1-16 july 2017 box office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals ... · bbc young musician series p.4 ......

1-16 July 2017Box Office 01242 850270cheltenhamfestivals.com#cheltmusicfest

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In-Kind Partners

Marketing Partner

Media Partners

Principal Partner

Major Partners

Festival Partners

Individual Supporters Trusts and Societies

National Radio Partner

Aquarius GroupCelia and Andrew CurranElizabeth JacobsGraham and Eileen LockwoodMary Mackenzie, Richard Walton and FriendsSir Michael and Lady McWilliamJohn Mumford and Penny McCrackenNeil and Ann Parrack

The Chairman’s FriendsLawrence Wallace and Richard LinenthalDiana WoolleyPenny Wright and Andrew Neubauer70th Festival Appeal Donors

We would also like to thank our individual supporters who have chosen to remain anonymous.

The Adams Youth TrustThe Alan Cadbury Charitable TrustThe Big Lottery FundThe John S Cohen Foundation Colwinston Charitable Trust The Gandel TrustThe John Armitage Charitable TrustThe Leverhulme Trust

The Michael Tippett Musical FoundationThe Radcliffe TrustThe Reed FoundationRPS Duet Prize for Young InstrumentalistsThe Williams Church Music Trust

Strategic Partner

The Oldham

Foundation

It feels like I’ve only been here a short while, but this programme for the 2017 Cheltenham Music Festival is actually my 10th! Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself…

Clearly, I wanted to make sure there are some big treats in store at each of our main venues. So in Cheltenham Town Hall we have Bryn Terfel, the CBSO with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, I Fagiolini’s semi-staged L’Orfeo and The Hallé – 70 years on from their first Festival appearance here. In the Pittville Pump Room, we welcome back regulars such as the Nash Ensemble and Pavel Haas Quartet alongside newcomers such as the Chineke! Orchestra. There are lots of enticing things in Gloucester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey – from Monteverdi’s Vespers to Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony. And then there’s a brand new venue for us; a renovated 1820s Baptist Chapel, where exciting new talents such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason will be celebrated.

Meurig Bowen Director

MAGAZINE

£5 TICKETS FOR UNDER 25s25 or under? Try the Festival at a great price: a limited number of good seats available at £5 for every concert! See cheltenhamfestivals.com/under25 for details.

Cheltenham FirstsOver 20 Premieres including

Daniel Kidane and David Matthews p.15

John Casken p.19

Elena Kats-Chernin p.20

Ryan Wigglesworth p.34

The Philharmonia’s Virtual Orchestra p.5

BBC Young Musician series p.4

Chineke! Orchestra p.21

Greats at the Town HallCBSO/Gražinytė-Tyla p.8

Bryn Terfel p.11

Richard Rodgers celebration p.12

I Fagiolini L’Orfeo p.20

The Hallé p.34

Pittville Chamber EncountersNash Ensemble p.8

Chiaroscuro and Pavel Haas Quartets p.12 & 22

Tasmin Little p.30

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet p.36

Radio 3 New Generation Artists p.14, 26 & 28

Florilegium p.32

Special SpacesA Sea Symphony/Gloucester Cathedral p.16

Classical Mixtape/Tewkesbury Abbey p.23

Tenebrae/Tewkesbury Abbey p.27

Monteverdi Vespers/Gloucester Cathedral p.30

New English Ballet Theatre/Everyman p.37

THANK YOU to our Partners and Supporters WELCOME

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Drop in Monday–Friday: 3–6pm Saturday–Sunday: 11am–5pm

The Virtual Orchestra Cheltenham High Street

Experience lasts 6 minutes.

FREE Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Recommended ages 7+

…around town 1–16 July 2017

FREE

We bring the Philharmonia Orchestra – with a

difference! – to the heart of Cheltenham for the

entire Festival.

Put on a virtual reality headset and be transported to

centre stage of London’s Royal Festival Hall.

World-famous conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and the

Philharmonia Orchestra surround you in this unique

encounter, where the 3D audio and video envelop

you in a remarkable 360-degree experience!

The Virtual Orchestra is produced by Philharmonia

Orchestra, Inition and Southbank Centre. ‘An extraordinary glimpse inside the sights and sounds of a symphony orchestra’ The Guardian

Imagine an event that defies preconceptions of what a classical concert can be. Classical Mixtape in Tewkesbury Abbey on Tuesday 11 July will be a new way to listen, look and experience. See page 23 for details.

A concert with a difference…

An exciting new venue... The best young talent...With such an embarrassment of choice in Cheltenham for wonderful venues, we rarely find a new space that we are this excited about!

Chapel Arts is a newly-restored 1820s Baptist Chapel in the heart of Town. The Music Festival is thrilled to be using this new venue as a hub for a wide range of events throughout the fortnight.

As the Chapel’s restoration has developed – with a large mezzanine floor creating a clean-lined gallery and cosy cafe – we have been coming up with innovative ways to use the space. The building will play host to evening cabaret, concerts, exhibitions and family events. BBC Young Musician Rush Hour series

It has been Festival Director, Meurig Bowen’s privilege to be a judge in the last two BBC Young Musician competitions. This inspiring showcase of young talent, now nearly 40 years old, has repeatedly brought to the fore some of the country’s finest musicians. This Rush Hour series presents 2014 winner Martin James Bartlett (piano), 2016 winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and 2016 finalist Jess Gillam (saxophone).

Rush Hour series supported by Neil and Ann Parrack

Events at Chapel ArtsA Scott Joplin Cabaret (5 July, p.9)

Rush Hour I: Martin James Bartlett (6 July, p.10)

The Bear and the Piano (9 July, p.19)

Lilliput Concert (10 July, p.6)

Rush Hour II: Sheku Kanneh-Mason (11 July, p.22)

Rush Hour III: Jess Gillam (13 July, p.28)

Gloucestershire Young Musicians (14 July, p.30)

21st Century String Quartet (15 July, p.33)

Composer Academy Showcase I (15 July, p.33)

Composer Academy Showcase II (16 July, p.37)

NEW FOR 2017 NEW FOR 2017

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10am–6pm M01

Mendelssohn at Syde Tithe Barn, Syde Manor Full weekend: £190 Day Tickets: £110

Performers include: Carducci Quartet Giovanni Guzzo violin Guy Johnston cello Charles Owen piano Marcus Farnsworth baritone Stephen Johnson concert introductions

A rare and special opportunity to explore Mendelssohn’s magnificent body of chamber works performed in four adjacent concerts, all in the intimate and beautiful surroundings of Syde Manor near Cheltenham.

Tickets include dining, drinks, concert introductions and the chance to enjoy the gardens and sweeping views of an unspoilt Cotswold valley.

Supported by Celia and Andrew Curran

Saturday programme

3pm: Gardens open / pre-concert drinks

4pm: Concert I Lieder ohne Worte (selection) Cello Sonata No 2 in D, Op. 58 String Quartet No 2 in A minor, Op. 13

6pm: Dinner

7.30pm: Concert II Lieder (selection) Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Op. 49 String Quintet No 2 in B flat, Op. 87

‘The Tithe Barn at Syde Manor, nestling deep in the Cotswolds between Birdlip

Hill and Cirencester, is a gem of a venue. It is comfortable, airy, and has a fabulous

acoustic… and the catering was top-class.’Birmingham Post, Shostakovich at Syde, July 2015

Sunday programme

10am: Gardens open

11am: Concert III Lieder ohne Worte (selection) String Quartet No 6 in F minor, Op. 80 Piano Trio No 2 in C minor, Op. 66

1pm: Lunch

3pm: Concert IV Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 Lieder (selection) String Octet in E flat, Op. 20

10–10.45am MF01 11.30am–12.15pm MF02

The Bear and the Piano Chapel Arts, Knapp Street £6 adults £4 children *

Ages 3-7

Best Illustrated Book winner at 2016 Waterstones Children’s Book awards is brought to life by the author in this specially-devised concert (see page 19).

11am–12noon MF03

The School of Music Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £8 adults £5 children *

Ages 7-11

A fun and fast-paced sequence of sketches and interactive musical games, inspired by Meurig and Rachel Bowen’s new children’s book, The School of Music (see page 32).

