Thursday 21 June, 7pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Storm and Refuge
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2023 Festival Programme
Legends & Heroes
Classical Heroes
Thursday 8 June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £25 (£12.50 under-25s)
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays three titans of the classical repertoire - Figaro, Emperor, Jupiter - with pianist Elizabeth Sombart and conductor Pierre Vallet.
Artists:
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Elizabeth Sombart, piano
Pierre Vallet, conductor
Programme:
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Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 'Emperor'
Mozart: Symphony No. 41, K. 551 'Jupiter'
In Memory of a Hero
Friday 9 June, 1pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £10 (£5 under-25s)
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The Tier3 Trio perform Tchaikovksy’s only Piano Trio, op.50 in A Minor, in memory of a personal friend and hero, Nikolai Rubenstein.
Artists:
Tier3 Piano Trio:
Joseph Wolfe, violin
Jonathan Ayling, cello
Daniel Grimwood, piano
Programme:
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio In A Minor, Op. 50.
- À La Mémoire D'Un Grand Artiste
The Goldberg Legend
Wednesday 9 June, 6pm
St Stephen Walbrook
In aid of the Samaritans
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Stephen Farr performs Bach's extraordinary Goldberg Variations, preceded by a conversation with the Reverend Richard Coles.
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Programme:
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations
Artist:
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Stephen Farr, harpsichord
Choral Evensong
Sunday 11 June, 5.30pm
St Bride's
Free Admission
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St Bride’s Choir performs music by Purcell in one of Sir Christopher Wren’s finest buildings,
marking the 300th anniversary of the great architect's death.
Artists:
Robert Jones, director
Benjamin Giddens, organ
Choir of St Bride's
Programme:
​Purcell: Evening Service in B flat
Purcell: "O God, thou art my God"
and music by John Weldon
Henry V & Façade
Monday 12 June, 1pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £10 (£5 under-25s)
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The Berkeley Ensemble perform a programme of music by William Walton, including his much loved Façade, 100 years to the day since its premiere. With grateful thanks to the Walton Trust.
Artists:
The Berkeley Ensemble
Jonathan Gunthorpe, speaker
Sarah Gabriel, speaker
David Wordsworth, conductor
Programme:
​Walton: Henry V Suite
Walton: Façade (centenary performance)
Piano Legends
Tuesday 13 June, 1pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £10 (£5 under-25s)
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A delightful programme of music depicting heroes and legends in richly lyrical works for solo piano by Liszt, Wagner, Debussy, Poulenc and Franck.
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Artists:
​Mark Bebbington, piano
Programme:
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Liszt: Legend No. 1 (from Deux légendes)
- St. Francis of Assisi's sermon to the birds
Debussy: Préludes
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La cathédrale engloutie
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General Lavine – eccentric
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Feux d’artifice
Poulenc: Improvisation No. XV in C minor
- 'Hommage à Edith Piaf'
Wagner (trans. Liszt): Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Franck: Prélude, Chorale and Fugue
Classical Changes
Tuesday 13 June, 7pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £18 (£9 under-25s)
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The Art Deco Trio reinvent Classics with a jazz twist. Numbers include Bite of the Flumblebee, Saturday in the Park with Elgar and Arrival Revival, after Wagner, Handel, Beethoven, Gerswhin and many more. The trio is made up of three friends and colleagues who have performed together in many of the UK's top venues, and individually with many leading orchestras and conductors.
Artists:
Art Deco Trio:
Iain Farrington, piano
Peter Sparks, clarinet
Kyle Horch, saxophone
Programme:
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after WAGNER Valerie Takes a Ride
after RIMSKY-KORSAKOV The Bite of the Flumblebee
after ELGAR Saturday in the Park with Elgar
after BEETHOVEN Elise's Blues
after HANDEL Arrival Revival
...and more.
Fire! The Great Fire of London
Wednesday 14 June, 12.15 & 1.45pm
Holy Sepulchre Church
Tickets £10 (£25 under-25s)
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​The story of the Great Fire of London in song. Professional orchestra and soloists and a children's choir present this wonderful musical, full of show-stopping songs and historical fun. Marks the 300th anniversary of Sir Christopher Wren in a church rebuilt by him after the Fire destroyed it. Organised by the Classical Road Show.
Artists:
London Mozart Players
Benjamin Pope, conductor
David Leonard (Samuel Pepys)
Annabelle Brown (his maid, Jane)
Programme:
​Richard Brown: Fire!
Gods of Music
Wednesday 14 June, 7pm
St Lawrence Jewry
Tickets £15 (£7.50 under-25s)
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Two heavenly string quartets performed by Brother Tree Sound string quartet. Tragic heroism permeates one - Beethoven suggests inspiration from Romeo & Juliet - while Ravel's quartet was considered divine by mentor Debussy: “In the name of the gods of music, do not touch a single note you have written in your Quartet.”
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Artists:
​Brother Tree Sound String Quartet
Programme:
Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18
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Pantheon: Nelson Mass and Bliss Pastoral
Wednesday 15 June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £25 (£12.50 under-25s)
Bliss's rousing convocation of Greek deities, paired with Haydn's mighty Nelson Mass. A feast of glorious music with fabulous soloists for the festival finale, and Hilary Davan Wetton's swansong with the City of London Choir.
Artists:
City of London Choir
London Mozart Players
Hilary Davan Wetton, conductor
Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, mezzo-soprano
Mark Wilde, tenor
James Cleverton, baritone
Ileana Ruhemann, flute
Programme:
Bliss: Pastoral. Lie Strewn the White Flocks
Haydn: Mass No. 11 in D Minor, ‘Nelson Mass’