THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL WORCESTER 2021 24 JULY - 1 AUGUST - 01452 768 928 3choirs.org
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THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL
WORCESTER 2021
24 JULY – 1 AUGUST 01452 768 928
3choirs.org
Welcome
One of the most wonderful powers of the arts
is to respond. The great American composer
and conductor Leonard Bernstein once said
that ‘music can name the unnameable and
communicate the unknowable’. The events
of the last year very possibly fall into both of
those categories, and have sent shockwaves
through just about every nation and
community on earth. In 2021, after the first
Samuel Hudson © Michael Whitefoot
year without a Three Choirs Festival since
the Second World War, we hope to be able to
respond, to give expression to the prevailing
2021 is an important year for Worcester,
national and global sentiment, and with the
as the city celebrates the 400th anniversary
healing power of music, to start to rebuild.
of its Charter. Music with particular Worcester
While the pandemic made a festival in 2020 connections can therefore be found threaded
impossible, it also makes a festival in 2021 through the week as we celebrate this
difficult to define and plan. As I write, there milestone in the life of our ‘faithful city’.
is still uncertainty about which restrictions One such piece is the Solemn Prelude by
will still be in place, and therefore what our Anglo-African composer Samuel Coleridge-
2021 festival will look like. In any case, it is my Taylor, whose music was extremely popular at
hope that you will be able to come to a concert, the Three Choirs Festival in his time, after a
a service, or a talk, and that those events will commission was recommended by none other
feel reassuringly familiar. Of course, we will than Edward Elgar. Solemn Prelude had its
be guided by the advice in force at the time, premiere in Worcester at the Festival in 1899 –
and are committed to the safety of all our staff, the same year as Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
performers, and audience.
With all of this and our exciting series of
You will see in the following pages some late-night concerts, daytime performances,
echoes of the 2020 festival programme. and talks, I know you will find plenty to enjoy.
The themes of journey and exploration seem I hope to see you at the Three Choirs Festival
even more appropriate this year, as we look in Worcester this summer. You are very
to the new horizons of a post-pandemic welcome to join us on our voyage!
world. Elgar’s The Music Makers also seems
eloquently fitting – we are the music makers,
and we are the dreamers of dreams. Our Festival
Commission by Gabriel Jackson, The World
Imagined, is also not to be missed, for which it
will be a pleasure to welcome guest conductor
David Hill. Samuel Hudson, Artistic Director
All details, programmes and artists published in this brochure are correct at the time of going to
press but may be subject to alteration.
Registered Office The Three Choirs Festival Association Ltd, 7c College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LX
Registered Company No 00580176 Registered Charity No 204609
2
ABOUT US
Three Choirs Festival Orchestra in Residence
The festival is an annual, week-long The Philharmonia Orchestra creates
celebration of choral and orchestral thrilling performances for a global
concerts, recitals, talks, family events, audience.
cathedral services, theatre, exhibitions
Founded in 1945, in part as a recording
and more, rotating each summer
orchestra for the growing home audio
between the beautiful cathedral cities
market, the Philharmonia has always
of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford.
pioneered the use of technology to reach
Having celebrated its 300th anniversary
broader audiences for orchestral music.
in 2015, it is the world’s longest-running
During the coronavirus pandemic, it
classical music festival of its kind.
has continued to create outstanding
The centrepiece of the festival is a series performances, experienced online by
of spectacular evening concerts in the listeners on five continents.
cathedral, featuring the Three Choirs
The orchestra’s home is Southbank
Festival Chorus or the Cathedral Choirs
Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London,
and the Philharmonia Orchestra (resident
where it has been Resident Orchestra
at the festival since 2012), alongside
since 1995. In addition to its annual
world-class soloists. A busy schedule
appearance at the Three Choirs Festival,
of daytime events is augmented by a
it is also resident at Bedford Corn
growing programme of community and
Exchange, De Montfort Hall in Leicester,
outreach projects, taking place in the
The Marlowe in Canterbury, Anvil
run-up to and during the festival. The
Arts in Basingstoke and Garsington
heart of the activity is in the Festival
Opera. Central to all its residencies is a
Village, where you can be sure of a
Learning & Engagement programme that
friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
empowers people to engage with, and
Each year, the festival nominates a participate in, orchestral music.