2–3pm MF04

Dr Dee’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s Stone Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £8 adults £5 children *

Ages 7-12

Dr Dee’s daughter searches for the Elixir of Life in this exciting story of adventure and magic told with beautiful puppets by Rust and Bone, and music from dynamic recorder consort, Palisander (See page 36).

10.30–11.30am

Lilliput Concerts – Music for Tiny People Chapel Arts, Knapp Street £6 per adult/child pair £4 for additional family members *

Ideal for ages 0-4 but older siblings are welcome too

Lilliput concerts are back, with live music from a2 Horn Duo in a relaxed environment for babies and toddlers and their adults. 40 minutes of music followed by an opportunity to socialise in the lovely cafe. Tickets are not available through the Festival Box Office. Visit buytickets.at/lilliputconcerts from 20th June.

A great value festival for all!Young people are welcome to attend all other festival events too! A special allocation of £5 tickets is available for all Music Festival events for people aged 25 and under. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Sunday 9 July Sunday 16 JulySaturday 15 July

Monday 10 JulyLimited availability (on sale since Dec 2016)

FAMILY EVENTS SATURDAY 1 / SUNDAY 2 JULYcheltenhamfestivals.com

* Plus transaction fee: charged per order, not per ticket. £2.50 for online and telephone sales, and £1.50 for in person bookings with credit/debit cards. No fee for cash bookings.

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11am–12.45pm M02

The Nash Ensemble Pittville Pump Room £28 £23 £16 *

The Nash Ensemble

Schubert String Trio in B flat, D 471 9’ Berwald Grand Septet in B flat 23’ Beethoven Septet in E flat, Op. 20 38’

In this welcome return to Cheltenham, the ‘chamber music royalty’ of The Nash Ensemble (The Sunday Times) present three early 19th century works – two from Vienna and one from much farther north.

The fact that Franz Berwald was only a part-time composer – he made his living more as an orthopaedic surgeon in Berlin and manager of a glass works in his native Sweden – should not prejudice the inclusion of his Grand Septet, from 1828, in this programme. Full of charm and invention, his work for the unusual line-up of clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass is an appropriate warm-up for the weightier, earlier work by Beethoven.

Supported by Mary Mackenzie, Richard Walton and Friends

9.30–10.30pm M05

A Scott Joplin Cabaret Chapel Arts £12 *

Ashok Gupta piano Alexander Kirk piano Sylvia Klemz, Theo Perry singers

100 years after the death of the ‘King of Ragtime’, Scott Joplin’s legacy and influence is celebrated in this wide-ranging cabaret performance. Polkas from Smetana and Sousa’s Stars and Stripes set the scene for some of Joplin’s best-known piano rags, made famous in the 1973 film The Sting, as well as numbers from his opera Treemonisha. Gloucestershire-raised pianists Ashok Gupta and Alexander Kirk also perform ragtime-influenced works by Debussy, Satie, Stravinsky, Gershwin, Grainger and Brubeck.

7–9pm M04

CBSO and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

Cheltenham Town Hall £40 £35 £30 £18 £12 *

Jan Lisiecki piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor

Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune 10’ Chopin Piano Concerto No 2 32’ Valentyn Silvestrov The Messenger, 1996 8’ Stravinsky Petrushka 35’

An opening night of exhilarating and colourful orchestral music from one of classical music’s hottest new partnerships – the CBSO with their celebrated Music Director, 30-year old Lithuanian Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. The equally exciting 20 year-old Canadian, Jan Lisiecki, dazzles with Chopin, Valentyn Silvestrov’s The Messenger, 1996 lays a dreamy, strings-and-piano veil over Mozart, while the creative genius of Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes comes alive through the music of two thrilling, iconic ballet scores.

Festival Proms in association with

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3

THE CLIFFORD TAYLOR Young Artist Series

25 OR UNDER? Get £5 tickets for every concert! See cheltenhamfestivals.com/under25 for details

WEDNESDAY 5 JULYWEDNESDAY 5 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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11am–1pm M06

Gould Piano Trio Pittville Pump Room £26 £21 £15 *

Gould Piano Trio

Mark Simpson After Avedon 18’ Beethoven Piano Trio in E flat, Op. 1 No 1 27’ Rachmaninov Trio élégiaque No 2 in D minor, Op. 9 48’

In their 25th anniversary year, the Gould Piano Trio perform a complete survey of Beethoven’s piano trios at Wigmore Hall. They bring the earliest of these to Cheltenham – its light classical style the perfect foil to Rachmaninov’s lusciously romantic second Trio élégiaque. A new work by exceptional young clarinettist and composer Mark Simpson, supported by PRS Beyond Borders and premiered in Hull for its City of Culture celebrations, completes the programme.

Supported by The Gandel Trust

5.45–6.45pm M07

BBC Young Musician Rush Hour I Chapel Arts £12.50 *

(includes a glass of wine)

Martin James Bartlett piano

Bach Toccata in C minor BWV 911 12’ Schumann Kinderszenen 18’ Ginastera Danzas Argentinas 8’ Chopin Ballade No 1, Op. 23 10’

Our new series of Rush Hour concerts at Chapel Arts, featuring BBC Young Musicians, begins with 2014 winner, pianist Martin James Bartlett. Returning to Cheltenham after his rapturously-received performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue opening the 2015 Music Festival, he shows off the breadth of his talent in a programme that ranges from Bach’s precise counterpoint to the intense virtuosity of Chopin.

7.30–9.30pm M08

Bryn Terfel Recital

Cheltenham Town Hall £75 £60 £50 £35 £30 £15 *

Bryn Terfel bass-baritone Caradog Williams piano

Bryn Terfel’s charismatic presence is in huge demand on the world’s leading opera stages. He is equally compelling in recital, communicating with audiences in the most direct and intimate way. His recital at Cheltenham Town Hall with Caradog Williams is sure to be one of the standout performances in the Music Festival’s long history.

Supported by Diana Woolley


‘Expressive detail and impressive insight’ The Guardian

‘The wit and colour in pianist Martin James Bartlett’s playing was thrilling’ The Times


Limited availability (on sale since Dec 2016)


THURSDAY 6 JULYTHURSDAY 6 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


12 13

11am–12.45pm M09

Chiaroscuro Quartet Pittville Pump Room £28 £23 £16 *

Chiaroscuro Quartet

Bach Art of Fugue (selection) 15’ Haydn String Quartet in E flat, Op. 76 No 6 24’ Schubert String Quartet No 14 in D minor, D 810 ‘Death and the Maiden’ 40’

9.30–10.30pm M11

E STuudio Chamber Choir St Matthew’s Church, Clarence Street £12 *

E STuudio Chamber Choir Külli Lokko & Eliisa Sakarias conductors

Programme to include pieces by Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Cyrillus Kreek, Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen

With the rolling EU Presidency handing over to Estonia in July, we celebrate the rich choral tradition of this small, but intensely music Baltic country. The dynamic young singers of E STuudio Chamber Choir perform atmospheric choral music steeped in the Orthodox tradition by Estonia’s most famous musical export, Arvo Pärt, and his contemporaries, alongside luscious American vocal music.

7–9pm M10

The Sound of His Music: A Celebration of Richard Rodgers


Chetham’s Concert Orchestra A cast of West End performers and opera singers Stephen Threlfall conductor Devised and directed by Damian Thantrey

Join us for a journey into the world of Broadway legend Richard Rodgers and his internationally renowned collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Leading West End performers and singers from the world’s great opera houses join the brilliant young musicians of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester for classic songs and sequences – from beloved numbers such as Blue Moon and The Lady is a Tramp, to the brilliance of Oklahoma!, South Pacific and The Sound of Music.

Star violinist Alina Ibragimova and her Chiaroscuro Quartet’s historically-informed performances shed new light on well-known works. We welcome them back to the Pump Room to perform Schubert’s dramatic ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet (so called for the slow movement, which features the melody of Schubert’s song of the same name), the clean lines of late Haydn, and a selection from Bach’s shimmering Art of Fugue; a programme ideally suited to the clarity and purity of their ensemble.


Some enchanted evening...

