The Programme
| 23 May
| 29 May | 31 May 1 June | 2 June | 7 June | 8 June | 9 June | 16 June | 18 June | 20 June | 28 June |
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| Wed 23 May 7.30pm |
Westminster Abbey Sophie Daneman (soprano), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Jamie MacDougall (tenor), Michael George (bass) Handel: Concerto Grosso in A major, Op. 6 No. 11 Set in the glorious surroundings and acoustic of Westminster Abbey, the Festival’s opening concert contrasts the sublime intimacy of a funeral cantata by Bach with the celebratory exuberance of Handel’s Dixit Dominus – one of the earliest works to reveal the full extent of his genius. Tickets: £25, £20, £15, £10, £3 |
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| Tues 29 May 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Vocal and instrumental music by Buxtehude, Schütz and members of the Bach family Dietrich Buxtehude – a composer deeply admired by Bach – is one of the great unsung names of the Baroque period. This programme presents some of his most beguiling and fervent sacred works, including the intensely beautiful Klag-Lied written for his father’s funeral. Also included is a plangent chorale setting by Buxtehude’s brilliant predecessor Heinrich Schütz, and music by members of the Bach family – a masterful psalm setting by Johann Christoph Bach, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s radiant cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde BWV 54. This is the first of three performances by the distinguished British countertenor Michael Chance, the Festival’s Artist in Residence. Tickets: £16, £14, £12, £8 |
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| Thu 29 May 10.00pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Miriam Andersén (voice, Gothic harp), Fadia el-Hage (voice, percussion), Vladimir Ivanoff (director, percussion, oud) BBC Radio 3 Invitation Concert: Late Junction Live Sacred Tales This exotic programme, which will be introduced from the stage, focuses on the female tradition of sacred story-telling, featuring songs from the early Middle Eastern Christian repertoire, psalms from rural Sweden, and polyphony from medieval Spain. Admission free, by ticket |
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| Thu 31 May 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Deborah York (soprano), Michael Chance (countertenor), James Gilchrist (tenor), David Wilson-Johnson (baritone) Handel: Joshua This ‘victory oratorio’ is based on the Old Testament account of Joshua’s triumph over the Canaanites, interwoven with a romantic sub-plot. The lavish score includes some of Handel’s most dramatic choruses, as well as the celebrated depiction of the sun and moon standing still at Joshua’s command. Tickets: £21, £15, £13, £9 |
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| Fri 1 June 3pm – 5.30pm |
St. James's, Piccadilly Larry Gordon and his choir Northern Harmony are one of the foremost exponents of early American vocal music; and their workshops offer a great opportunity to hear and try out unusual choral repertoires and singing styles. For the Lufthansa Festival Gordon introduces and illustrates two diverse traditions: New England ‘shape-note’ music, so called because of its specially devised and easy-to-read notation, and the strikingly beautiful sound-world of sacred music from the Caucasus republic of Georgia. The workshop will cater to both sight readers and by-ear learners, and is suitable for all ages. Admission free, by ticket |
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Fri 1 June |
St. James's, Piccadilly Harmony singing from New England and the Republic of Georgia Northern Harmony is an exciting choir from Vermont, USA, which explores unusual and forgotten repertoire from community singing traditions around the world. For this concert the choir contrasts the strident, earthy hymns of New England settlers with the haunting spirituality of choral music from Georgia. Tickets: £14, £12, £10, £8 |
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| Sat 2 June 10am – 1pm |
St. John's, Smith Square A chance for aspiring singers to join The Cardinall’s Musick in the evening concert performance of Monteverdi’s glorious 1610 Vespers. Andrew Carwood will direct participants in the chanted sections of the service, reading from the original notation. Some singing experience is required. For an application form, please ask for the festival brochure. Participation is free but numbers are limited, so please apply by 14 May. |
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| Sat 2 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Monteverdi: 1610 Vespers Monteverdi’s unique collection of music for the service of Vespers published in 1610 contains an astonishing variety of styles – from plainsong and madrigal-like pieces to splendid hymns and virtuoso arias. The resonant acoustic of St. John’s, Smith Square, makes a perfect setting for this performance. The Cardinall’s Musick, directed by Andrew Carwood, has forged a formidable reputation in bringing neglected masterworks of the Renaissance and early Baroque to a wider public. The uniqueness of the group lies in the equal emphasis that is placed on performance and academic excellence. Tickets: £18, £14, £12, £8 |
