after the publisher who specifically asked Mozart to write a ‘popular’ piece that could be sold at great profit.“Absolutely brilliant playing sent us out at the interval breathless but exhilarated!” Edinburgh Music ReviewArtist info: consonequartet.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
‘Meet the composer’: Gavin Bryars in conversation with Angus SmithFREE to ticket holders for Consone Quartet concert at 3.30pmYorkshire-born Gavin Bryars – composer, jazz-bassist and founder of the legendary Portsmouth Sinfonia – gained international success through the hauntingly beautiful works Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.“Listen to him, he’s intelligent…” LuluArtist info: gavinbryars.com
Paxton House
Hayloft Gallery
Gavin Bryars: String Sextet ‘The Bridges of Königsberg’ (Scottish première)Richard Strauss: Prelude to Capriccio, Op.85Mozart: Grande Sestetto Concertante (1808 arrangement of Sinfonia Concertante, K364)The addition of two players to the Consone Quartet’s line-up allows the opportunity to luxuriate in the warm sound of string sextets from the classical period to the present day. Gavin Bryars’s lyrical sextet refers to a well-known and fiendish historic mathematical puzzle; in the words of the composer, “my problem (was) how to manage the integration of two players into the string quartet unit, in as many ways as possible, step by step and with maximum diplomacy…”. Strauss’s unique string sextet opening to an opera is a gloriously seductive movement and is followed by an enchanting arrangement of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.Sponsor: Wynne HarlenArtist info: consonequartet.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Music and storytelling with Roo (fiddle) and Neil (accordion) – an interactive and fun performance specially designed to introduce traditional Scottish tunes and songs to young children and their families. Back by popular demand! Recommended for families with children aged 3 - 7.Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult (max 3 children per adult).“Our children loved the event on the lawn.” Audience feedback
Paxton House
Lawn/Marquee
In Autumn 2023 Roo travelled to Mexico at the invitation of inspirational guitarist Morgan Szymanski to work with brilliant folk singer and guitarist Lavinia Negrete. We invite you to join us at this free event to hear the fruits of their collaboration.Artist info: facebook.com/lavinianegreteSupported by The British Mexican Society
Paxton House
Marquee
Handel: Trio Sonatas in F major and B minorPlayford: ‘Grimstock’ and ‘Bobbing Joe’ from The English Dancing MasterPurcell: Sonatas of Three Parts, No.1 in G minorTelemann: Trio Sonata in G minorOswald: Sonata on Scots Tunes; Airs for Autumnwith additional music by Blow, Sammartini, Elisabetta de Gambarini, and Robert BremnerIn the early 1700s, London was quickly becoming the musical hub of Europe, and its epicentre was the area around the Strand, home to famous music shops and print-houses. Ensemble Hesperi – renowned for their dynamic and innovative programmes – present lively and enticing music from theatres and taverns, churches and private homes, and reflect on the craze for Scottish music that was sweeping the English capital!POST-CONCERT: Followed by informal Q&A immediately after the concert (free to ticket holders)“…sheer delight and pleasure is communicated by this exceptionally talented ensemble.” MusicWeb InternationalArtist info: ensemblehesperi.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
'DUSK'J.S. Bach: Duo Sonata for Violin & Keyboard in F minor, BWV1018Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (‘Mirror in the Mirror’)Robert Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 in D minor, Op.121Our series of three concerts with Tamsin and Cordelia features music to be enjoyed at different times of the day. Bach’s early F minor sonata was believed by his son, CPE Bach, to be “among the best works of my dear father.” Arvo Pärt’s profoundly beautiful Spiegel im Spiegel (‘Mirror in the Mirror’) was his last work written before he moved from Estonia to the west in1978, but one of his earliest minimalist pieces. Violinist Joseph Joachim, who premiered Schumann’s 2nd Violin Sonata, declared that the work “overflows with noble passion…one of the finest compositions of our time.”“Waley-Cohen’s playing is radiant and soaring.” The Sunday TimesArtist info: tamsinwaleycohen.com | cordeliawilliams.net
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
’NIGHT'Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.2 in G sharp minor, Op.19Thomas Tomkins: A Sad Pavan for these Distracted Times (1649)Bill Evans: Peace Piece (1958)Robert Schumann: Songs of Dawn (Gesänge der Frühe), Op.133“This sequence formed itself during the countless hazy hours I spent awake with two newborn sons. I felt lost within the constant interplay of overflowing joy and love with an unbearable desperation and loneliness. Those endless nights awake, my new life of which I had no understanding or certainty, were a kind of hell and, simultaneously, heaven. The programme ‘finds’ itself in Schumann’s Songs of Dawn: shimmering hope, glory just beyond the horizon.” Cordelia Williams.“Williams finds astonishing beauty in these pieces that had me shaking my head in wonder. Consummate artistry…touching real greatness.” ‘Nightlight’, MusicWeb International, Recording of the YearArtist info: cordeliawilliams.net
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
’DAWN'Biber: PassacagliaJ.S. Bach: Partita No.3 in E, BWV 1006Ysaÿe: Violin Sonata in G, Op.27 No.5Inspired by J. S. Bach’s historic 250-mile walk from Arnstadt to Lübeck to meet the composer Dietrich Buxtehude, we invite you to join us for our very much shorter 3.6km/2.25 mile walk around Duns prior to Tamsin’s solo recital featuring three masterpieces of solo instrumental writing.10am: Meet at church10am-11am: Walk with group (led by members of Duns U3A Walking Group, tbc)11am-11.30: Coffee/tea will be available11.30: PerformanceNB: walk is optional, and free to ticket holdersPlease ensure that you have adequate footwear and note that this is an all-weather event. Further practical information will be posted on the Music at Paxton website.Artist info: tamsinwaleycohen.com