‘...a trailblazer for the authentic performance of High Classical

chamber music.’ Gramophone



FRIDAY 7 JULYFRIDAY 7 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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2.30–3.45pm M16

Piano 4 Hands Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room £12 *

Waka Hasegawa & Joseph Tong piano

Mozart Andante with Variations in G K 501 7’ Schubert Fantasie in F minor D 940 19’ David Matthews Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 144 (premiere) 17’ Daniel Kidane new work (premiere) 10’ Prokoviev Classical Symphony (arr. Piano 4 Hands) 15’

This ‘mixed bill’ of music for piano duet – four hands at one keyboard – has a certain neo-classical flavour, with a new arrangement of Prokofiev’s exuberant ‘Classical Symphony’ and David Matthews’ new Haydn variations. The other commission in this concert is from Daniel Kidane, a rising star alumnus of our first Cheltenham Composer Academy in 2013.

11am–1pm M12

BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists I Pittville Pump Room £24 £18 £12 *

Fatma Said soprano Annelien Van Wauwe clarinet Simon Lepper piano

Saint-Saëns Clarinet Sonata in E flat, Op. 167 16’ Manfred Trojahn Sonata V for clarinet and piano (UK premiere) 10’ Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D 965 11’ Selected songs by Debussy, Fauré, Spohr, Brahms and Schumann

BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artist scheme has always been a wonderfully cosmopolitan affair, and the artists featured in Cheltenham this year are no exception. Alongside musicians from France, Norway and Italy in the other two NGA concerts (see p.26 & p.28), this performance features Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe and Egyptian soprano Fatma Said. Their wide-ranging programme of French and German songs and sonatas culminates with Schubert’s ever-popular ‘The Shepherd on the Rock.’

Supported by an anonymous donor

12noon–1pm M13

How We Talk Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £5 *

Kerry Andrew voice K’antu Ensemble

How we Talk, by composer and performer Kerry Andrew, is the outcome of a year-long residency at 18 care homes in Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire. The resulting piece, written in collaboration with care home residents and presented with accompaniment from early music ensemble K’antu, is complemented by a selection of lively folk and world music from across the ages.

12noon–1pm M14

Gloucester Magnificat Gloucester Cathedral £10 adults £5 children *

Gloucester Cathedral Choir (including boy and girl choristers) Gloucester Cathedral Youth Choir Gloucester Cathedral Junior Choir Adrian Partington conductor

The choirs of Gloucester Cathedral come together for the first time to perform a varied programme of music centred around a stunning new commission, The Gloucester Magnificat, by multi-genre composer John O’Hara. The programme will also include a variety of Magnificats from Blues to Stanford, new arrangements of Spirituals, a multi-choir arrangement of Byrd’s Ave Verum by baritone Roderick Williams and a spectacular Psalm setting in Portuguese.

John O’Hara commissioned by1-16 July

The Virtual Orchestra …around townExperience Virtual Reality, and sit in the centre of a huge symphony orchestra! See page 5



SATURDAY 8 JULYSATURDAY 8 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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8–10pm M15

Alex Mendham and his Orchestra

Cheltenham Town Hall £20† £35†† * † includes drink †† includes drink, dance class and cabaret seating

Hot jazz and sweet dance band music from the Art Deco era.

Alex Mendham and his Orchestra are the last word in 1930s dance music. From their original instruments to the pomade that slicks their hair, no corner is cut when it comes to preserving the sound and clean-cut image of vintage Hollywood. Learn some moves in an afternoon dance class, get dolled up in your flapper finest and dance the night away.

2.30pm

Dance Class Cheltenham Town Hall

Get ready for a night of dancing! JazzJiveSwing teach you the hottest 20s and 30s moves, to Alex Mendham recordings (included in £35 tickets only).

6–6.45pm Talk MT01

Stephen Johnson Talk Gloucester Cathedral Chapter House £5 *

With his unique combination of enthusiasm, insight and erudition, Stephen Johnson discusses the friendship of Vaughan Williams and Holst and, with musical illustrations, illuminates the two main works in tonight’s concert.

7–9pm M17

A Sea Symphony & The Hymn of Jesus Gloucester Cathedral £35 £28 £22 £15 £10 *

Cheltenham Festival Chorus Huddersfield Choral Society Salomon Orchestra Martyn Brabbins conductor Elizabeth Watts soprano Marcus Farnsworth baritone

Vaughan Williams Stricken Peninsula: An Italian Rhapsody (premiere) 8’ Holst The Hymn of Jesus 22’ Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony 65’

250 performers from around the UK come together in Gloucester’s majestic Cathedral to celebrate a great friendship between two locally-born composers. The Hymn of Jesus, 100 years old this year, was Holst’s next work after finishing The Planets, and was dedicated to Ralph Vaughan Williams. VW’s mighty setting of Walt Whitman poems brings an equally large chorus to the fore throughout its hour-plus span, alongside expansive roles for two soloists and orchestral writing of blazing colour and energy.

The concert begins with a Vaughan Williams concert premiere – a reconstruction by Cheltenham composer Philip Lane of music VW wrote for a 1945 propaganda film, Stricken Peninsula, about life and reconstruction in post-war Italy.

Supported by The Oldham Foundation and The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust





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3–4.45pm M20

Kokoschka’s Doll Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £20 *

Rozanna Madylus mezzo-soprano John Tomlinson bass Counterpoise

The Art of Love: Alma Mahler’s Life and Music Text by Barry Millington Music by Alma and Gustav Mahler (arr. David Matthews), Zemlinsky, Webern and Wagner 40’ John Casken Kokoschka’s Doll (premiere) 35’

For Alma Mahler, the painter Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) was just one of a string of eminent lovers, but for Kokoschka his brief affair with the widow of Mahler was to haunt the rest of his life. Shortly after the liaison ended, in 1914, he commissioned a life-size doll of Alma, which he took to concerts and other public events, finally destroying it at a party to which all his friends were invited. The Counterpoise ensemble explores their tempestuous affair and subsequent obsession through a sequence of music and text featuring the work of Gustav and Alma Mahler, Wagner, Webern and Zemlinsky, followed by the premiere of John Casken’s Kokoschka’s Doll.

As seen through the eyes of Kokoschka as an older man, world-renowned bass John Tomlinson evokes the passions unleashed by the affair against the background of the physical and psychological traumas the artist suffered in the First World War.

CHELTEN

HAM

MUSIC FESTIVAL SO

CIETY

10–11am Talk MT02

Orlando Figes Talk Pittville Pump Room £10 *

(see M19 for combined concert & talk ticket price)

Flight, compromise and resistance: composers and the revolution

The great chronicler of Russian history Orlando Figes – author of Natasha’s Dance and A People’s Tragedy, and Professor at Birkbeck, University of London – discusses the varying responses of composers such as Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Stravinsky to the 1917 Russian Revolution.


Composers in Conversation Cheltenham Ladies’ College,

Parabola Arts Centre Free ticket required

Journalist and musicologist Barry Millington discusses The Art of Love/Kokoschka’s Doll with composers David Matthews and John Casken.

10–10.45am MF01 11.30am–12.15pm MF02

The Bear and the Piano Chapel Arts £6 adults £4 children * Ages 3-7

One day, a young bear stumbles upon something he has never seen before in the forest. As time passes, he teaches himself how to play the strange instrument, but what will happen when his talent is discovered?

With the help of live piano music, author-illustrator David Litchfield brings this bestselling tale to life through words, live illustration and a draw-along session for everyone.

11.30am–12.45pm M19

Rachmaninov – A Heart in Exile Pittville Pump Room Concert & Talk: £30 £24 £18 * Concert only: £24 £18 £12 *

Lucy Parham piano Henry Goodman actor

Programme includes: Rachmaninov A selection of Elégies, Preludes and Moments Musicaux Tchaikovsky Troika Scriabin Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 42 No 5 John Stafford Smith (arr. Rachmaninov) The Star-Spangled Banner Kreisler/Rachmaninov Liebesleid

Though exiled from Russia during the Revolution of 1917, nostalgia for his homeland shines through Rachmaninov’s music, particularly in the many works he wrote for his own instrument, the piano. Pianist Lucy Parham and renowned actor Henry Goodman bring the story of this longing to life with words taken directly from Rachmaninov’s letters and diaries, and many of his best-loved works for solo piano, alongside music by Tchaikovsky and Scriabin.