| Thu 7 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Venetian Mass of Thanksgiving In 1631, during one of the horrific plagues which decimated Venice, a great solemn Mass was celebrated, with elaborate music by Monteverdi and other northern Italian composers. During the service, a vow was made to build a new church – the future Santa Maria della Salute – should the Virgin Mary intercede and end the plague. The Gabrieli Consort and Players recreate this sumptuous festal Mass, exploiting dramatic spatial effects with plainchant processionals, fanfares, and vocal and instrumental choirs performing on the stage and from the galleries and organ loft of St. John’s. Tickets £20, £15, £13, £9 |
| Fri 8 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Banchieri: La pazzia senile (semi-staged) Inspired by the world of Venetian carnival entertainments and the half-comic, half-serious commedia dell’arte, this programme offers a humorous triptych by Giovanni da Croce; virtuoso vocal works by Monteverdi; and a hilarious madrigal-comedy about the amorous adventures of the Italian theatrical character Pantaloon, in a staged production by West End director Peter Wilson. The concert is linked to an educational programme and local school children will give a short ‘curtain-raiser’ offering their own caricatures of favourite commedia dell’arte figures. Tickets £16, £14, £12, £8 |
| Sat 9 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Sacred music from Corsica French musicologist and singer Marcel Pérès has been involved in a major research project to unearth the vibrant ‘multi-voiced’ chant indigenous to Corsica. Combining his own research with the oral tradition passed down through generations of islanders, Pérès has collaborated with a group of Corsican singers, teaching them to read chant notation in order to unlock the door to this extraordinary, ancient repertoire. A rare chance to hear a truly haunting, ‘forgotten’ sound-world. Tickets £16, £14, £12, £8 |
| Sat 16 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Sacred music of ancient Russia The dark, dissonant style of Russian Orthodox church music is a magical sound-world, especially when performed by the sonorous voices of this outstanding professional church choir from Moscow. The programme shows the extraordinary richness of Russia’s sacred vocal tradition: ancient, meditative chants are contrasted with the daringly acerbic style of early Russian polyphony – music untouched by Western influences. The Russian Patriarchate Choir is the leading ensemble in its field and has performed at many international festivals and concert halls. Combining research with performance, it has revived singing styles and deciphered the notation of a wealth of neglected Russian church music. Tickets £16, £14, £12, £8 |
| Mon 18 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square ‘Ye Sacred Muses’ Music for voice and viols by William Byrd, Tobias Hume and William Lawes Byrd’s sublime consort songs are interwoven with strikingly original instrumental works by two of the most charismatic English composers of the 17th century – William Lawes and Tobias Hume. Daniel Taylor has received outstanding critical acclaim, establishing him as one of the most exciting young singers around. Tickets £16, £14, £12, £8 |
| Mon 18 June 10.00pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Vivian Ellis (voice), Giles Lewin (violin, vielle) BBC Radio 3 Invitation Concert: Late Junction Live Amors m'art: medieval and traditional love songs This unusual and varied programme, which will be introduced from the stage, traces the roots of popular song from the repertory preserved in medieval French songbooks to the oral traditions of the British Isles and North America. Sensual dawn songs of illicit love, Appalachian ballads, and virtuoso Scottish Gaelic mouth music are framed by instrumental dances on medieval and modern fiddle. Admission free, by ticket |
| Wed 20 June 7.30pm |
St. John's, Smith Square Since her acclaimed performance in Handel’s Rodelinda at Glyndebourne, Anna Caterina Antonacci has been recognised as an artist of magnetic charisma. Her performance of Monteverdi’s Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda is a breath-taking display of vocal dexterity and acting ability in which she sings all three solo roles herself. This is a rare chance for British audiences to hear her in concert. Tickets £21, £15, £13, £9 |
| Thu 28 June 7.30pm |
Westminster Abbey Deborah York (soprano), Angharad Gruffydd Jones (soprano), Michael Chance (countertenor), Charles Humphries (countertenor), James Gilchrist (tenor), Peter Harvey ( bass) Purcell: Odes and Welcome Songs including Come, ye
sons of art, Welcome to all the pleasures, Love’s goddess sure
was blind Westminster Abbey – where Purcell was organist and where he was buried in 1695 – makes the perfect setting for the final concert of the Festival, celebrating the art of the countertenor through Purcell’s glorious writing for the voice, as well as the unique tradition of English choral singing. Tickets £25, £20, £15, £10, £3 |