charity to receive a share of collections
The Philharmonia is a registered charity
taken at the Opening Service. This
and relies on income from a range of
year, we are partnering with Headway
sources to deliver its programme. It is
Worcestershire, a local and independent
proud to be generously supported by Arts
charity supporting people affected
Council England.
by acquired brain injury across
Worcestershire. They offer specialist philharmonia.co.uk
support, information and services to
brain injury survivors, their families and
carers, as well as to professionals in the
health and legal fields.
The Three Choirs Festival is a registered
charity, relying on generous support from
a range of funders to achieve its aim of
sharing music-making opportunities and
the finest musical experiences with the
widest possible community.
Philharmonia © Benjamin Ealovega
3
We want to say a huge THANK YOU Your support puts musicians on stage.
to our supporters, who continue to
Your support commissions the music
give so generously, especially after the of tomorrow.
cancellation of the 2020 festival. Your
support has been essential in sustaining Your support connects young people
with vital opportunities.
the festival through what has been such
a challenging year for all. Achieving our vision to give expression
for every voice through extraordinary
We wouldn’t be here without you! music-making requires your help.
We cannot do it alone.
This 8-day festival costs £1 million to
put on each year, but ticket sales account Please donate now at: 3choirs.org/donate
for just half of our income. Charitable If you would like to find out more about
donations enable us to do more than just the difference your support could make,
cover our costs; your support helps us please get in touch with Grace, our
to thrive, and secures the future of the Development Manager, on 01452 768933
Three Choirs Festival for years to come. or at grace.green@3choirs.org
A MAGICAL PL ACE
Discover 250 years of colourful stories through Severn Street, Worcester WR1 2ND
the world’s largest collection of Worcester porcelain www.museumofroyalworcester.org
@TheMoRW T: 01905 21247
Make your visit special – book a guided tour and
refreshments on Royal Worcester china
Choose from our group visit experiences or enjoy
our unique setting for your event
‘Royal Worcester’ and the C51 crown device are registered by and used under kind permission from Portmeirion Group UK Ltd to whom all rights are reserved.
4
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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Bold Adventures
The festival restarts by celebrating the Families can join in the adventure with
wonder of exploration and travel. From a series of travel-themed events for all
Beethoven’s sea voyage and Vaughan ages. Drift across the Atlantic with your
Williams’s wanderer (p11) to Roderick tiny tots or go on a great British holiday
Williams in the role of sixteenth-century with White Socks Theatre Company.
conquistador (p17), tales of adventure Follow the stories of three airborne
will guide you through the festival. explorers with the Goldfield Ensemble
Gabriel Jackson looks to the heavens or enjoy an accidental adventure on a
in The World Imagined (p15) while London bus with Gaspard the Fox. For
St Nicolas’s escapades are recounted by some fun-filled festival events, turn to
Worcester Cathedral Choir (p35). The pages 40 & 41 and map your journey...
epic tale of Odysseus can be found in
Armstrong Gibbs’s Choral Symphony
(p23) and a modern retelling of the story
by Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis
(p22). More nautical fables shape the
late-night poetry and music of
The Becoming (p34) while Tennyson’s
tale of the shipwrecked Enoch Arden is
told in Strauss’s evocative setting (p24).