Supported by The Alan Cadbury Charitable Trust

‘Lucy Parham’s trailblazing concerts in which she fuses music and words with the help of some of our most distinguished thespians, have become one of the must-see events on the musical calendar’ BBC Music Magazine


SUNDAY 9 JULYSUNDAY 9 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


20 21

7–9.15pm M18

Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo


I Fagiolini English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble Robert Hollingworth director Matthew Long Orfeo Rachel Ambrose-Evans Euridice Clare Wilkinson Proserpina Ciara Hendrick Messenger William Purefoy Speranza Nicholas Hurndall Smith Apollo Greg Skidmore Shepherd Charles Gibbs Pluto Christopher Adams Caronte Semi-staging by Thomas Guthrie

I Fagiolini’s celebrated project The Full Monteverdi, a worldwide success, premiered in Cheltenham in 2004. In the 450th anniversary year of the great composer’s birth, they return with a semi-staged performance of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, acknowledged as the first great opera. Written in 1607, Monteverdi’s use of orchestral colour and expert vocal writing animates the story of Orpheus’ search for his love in the underworld.

Supported by Diana Woolley

9.30–10.40pm M21

Love Songs Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room £12 *

William Howard piano

Schubert Ständchen (arr. Liszt) Josef Suk Love Song Granados The Maiden and the Nightingale and new love songs by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Piers Hellawell*, Elena Kats-Chernin*, David Matthews, Nico Muhly*, Richard Reed Parry, Howard Skempton, Joby Talbot, Judith Weir, Michael Zev Gordon* *premieres

Pianist William Howard’s 2016 recording of sixteen love songs of the romantic era for solo piano inspired him to commission ‘companion’ pieces to these appealing and accessible works. We hear a selection of new and old love songs, including premieres by Nico Muhly, Elena Kats-Chernin and our Composer Academy Director, Michael Zev Gordon.

6–7.45pm M22

Chineke! Orchestra Pittville Pump Room £30 £25 £20 £15 *

Chineke! Orchestra Adam Heron piano Jonathon Heyward conductor

Chevalier de Saint-Georges Overture from L’Amant anonyme 10’ Mozart Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat K 271 ‘Jeunehomme’ 25’ James Wilson new work (premiere) 12’ Mozart Symphony No 29 in A, K 201 21’

Chineke! Orchestra is less than two years old, but its impact as a catalyst for change has already been immense. The brainchild of double-bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku, the orchestra’s mission is to ‘to create a space where Black and Minority Ethnic musicians can walk on stage and know that they belong’.


Pre-performance Talk Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room Free ticket required

I Fagiolini’s Director, Robert Hollingworth, introduces tonight’s performance.


Class, Race and Classical Music Pittville Pump Room Free no ticket required

In collaboration with London Music Masters, we present this post-performance discussion on a subject which Chineke! Orchestra’s existence courageously aims to address. The panel will include composer Hannah Kendall, conductor Jonathon Heyward and BBC Radio 3 editor Edwina Wolstencroft.

This programme features Mozart alongside ‘The Black Mozart’, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges – champion fencer, virtuoso violinist, composer and man-about-town in late 18th century Paris. There is a new work from London-based composer James Wilson, participant in the 2015 Cheltenham Composer Academy. And the soloist in Mozart’s K 271 piano concerto is the hugely talented Cheltenham pianist Adam Heron – 2016’sGloucestershire Young Musician.

Supported by The Steel Charitable Trust


MONDAY 10 JULYSUNDAY 9 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


Imagine an event that defies preconceptions of what a classical concert is. Get a drink from the bar, stand, sit or lie where you like, relax and enjoy as each piece of music comes to you from a different stage in sequenced, uninterrupted bliss.A new way to listen, look and experience.

nnnnnsss s

ccceeee e gggggeee

mmmmmagine

C lassical Mixtape

Tewkesbury Abbey, 8–10pm

Two 40-minute sets performed by special Music Festival guests

Pay what you canfrom just

£1

22 23

11am–12.40pm M23

Pavel Haas Quartet Pittville Pump Room £28 £23 £16 *

Pavel Haas Quartet

Beethoven String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op. 127 35’ Martinů String Quartet No 3 H 183 14’ Smetana String Quartet No 1 in E minor ‘From My Life’ 27’

5.45–6.45pm M24

BBC Young Musician Rush Hour II Chapel Arts £12.50 * (includes a glass of wine)

Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello Isata Kanneh-Mason piano

Beethoven Sonata Op. 5 No 2 in G minor 26’ Shostakovich Sonata Op. 40 in D minor 30’

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s star rose in 2016, not only winning BBC Young Musician of the Year for his spirited performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto, but also featuring in a BBC Four documentary about him and his fantastically musical family. He is joined in our second rush-hour concert by his pianist sister, Isata, currently an Elton John Scholar at London’s Royal Academy of Music.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s Cheltenham residency is supported by the RPS Duet Prize for Young Instrumentalists

Named after Czech composer Pavel Haas, who perished in Auschwitz aged 45, the Pavel Haas Quartet are renowned internationally, as much for their spirited live performance as for their four-time Gramophone Award-winning recordings. We are thrilled to welcome them back to the Pump Room, this time with the first of Beethoven’s sophisticated late quartets, alongside gloriously rich quartets by fellow countrymen Martinů and Smetana.

Supported by Elizabeth Jacobs

‘At times it’s hard to believe that you are in the presence of only four players, so

intense is the sound’ Gramophone




8–10pm Bar open from 7.15pm

M25

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M04 CBSO, MIRGA GRAZNITYE-TYLA

& JAN LISIECKI

M10 THE SOUND OF HIS MUSIC: A CELEBRATION OF

RICHARD RODGERS

M11 E STUUDIO CHAMBER

CHOIR (SM)

M16 PIANO 4 HANDS (PR)

M14 GLOUCESTER MAGNIFICAT

MT01 STEPHEN

JOHNSONM17 ‘A SEA SYMPHONY /

HYMN OF JESUS’ (GC)

M13 “HOW WE TALK”

M15 ALEX MENDHAM AND HIS ORCHESTRA

M08 BRYN TERFEL RECITAL

M07 RUSH HOUR I (CA)

M02 NASH ENSEMBLEMT02

ORLANDO FIGES

M19 RACHMANINOV – A LIFE IN EXILE

MT03 TALK

M20 KOKOSCHKA’S DOLL

M18 MONTEVERDI – L’ORFEO

M24 RUSH HOUR II (CA)

M27 QUENINGTON

M30 RUSH HOUR III (CA)

M33 GLOS YOUNG

MUSICIANS (CA)

M34 MONTEVERDI – VESPERS OF

1610 (GC)

M35 ENSEMBLE COURT-CIRCUIT

M31 BREAKING THE RULES (AS)

MT06 TALK M28 TENEBRAE (TA)

M25 MIXTAPE (TA)

M21 LOVE SONGS (PR)

MT04 TALK

MF01 THE BEAR AND THE PIANO

LILLIPUT CONCERT

(CA)

M06 GOULD PIANO TRIO M22 CHINEKE! MT05 TALK

M09 CHIAROSCURO QUARTET

M23 PAVEL HAAS QUARTET

M26 BBC RADIO 3 NGA 2 M41 JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET

MF03 DR DEE’S

DAUGHTER

MF02 THE SCHOOL OF

MUSIC

M42 COMPOSER ACADEMY

SHOWCASE 2 (CA)M43 NEW ENGLISH BALLET

THEATRE (ET)

M36 FLORILEGIUM

MT07 TALK (PR)

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QUARTET (CA)

M38 COMPOSER ACADEMY

SHOWCASE 1 (CA)

M39 THE HALLÉ M40 ORPHEUS CALEDONIUS (PR)

M32 TASMIN LITTLE & MARTIN ROSCOE RECITAL

M29 BBC RADIO 3 NGA 3

M12 BBC RADIO 3 NGA 1

M05 A SCOTT JOPLIN

CABARET (CA)

WHAT’S ON GUIDEWHAT’S ON GUIDE

KEY TH = TOWN HALL PPR = PITTVILLE PUMP ROOM PAC = CHELTENHAM LADIES’ COLLEGE, PARABOLA ARTS CENTRE CONCERT TALK/FILM FAMILY OTHER VENUES PR - Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room SQ - St Swithin's, Quenington TA - Tewkesbury Abbey GC - Gloucester Cathedral CA - Chapel Arts SM - St Matthew’s Church AS - All Saints’ Church, Pittville ET - Everyman Theatre

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8–9.30pm M28

Tenebrae Tewkesbury Abbey £28 £24 £18 £15 *

Tenebrae Nigel Short director † with Cheltenham Youth Chamber Choir

Owain Park Footsteps † 14’ Joby Talbot Path of Miracles 63’

In their 15th anniversary year, celebrated vocal ensemble Tenebrae revive their major commission from 2005, Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles. Admired in The Times as ‘an evocative odyssey’, this celebrated work evokes the great European pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Candlelight, singing from memory and an imaginative use of space guarantees Tenebrae at its dramatic best.