Duns Parish Church
Church
Expect an evening of undiluted pleasure as Kosmos entertain with electrifying music from around the world, created from their encounters and studies with musicians working in North African, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Balkan and Gypsy, Argentine tango, flamenco, Celtic and jazz traditions. These brilliant players combine these influences with respect for their own Western classical music training, performing with panache, innovation and creativity, and incorporating improvisation into their unique arrangements and compositions that have been hailed by The Times as “a hurricane of imaginative invention.”“…telepathic rapport, dazzling virtuosity, serious scholarship, intellectual curiosity and impeccable musicianship, I defy you not to be mesmerised.” The TimesArtist info: kosmosensemble.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Programme includes:Beethoven: AdelaideSchubert: Der Musensohn; Der Wander an den MondBrahms: MeerfahrtFauré: Automne; Les BerceauxRebecca Clarke: The Cloths of Heaven; Tiger, Tiger; The Seal ManBritten: Winter Wordsand songs by Clara & Robert Schumann, Vaughan Williams, Ireland and StanfordMark Padmore has for many years been internationally regarded not only as one of the most persuasive and enthralling song recitalists of our times, but also as a commanding presence on opera stages. The programme he and award-winning pianist and conductor Jocelyn Freeman have prepared specially for this festival embraces some of Beethoven and Schubert’s finest songs, centenary tributes to Fauré and Stanford, a focus on the early 20th-century impressionistic songs of Rebecca Clarke, and Britten’s entrancing ‘Winter Words’, a cycle of 8 songs set to poems by Thomas Hardy.POST-CONCERT: Followed by informal Q&A immediately after the concert (free to ticket holders)“The superb British tenor Mark Padmore was a revelation; emotionally harrowing yet vocally beautiful.” Schubert recital review, New York TimesSponsor: Andrew & Hilary WalkerArtist info: markpadmore.com | jocelynfreeman.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Mark Padmore has a rare ability as a singer to penetrate to the deepest meaning of both music and text and then convey his full understanding of each to his audience in unaffected yet totally compelling performances. In this workshop, he and Jocelyn share insights on interpretation and presentation with young professional singers.“Remarkable emotional subtlety…and revelatory story-telling.” The Scotsman on Mark PadmoreArtist info: markpadmore.com | jocelynfreeman.com
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op. 67Chekhov: Rothschild's Violin, from 'Novellas and Stories'Yakov Ivanov, an ill-tempered village coffin-maker and violinist, has always hated the local orchestra’s popular Jewish flautist, Rothschild. When Yakov becomes sick after his long-suffering wife dies, he experiences an epiphany that leads to an extraordinary act of generosity that astonishes everyone who knows him.Shostakovich began work on his klezmer/Jewish-inspired 2nd Piano Trio just 10 days after completing the orchestration of ‘Rothschild’s Violin’, an opera by his pupil Veniamin Fleishman who died at the Siege of Leningrad. For this performance, the movements and the story alternate.Artist info: mithrastrio.co.uk | gerdastevenson.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Classic toe-tapping Bluegrass! Admiration for American roots music from the Appalachian mountains has inspired The Fountaineers to create their own unique blend of harmonies with buoyant musical improvisation.
Paxton House
Marquee
Germaine Tailleferre: Piano Trio (1916/17, rev. 1978)Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio No.1 in F, Op.18Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat, Op.97 ‘Archduke’Saint-Saëns first Piano Trio, a charming and rustic piece that even displays a naïve spirit and irrepressible character, is said to have been inspired by a holiday in the Pyrenees that the 28-year-old composer took in 1863. Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in the famous French group of composers known as ‘Les Six’, wrote this characterful Trio in 1916-17 but revised it over 60 years later with the addition of a spirited finale. Beethoven’s Archduke Trio is a noble and spacious work, widely celebrated for its broad dimensions and rich substance despite having to survive an inauspicious debut with the increasingly deaf composer “pounding on the piano keys till the strings jangled.”“Boasting strikingly truthful sound and balance…I look forward to hearing more from this talented young ensemble.” GramophoneArtist info: mithrastrio.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Join Ionel, Leo and Dominic to hear the story of Ferdinand, a young calf with a big heart who would much rather sit under a tree and smell flowers than fight in a big arena. And expect to hear cats and dogs, and birds and insects, in magical music by Saint-Saëns, Grieg, Gershwin, Alan Ridout and others.Artist info: mithrastrio.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery
Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D.395Debussy: Images IIChopin: 12 Études, Op. 25We are delighted to welcome pianist Alim Beisembayev, winner of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition and recently announced a BBC New Generation Artist for 2023-25, for our festival finale. Schubert’s Impromptus have a lightness of touch suitable for pieces that have clearly been carefully conceived, but which are intended to convey an improvisatory spirit. Debussy wrote that “I love pictures almost as much as music” this set of three ‘Images’ allows us to visualise bells (possibly Javanese), the setting moon, and goldfish. Alim concludes with Chopin’s virtuosic 12 Études, of which the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson wrote, “If you can play these…there is basically nothing in the modern repertoire you can’t play.”“A performance of Greatness (with a capital ‘G’). I am not expecting to hear a finer and more moving performance for many years … unless he (Alim) plays them again.” Simon Holt, composer, on Chopin ‘Preludes’, Wigmore HallArtist info: alimbeisembayev.co.uk
Paxton House
Picture Gallery