3–4pm M27

Quenington Duo St Swithin’s Church, Quenington £12 *

Andrey Lebedev guitar Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo-soprano

Dowland selection including Flow My Tears & Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite 15’ Britten Folk song selection 9’ Brett Dean Gertrude Fragments; Three Caprichos after Goya 11’ De Falla Siete canciones populares Españolas 12’

From soulful Dowland, through the spirited gypsy folk songs of De Falla to Britten and Brett Dean, Australian duo, mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean and guitarist Andrey Lebedev – a member of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust’s young artist scheme – showcase the perfect pairing of voice and guitar in this afternoon recital.

11am–12.50pm M26

BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists II Pittville Pump Room £24 £18 £12 *

Beatrice Rana piano Van Kuijk Quartet

Bach Partita in C minor, BWV 826 20’ Beethoven String Quartet in F, Op. 135 25’ Webern Langsamer Satz 10’ Schumann Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44 30’

Our BBC New Generation Artists series continues, this time with exceptionally talented Italian pianist Beatrice Rana, who made her professional concert debut at just 9 years old. She is joined by the Van Kuijk Quartet, returning to Cheltenham after their rousing 2016 renditions of Ravel and Mendelssohn. They present Beethoven’s last major work, Webern’s stand-alone ‘slow movement’ – written by the 21-year-old composer to commemorate a romantic hiking trip with his future wife – and Schumann’s exuberant Piano Quintet.


Joby Talbot in Conversation Tewkesbury Abbey Lady Chapel Free ticket required

Joby Talbot discusses his work Path of Miracles with fellow composer Michael Zev Gordon.


Joby Talbot is one of the world’s most distinctive and versatile composers. Starting out as keyboardist in The Divine Comedy, he has written for film and TV (including 2016 animation Sing), for the Royal Ballet (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), and many performers including Alison Balsom and The King’s Singers.

Supported by The Williams Church Music Trust



WEDNESDAY 12 JULYWEDNESDAY 12 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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11am–1pm M29

BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists III Pittville Pump Room £24 £18 £12 *

Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad viola Van Kuijk Quartet

Brahms String Quintet No 2, Op. 111 30’ Mozart String Quintet No 3 in C, K 515 35’ And music for solo viola by Vieuxtemps, Paganini and Ysaÿe

The addition of a second viola to the standard string quartet formation adds a wonderfully rich sonority to the two major works in the Van Kuijk Quartet’s second Cheltenham outing (see page 26). Mozart’s ambitious opening movement inspired Schubert’s great two-cello Quintet, while the piece that Brahms intended to be his final work features the composer’s favourite stringed instrument in a glorious viola duet slow movement. The viola’s versatility is further demonstrated in three exhilarating solo miniatures by Norwegian violist Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad.

Supported by the Aquarius Group

5.45–6.45pm M30

BBC Young Musician Rush Hour III Chapel Arts £12.50 * (includes a glass of wine)

Jess Gillam saxophone Steve Lodder piano

Programme to include works by Bartok, Debussy, Pedro Itturalde, Phil Woods, Chick Corea and Dave Heath

18 year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam is a force of nature, whose free-flowing musicianship and verve in performance are irresistible. Although Sheku Kanneh-Mason (see page 22) won the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, Jess was a hugely popular finalist, and this wide-ranging programme will show off her extraordinary talent beautifully.

8–9.45pm M31

Breaking the Rules All Saints’ Church, Pittville £20 *

The Marian Consort Gerald Kyd actor Clare Norburn writer Nicholas Renton director

Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, composed some of the most intense and glorious music of the Renaissance. He was also a brutal killer. As the obsessive composer relives the past and makes his final confession, the full horror of his crimes stands in stark contrast to his astonishing music. The Marian Consort perform works by Gesualdo to Clare Norburn’s dramatic monologue, creating a spellbinding fusion of drama and music. ‘...fluid, vivid and, crucially, daring...’ The Guardian




THURSDAY 13 JULYTHURSDAY 13 JULY Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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5–6pm M33

Gloucestershire Young Musicians Chapel Arts £6 *

Clarinettist Hannah Green, winner of the 2016 Keith Nutland Award, is joined in this double recital by the winner (tba) of 2017’s Gloucestershire Young Musician competition.

11am–12.45pm M32

Tasmin Little & Martin Roscoe Pittville Pump Room £28 £23 £16 *

Tasmin Little violin Martin Roscoe piano

Brahms Sonatensatz 5’ Beethoven Sonata No 8 in G, Op. 30 No 3 29’ Bliss Sonata for Piano and Violin 12’ Franck Sonata in A 28’

Tasmin Little’s ranking as one of the world’s finest violinists is firmly secured, with numerous awards and rapturous reviews. Equally at home as a concerto soloist or in recital, the full range of her stylish musicianship and artistry will be on show in today’s performance with pianist Martin Roscoe – from Bliss’s lusciously pastoral single-movement work, to Cesar Franck’s thrillingly virtuosic sonata, written as a wedding present for violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe.

Supported by The Chairman’s Friends

10–11.10pm M35

Ensemble Court-Circuit Cheltenham Ladies’ College,

Parabola Arts Centre £10 *

Ensemble Court-Circuit Students from Birmingham Conservatoire and Lyon Conservatoire

Harvey Song offerings 17’ George Benjamin At first light 20’ Adrien Trybucki Magma 8’ Bertrand Madrigal 9’ Patrick Giguère Le sel de la terre 12’ and 4 premieres by students from Birmingham Conservatoire and Lyon Conservatoire for ensemble and electronics

Students of performance and composition at Birmingham and Lyon conservatoires show their passion for some of the most demanding works in the contemporary music repertoire, alongside premieres of student compositions. This concert is the culmination of a year-long project with new music experts Ensemble Court-Circuit. Works by some of the most inventive British and French contemporary composers celebrating micro-tonality and the physicality of sound will make for an intriguing late-night musical encounter.

7–9pm M34

Monteverdi — Vespers of 1610 Gloucester Cathedral £35 £28 £22 £15 £10 *

Academy of Ancient Music Academy of Ancient Music Chorus Soloists to include Rowan Pierce soprano Gwilym Bowen tenor Richard Latham bass Robert Howarth director

Monteverdi’s great Vespers of 1610 were written as an ‘audition’ for the job of Maestro di Capella at St Mark’s, Venice, and it’s little wonder that he got the job; the piece is a dazzling demonstration of the great Italian composer’s genius, juxtaposing intimate, prayerful moments with rich, virtuosic music.

From the opening cornett and sackbut fanfares filling the rafters of Gloucester Cathedral, The Academy of Ancient Music bring exuberance and flair to evoke the golden grandeur of Monteverdi’s Venice.

Supported by The Williams Church Music Trust




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11am–12.40pm M36

Florilegium Pittville Pump Room £26 £21 £15 *

Florilegium Rowan Pierce soprano

Telemann Paris Quartet in D 9’ Vivaldi Cantata: All’ombra di sospetto RV678 11’ Bach Trio Sonata in G, BWV 525 (arr. Florilegium) 12’ Telemann Cantata: Seele, lerne dich erkennen 11’ Bach Trio Sonata, BWV 526 (arr. Florilegium) 12’ Handel Cantatas: Susse stille, sanfte Quelle; Meine Seele hort im Sehen 12’

Florilegium’s last visit to the Festival in 2012 was a celebration of their Brazilian Baroque project. Another repertoire they have championed with great success is the music of J.S. Bach’s less performed, but even more prolific North German contemporary, Georg Philipp Telemann – who died 250 years ago in 1767. This programme sets two of Telemann’s typically engaging works in the context of other works by the Baroque’s ‘big three’, Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.

With the pristine clarity of her voice, and directness of expression, rising star soprano Rowan Pierce is the ideal singer to join the instrumentalists of Florilegium in a range of Italian and German cantatas.

Supported by Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam

2–3pm M37

21st Century String Quartet Chapel Arts £12 *

Piatti Quartet

Joseph Phibbs String Quartet No 1 24’ Darren Bloom new work (premiere) 10’ Mark-Anthony Turnage Contusion 20’

Taking its name from Alfredo Piatti, the great 19th century cellist, and with mentoring currently from the Belcea Quartet, the Piatti Quartet is ‘a signally impressive young ensemble’ (The Sunday Times). A brand new work from Darren Bloom, 2016 RPS Composition Prize-winner, joins two other recent works the Piattis have a close relationship with. Phibbs’ first quartet was a Piatti commission in 2014, and Turnage’s Contusion gained a prizewinning performance from them at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.

4–5pm M38

Composer Academy Showcase I Chapel Arts Free ticket required

Joby Burgess percussion

The annual showcase concerts for our Composer Academy invariably feature intriguing and energetic ‘hot-off-the-press’ works by our course participants. The first will be given by virtuoso percussionist Joby Burgess. Hearing the vast differences in approach to writing for the same line-up is always fascinating, and shows the breadth of talent of these young composers.

Supported by John Mumford and Penny McCracken

11am–12noon MF03

The School of Music – Live! Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £8 adults £5 children *

Ages 7-11

Meurig and Rachel Bowen’s new book for children comes alive in this specially devised event, directed by Lynne Lawrence and featuring actor-musicians Amy Porter and Laurence Kilsby. In this fun and fast-paced sequence of sketches and interactive musical games, meet the book’s characters, including composer-guitarist Ronny ‘Beethoven’ O’Reilly, drummer-percussionist Roxy Mojo, star-singer Diva Venus and cellist Rufus Vibrato.

The Festival GuideYour souvenir event-by-event companion to Cheltenham Music

Festival: nearly 150 pages packed with feature articles, notes on

the music and Q&A-style biographical profiles of all the artists and

composers at this year’s Festival. Only £5!

Add to your basket when booking your tickets, and collect at your

first Festival event.



34 35

8.30–10pm M40

Orpheus Caledonius: C18th meets contemporary Scottish folk Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room £18 *

L’Avventura London The Old Blind Dogs Siobhan Miller singer

The 18th-century fascination with Scottish tunes was kindled with the publication of William Thomson’s Orpheus Caledonius (1725): the very first collection of Scottish songs to be printed with their melodies. Many of the airs to which Robert Burns later set his own words came from Orpheus Caledonius, but despite its importance, this collection has been nearly forgotten.

Period instrument ensemble L’Avventura London pair up with Scotland’s roots revival champions, folk band Old Blind Dogs, and special guest singer Siobhan Miller – two-time winner of the ‘Scots Singer of the Year’ award – to bring to life these hauntingly beautiful melodies and lively, toe-tapping dances. The sounds of eighteenth-century art music and contemporary folk have never beenso engagingly brought together.

6–8pm M39

The Hallé Cheltenham Town Hall £40 £35 £30 £18 £12 *

The Hallé Roderick Williams baritone Jonathon Heyward conductor

Ryan Wigglesworth Clocks from a Winter’s Tale (UK premiere) 20’ Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen 16’ Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4 46’


70 Years of The Hallé at Cheltenham Music Festival Cheltenham Town Hall Pillar Room £5 *

Manchester’s Hallé Orchestra first came to Cheltenham Music Festival 70 years ago in 1947. Their annual residencies with the great John Barbirolli characterised the Festival’s early decades and resulted in dozens of premieres – many of them taking on the subsequently uncoveted, if occasionally inaccurate, title of ‘Cheltenham Symphony’. With archive photographs and selected recordings, FestivalDirector Meurig Bowen charts The Hallé’s history in Cheltenham, right up until Edward Gardner’s appearance with them in 2009.

Hailed by Mark Elder as ‘a bright rising star’, American conductor Jonathon Heyward takes to the Town Hall stage with one of the Music Festival’s long-standing favourites, The Hallé.

Alongside one of the most beloved of romantic symphonies, and Mahler’s ‘songs of a wayfarer’ performed by captivating baritone Roderick Williams, Ryan Wigglesworth’s new work is inspired by themes from his 2017 opera for ENO, The Winter’s Tale, and is a co-commission with The Hallé, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic.

Ryan Wigglesworth commission and concert supported by

CHELTEN

HAM

MUSIC FESTIVAL SOCIETY




3736

11am–12.50pm M41

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet Pittville Pump Room £28 £23 £16 *

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet piano

Haydn Sonata No 46 in A flat 20’ Beethoven Sonata in C minor, Op. 10 No 1 20’ Beethoven Sonata in F, Op. 10 No 2 14’ Ravel Miroirs 27’ Debussy L’ isle joyeuse 6’

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s previous two Cheltenham appearances – one of which was an extraordinary three hour Debussy marathon – elicited admiring swoons and a torrent ofenthusiasm. Praised in The Observer, after a recent Wigmore Hall recital, for his ‘precision, finesse and fiery elegance,’ this mightily charming and engaging French piano master makes a welcome return with this enticing programme.

Alongside all the plaudits for his performances of French repertoire, Bavouzet’s recently-completed Beethoven sonata cycle for Chandos has also received high praise: his cycle ‘has not been surpassed in the last 30 years,’ wrote the reviewer in Gramophone magazine. ‘Yes, it’s that good.’

Supported by Graham and Eileen Lockwood

7.30–9.30pm M43

New English Ballet Theatre Everyman Theatre £30 £25 £18 £15 *

New English Ballet Theatre with Gildas Quartet Anne Lovett piano

A welcome return from the New English Ballet Theatre after its 2015 Music Festival performance at The Everyman. With four acclaimed seasons in London’s West End, NEBT is a fabulous melting pot of new choreography, live music, design and the visual arts.

Tonight’s mixed bill features the premiere of Jenna Lee’s choreography for The Four Seasons, to Max Richter’s stunningly recomposed Vivaldi score, together with work by choreographers Daniela Cardim and Valentino Zucchetti, and music by Rachmaninov and Brazilian composer Camargo Guarnieri.

2–3.30pm M42

Composer Academy Showcase II Chapel Arts Free ticket required

Ligeti Quartet

Whether performing on the concert platform, on a fishing boat or on top of iceberg sculptures, the Ligeti Quartet are gaining an unrivalled reputation for their intelligent and energetic interpretation of contemporary music. They conclude their week-long residency at our Composer Academy (see page 39) with this premiere performance of six brand-new works created by our student composers.

Supported by John Mumford and Penny McCracken

2–3pm MF04

Dr Dee’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £8 adults £5 children * Ages 7–12

Palisander recorders Rust and Stardust puppets

Join us for magic, music and mischief in a new family-friendly show, featuring an exciting blend of puppetry, captivating storytelling and recorders like you’ve never heard them before.

In 1595, Dr John Dee, alchemist, astronomer and magician, relocates to draughty Manchester College. While he is immersed in study, his daughter Katherine reawakens his abandoned quest to discover the Philosopher’s Stone, the Elixir of Life…

Created and performed in collaboration with theatre and puppetry company, Rust and Stardust Productions.

Supported by Arts Council England

‘It’s like Ballet Russes all over again!’Darcey Bussell


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Exhibitions

11 June – 2 July 2017 Gardens are open 10am–5pm daily

Fresh Air 2017 Quenington Old Rectory, Cirencester, GL7 5BN £4 U17 Free refreshments available

The 13th biennial sculpture exhibition in the glorious gardens of the Old Rectory in Quenington. Beautiful and thought-provoking sculptures from a wide range of international artists and fresh new talent, available to purchase for as little as £50.

www.freshairsculpture.com

Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm

Chapel Arts Exhibitions Free

Elizabeth Jacobs 5–16 July

Photographer Elizabeth Jacobs visits the festival each year, taking behind-the-scenes pictures of musicians in rehearsal. She presents her favourites from the 2016 Festival in this display.

Wood Block Prints 5–23 July

Dramatic, large-scale Wood Block prints by a variety of British artists. Each artist shows a selection of printed works. www.thechapelarts.com

Friday 7 July, 4pm

St Matthew’s Church Free (no ticket required)

Friday Afternoons Schools Singing Project

Singing leader Rachel Bowen has been working with a number of local primary schools on Jonathan Dove’s newly written songs for Snape Maltings’ Friday Afternoons project. In this culminatory event, they come together to perform Dove’s Friday Afternoons set with Cheltenham Youth Choir.

Sunday 9 – Sunday 16 July

5th Cheltenham Composer AcademyHundreds of applicants from across the world apply each year to our Composer Academy for early-career composers. The 12 most outstanding of these come to Cheltenham for an intensive week of coaching, attending Festival concerts, hearing their pieces workshopped and performed, and receiving advice on their craft from visiting composers and other industry experts.

The Composer Academy is a wonderful springboard for talented young composers, with previous students going on to forge high-profile careers. We feature premieres by two former students in this year’s Festival, Daniel Kidane (2013 Academy, see page 15) and James Wilson (2015 Academy, see page 21).

Participants will work with Joby Burgess, The Ligeti Quartet and composer Michael Zev Gordon – in his second year of his Guest Directorship, generously supported by University of Birmingham – to finesse each participant’s compositions and showcase the finished compositions in two showcase concerts (see pages 33 & 37).

For more details, or to apply (before 18 April 2017), see cheltenhamfestivals.com/composer-academy

Supported by: John Mumford and Penny McCracken, The Marychurch Fellowship and The Michael Tippett Musical FoundationJames Wilson, 2015 participant, commissioned 2017

Madara Petersone, 2015 Participant Joby Burgess

Course Director, Michael Zev Gordon

Be first with MembershipBe amongst the first to book, save on tickets and help support Cheltenham Festivals. Being a Member is one of the best ways to enjoy all that the Festivals have to offer.

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Join online today at cheltenhamfestivals.com/membership Terms and conditions apply - see cheltenhamfestivals.com

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FOUNUUDNN EDEE IN 1714

COMPOSER ACADEMYMORE EVENTS Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com


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June 2017

Music Workshops For Schools £30 administration fee per workshop

Most suitable for Key Stage 2 and 3

Friday 7 July

Concert for Schools and Music Explorers Cheltenham Town Hall

Concert 10.30–11.30am Music Explorers 11.45am–12.40pm and 12.45–1.40pm Only £1 per pupil

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Featuring live music, live composition, and masses of audience participation, this concert will keep you and your pupils on the edge of your seats. Enjoy the thrilling sound of big brass with the Flowers Band, find your voice with the fantastic E STuudio Chamber Choir from Estonia, and join musicians from Birmingham Conservatoire to create and perform a unique piece of music.

Following the concert, become a Music Explorer and have a go on a range of different instruments.

Percussion Workshop with Owen Gunnell and George Kirkham

In school

Explore pulse, rhythm and tempo, and try your hand at composition in these fast-paced, fully interactive percussion workshops. All equipment will be provided, and everyone will play an instrument – all you have to supply is the children!

Piano Workshop with Anne Lovett

In school

Everyone knows how a piano works – you press a key and a note sounds. But what really goes on beneath the lid? Make a date with Anne and find out. Explore your school piano; discover great music; and find out what it’s like to be a composer today.

Gamelan Workshop with Jonathan Roberts

At Gloucester Academy of Music, Barbican House, Gloucester

Don’t miss this opportunity for your pupils to enjoy an inspirational musical and cultural experience with gamelan expert Jonathan Roberts. Have fun, hone your listening skills, and enhance your awareness of pitch, tempo and rhythm while you play.

Travel subsidies are available.

With thanks to all the supporters of Music for Schools 2017 The Adams Youth Trust Colwinston Charitable Trust The John Armitage Charitable Trust The Reed Foundation

We would also like to thank all of our generous individual supporters, including the 70th Festival Appeal Donors.CHELTEN

HAM

MUSIC FESTIVAL SO

CIETY

Supported by funding from Make Music Gloucestershire, the county’s music education hub

Musicate: School Outreach ProgrammeNumeracy? No problem! Literacy? Bring it on! Music? No thanks!

Do you dread planning and teaching music? Or do you wish you had more time for music in class? Would you like the joy of music to spread through your school? Then you need to sign your school up for Musicate.

Musicate is an outreach programme for primary school teachers, devised and produced by Cheltenham Festivals. The project offers bespoke CPD sessions along with the support and input of a conservatoire musician linked to each school. You will develop skills and confidence, and you and your pupils will learn to really listen to, appreciate, and enjoy a broad range of music. Musicate is fully-funded, so the costs to schools are minimal. Apply for your place, and increase the profile and enjoyment of music in your school.

‘The children now listen to both classical music and jazz with more focus and purpose; they enjoy music much more and can concentrate on a piece of music for longer because they are listening in a different way. They are also developing the language and confidence to talk about music, and are confident in their own interpretation.’ Alex Brown, Linden Primary School, Gloucester

For full details, including how to book, go to

cheltenhamfestivals.com/music-for-schoolsTo find out more, visit

cheltenhamfestivals.com/musicate

MUSIC FOR SCHOOLS 2017MUSIC FOR SCHOOLS 2017 Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com

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Cheltenham Music Festival is presented by

Cheltenham Festivals, a company limited by

guarantee.

Cheltenham Festivals Board of Trustees

Dominic Collier (Chair)

Diane Savory OBE (Vice Chair)

Edward Gillespie OBE (Chair of Cheltenham Music

Festival)

Susan Blanchfield

Lewis Carnie

Prof Mark Lythgoe

Prof Averil Macdonald OBE

Chief Executive

Louise Emerson

Company Secretary

Theresa Grech

Registered Office

28 Imperial Square, Cheltenham, GL50 1RH

Company No. 456573

Charity No. 251765

VAT Registration No. 100114013

Main Switchboard No. 01242 511211

Music Festival Director

Meurig Bowen

Music Festival Managers

Laura Ashby, Tamsyn Hamilton

CF Productions and Box Office

Andrew Bate, Samantha Bonnes,

Cathie Harris-Hawkins, Elaine Holt, Silvia Loi,

Jo Marsh

Development

John Creedon, Sue Dudley, Malcolm Dunn,

Lisa Garrett, Arlene McGlynn, Jenna Marks,

Martin Perks, Laura Popperwell, Helen Roe,

Hollie Smith-Charles

Marketing and Press

Alex Booth, James Davis, David Drakeley,

Hanna Goldschmidt, Bairbre Lloyd, Pete Riley

Education

Philippa Claridge, Ali Mawle, Sharron Pearson,

Rose Wood

Administration, Executive and Finance

Helena Bibby, Adrian Farnell, Angie Hawkins,

Lucie Howkins, Aline Imray

Operations

Adrian Hensley, Anna Jukes, Jessica Taylor,

Megan Watt

Festival Advisory Group

Rob Adediran, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood,

Christopher Cook, Kate Johnson,

Rosemary Johnson, Mark Kilfoyle,

Judith Serota OBE, David Sigall, Harriet Smith

With many thanks to the staff and volunteers who

provide invaluable support and help make the

Festival a success.

Contact

If you have specific comments about any

aspect of the Festival, please email

[email protected]

Artwork Credits

Main programme illustration © 2017 Michelle

Thompson

Printed by Orchard Press Cheltenham Ltd.

Photography Credits

Visit cheltenhamfestivals.com/photos for a full

photo credit list.

A number of events at the 2017 Cheltenham

Music Festival are co-productions with New Build

Productions.

If you require this brochure in large

format please call 01242 850270.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This is the story of human ambition HSBC is proud to support

Cheltenham Festivals.

www.hsbc.co.uk

Issued by HSBC Bank plc AC32447

44 45

We would like to thank all our Patrons for their generous support, including those who have chosen to remain anonymous.

Life PatronsMark and Sue Blanchfield

Peter and Anne Bond

Dominic and Jannene Collier

Michael and Felicia Crystal

Colin and Suzanne Doak

The Eaton Family

Charles Fisher

David and John Hall

Margaret Headen

Diane and Mark Hill

Jeremy and Germaine Hitchins Family

Jonathan and Cassinha Hitchins Family

Stephen and Tania Hitchins Family

Jeff and Keren Iliffe

Elizabeth and Michael Jones and

Family

Rick and Lisa Jones

Steven and Linda Jones

Hugh and Sue Koch

The Kwintner Family

Robert and Moira Leechman

Hazel and Jeremy Lewis

Graham and Eileen Lockwood

The McKelvie Family

Fiona McLeod

The McWilliam family in loving

memory of Ruth McWilliam

Keith Norton and Piers Norton

Mark and Elizabeth Philip-Sørensen

John and Susan Singer

Simon Skinner and Jean Gouldsmith

Skinner

Andrew Smith

Phil and Jennifer Stapleton

Liz and Neil Stewart

Sharon Studer and Graham Beckett

Chris and Bridgette Sunman

Fiona and David Symondson

Ludmila and Hodson Thornber

The Walker Family

Michael and Jacqueline Woof

Directors’ CircleDr Lynda Albertyn and Pat Gallasch

Mike and Kerry Alcock

Heather Barrett

Jack and Dora Black

Andrew Chard

Michael and Angela Cronk

Nigel and Sally Dimmer

Paul and Caroline Feinson

Jeremy and Alison Halliday

Stephen Hodge

Andrew and Caroline Hope

Simon and Emma Keswick

Andrew and Susanne Malim

Sir Peter and Lady Marychurch

Hayden and Tracy McKinnes

Des and ChiChi Mills

Chris Morgan

The Oldham Foundation

Michele Rodriguez-Wise and

Dustin Wise

Dr Gill Samuels CBE

Peter Stormonth Darling

Charitable Trust

Gold PatronDavid and Hayley Ashley

Geraldine and Jim Beaty

Christopher Bence

Stephen and Victoria Bond

Charlie Chan

Stuart and Gillian Corbyn

Wallace and Morag Dobbin

Peter and Sue Elliott

Maurice Gran and Carol James

Lord and Lady Hoffmann

Anthony Hoffman and Dr Christine

Facer Hoffman

Elizabeth Jacobs

Jocelyn and Dave McNulty

Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam

Janet and Charles Middleton

Paul and Kathy Mottershead

Martin and Susan Pickard

Shelley and Paul Roberts

Sharon and Toby Roberts

Khal and Zoe Rudin

Brenda Salters and Harold Longmate

Elizabeth Saunders

Esther and Peter Smedvig

Andy and Ali Stalsberg

Giles and Michelle Thorley

Ian and Liz Topping

Michael and Rosie Warner

Anne Wood CBE

Stephen Wood

William Wyman

We would also like to thank all our

Silver Patrons who are listed at

cheltenhamfestivals.com/

patron-acknowledgements

Get closer to the Festivals with PatronageJoin this exclusive group of

supporters and make a real

difference to our work as a

charity.

• Dedicated ticket line with

advance booking

• Access to hospitality areas

at the Literature and Jazz

Festivals

• Invitations to special events

and parties throughout the

year

From £75 per month, your

Patronage covers all four

Festivals.

To find out more please

contact Arlene McGlynn,

Patrons Manager on

01242 537252

arlene.mcglynn@

cheltenhamfestivals.com or

visit cheltenhamfestivals.com/

patrons

By remembering Cheltenham Music Festival in your will you can make a lasting difference to our work.

Every year we depend on donations and gifts in wills to create an outstanding

programme which premieres new music and fosters the next generation of musicians.

We understand that your loved ones will come first, but a gift of any size would be

greatly appreciated and can help to safeguard the future of this magnificent Festival.

To talk in confidence about gifts in wills please contact Arlene McGlynn,

Patrons Manager on 01242 537252,

or email [email protected]

Safeguard the future of Cheltenham Music FestivalPlease consider a gift in your Will Charity No. 251765

PATRONS SUPPORT US

46 47

Pittville Pump Room

1820s Regency elegance — a crystal-clear acoustic, the wow factor of a high central cupola, a lovely colonnade and stunning park views.

Seating capacity: 400

Perfect for: the world’s finest pianists, singers and chamber ensembles.

Cheltenham Town Hall

Early 20th century Edwardian elegance — the classic ‘shoebox’ concert hall.


Perfect for: symphony orchestras at full throttle — thrilling clarity and impact.

Tewkesbury Abbey

A stunning Abbey church, consecrated in 1121. Elementally huge pillars supporting Norman arches in the nave, beautifully located on the edge of town.


Perfect for: roof-raising, bliss-inducing choral and organ music.

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

State-of-the-art 21st century theatre meets 19th century foyer and gallery space. Intimate, versatile and classy.


Perfect for: everything from cabaret and opera to talks, film and family events.

Chapel Arts

An intimate Georgian chapel in the heart of Cheltenham, recently converted into a stylish gallery and arts space.


Perfect for: relaxed daytime events, evening encounters, chamber music and family events.

‘The Festival’s morning recitals at

the Pump Room are its continuing glory.’

The Sunday Times

‘One of the best acoustic spaces

anywhere.’The Sunday Times

GL52 3JE GL50 1QA GL20 5RZ

Everyman Theatre

A beautifully restored gem of a late 19th century theatre. Designed by Frank Matcham (London Coliseum, London Palladium, Buxton Opera House et al.)


Perfect for: theatre, opera and dance.

GL50 1HQ GL50 3QQ

Gloucester Cathedral

Begun in 1089 and remodelled over four centuries, its architectural magnificence encompasses Norman and English Gothic styles. Steeped in history — from royal coronations and burials to Harry Potter film sets.


Perfect for: grand musical events featuring choirs and orchestras.

GL1 2LX

All Saints’ Church, Pittville

A colourful and richly decorated Neo-Gothic church, with a fabulous acoustic and beautiful stained glass – some by Burne-Jones. Gustav Holst’s father, Adolph, was All Saints’ first organist.


Perfect for: choirs and vocal ensembles.

GL52 2HGGL50 3AA

PRINCIPAL VENUESPRINCIPAL VENUES

Charity No. 251765 Illustration by Michelle Thompson

cheltenhamfestivals.com 29 March–16 July 2017

Please help us reduce our environmental impact by choosing e-tickets, which can be shown on a mobile device

+44 (0)1242 850270 29 March–7 April 2017 and 12–21 April 2017

Tuesday–Friday, 10am–5pm

Before the Festival: CF Ticketing, 15 Suffolk Parade,

Cheltenham, GL50 2AE

29 March–7 April 2017 and 12–21 April 2017

Tuesday–Friday, 10am–5pm

During the Festival: At venues, from 45 minutes before

the start of an event

For any queries please contact us at [email protected]

For full details about Box Office opening hours, in person and telephone

ticket sales, booking fees, terms & conditions and Membership, visit

cheltenhamfestivals.com/booking

If you have any special access requirements, such as needing to book a

wheelchair space, you can book using our online form which will be available

from 29 March at cheltenhamfestivals.com/access-requirements

Quicker and Easier Booking with Wish ListsBook tickets with just a few clicks by creating a Wish List in advance.

Start yours at cheltenhamfestivals.com/music

Getting to Cheltenham Music FestivalMost events take place in central Cheltenham, which is easily

accessible from all over the UK, by road and rail.

For more information on public transport and car parking go to

cheltenhamfestivals.com/your-visit

Venue PostcodesWithin Cheltenham All Saints’ Church, Pittville GL52 2HG

Chapel Arts GL50 3QQ

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre GL50 3AA

Cheltenham Town Hall GL50 1QA

Dean Close Chapel GL51 6HE

Everyman Theatre GL50 1HQ

Pittville Pump Room GL52 3JE

St Matthew’s Church GL50 3PL

Beyond Cheltenham Gloucester Cathedral GL1 2LX

St Swithin’s Church, Quenington GL7 5BN

Tewkesbury Abbey GL20 5RZ

Are you aged 16–25?Get special offers and ticket discounts across all

four Cheltenham Festivals – including £5 tickets at

every Music Festival event – with our FREE 16-25

Membership.

Register at cheltenhamfestivals.com/16-25

Booking DatesMembers’ Priority Booking: From 1pm, Wednesday 29 March 2017

Public Booking: From 1pm, Wednesday 5 April 2017

HOW TO BOOK

1-16 july 2017 box office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals ... · bbc young musician series p.4 ......

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