6
Charter 400: Today’s Voices
Celebrating Worcester Since the festival’s very beginning, each new
This autumn, Worcester celebrates the generation of composers has made their mark
400th anniversary of the 1621 charter, on audiences, and this year’s festival celebrates
which permitted the city’s first mayor. the music of over fifty living composers
To mark this occasion, BBC Radio 3 will record writing in a wide range of styles.
the festival's Choral Evensong with Worcester Our major festival commission is The World
Cathedral Choir, featuring music linked Imagined, for tenor, chorus and orchestra by
to the cathedral. It will be broadcast on Gabriel Jackson (p15, other works p17 and p25).
29 September and again on the weekend of Families can enjoy the concert premiere of
the Charter celebrations in October (p22). Gaspard’s Foxtrot by Jonathan Dove (p28), and
Alongside this, we celebrate some of the the combined cathedral choirs will sing two
names synonymous with Worcester, including new works by John Rutter and one by Cheryl
Edward Elgar (pages 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 24 and Frances-Hoad, commissioned for Worcester
32) and Royal Worcester’s Henry Sandon (p17) Cathedral Choir by the Elmley Foundation
and examine the origins of Worcestershire’s in memory of Sam Driver White (p25).
historic collections (p16). Former cathedral Other choral premieres include Roderick
organists and Festival Directors Donald Hunt Williams writing for The Elgar Chorale (p13),
(p13) and Ivor Atkins (p24) feature, while the Dani Howard for the Marian Consort (p17)
music of Thomas Tomkins, Worcester organist and Shiva Feshareki, who will perform on
at the time of the Charter’s approval, is sung turntables alongside the National Youth Choir
by the Marian Consort (p17) and the Orlando of Great Britain (p36). Instrumental premieres
Consort (p21), who have devised a special include Michael Small’s Prism for violinist
programme to mark the anniversary. Fenella Humphreys (p30), and new works
for the ESO by Steve Elcock and Emily
Doolittle (p25).
7
SATURDAY
Opening Service The Music of Frederick Delius:
11 am – 12.10 pm Worcester Cathedral Style, Form and Ethos
FREE (ticket required) 1.15 – 2.15 pm King’s School Theatre
Worcester Cathedral Choir £12
Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir The music of Frederick Delius has
Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir often been described as ‘formless’ or
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire lacking in the cerebral discipline shown
Brass Ensemble by his contemporaries. Biographer and
Nicholas Freestone organ Professor of Musicology at Durham
Samuel Hudson conductor University Jeremy Dibble challenges
Britten Te Deum in C this notion by assessing the nature,
Ian Venables God be merciful breadth and development of Delius’s
Paulus The road home musical style.
Please note the timed entry instructions
24 JULY
sent with your ticket reservation. There will
be no admittance after 10.45 am.
Supported by the D G Albright Trust
White Socks Theatre Company
8 3choirs.org 01452 768 928
WHITE SOCKS THEATRE COMPANY Bliss Clarinet Quintet
PRESENTS 3 – 4.40 pm Worcester Baptist Church
A Minor Excursion £30, £25, under 25s FREE
Two performances: Robert Plane clarinet
2 – 2.45 pm; 3.30 – 4.15 pm Marmen Quartet
Henry Sandon Hall
£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+) Schubert Quartettsatz D703 10'
Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet in
A fun-filled, family story-telling performance, F sharp minor, Op. 10 32'
based around the great British holiday. Bliss Clarinet Quintet 27'
A Minor Excursion takes us on a classic
family road trip – come along for the sights, The Marmen Quartet, reputed for the vitality
sounds and traffic jam games! Join us for and vigour of its performances, opens with
songs and poetry in this exciting, interactive the dramatic first movement of Schubert’s
performance. unfinished string quartet. Robert Plane then
joins the quartet for two clarinet quintets: a
sophisticated work by Coleridge-Taylor and
Bliss’s expressively melodic work.
£8 Coach departs 2.25 pm;
returns approx. 5.10 pm
Marmen Quartet supported by the
Richard Hall Charitable Trust
SATURDAY
Marmen Quartet © Marco Borggreve Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 9
Shanna Hart Organ Recital Choral Evensong
5 – 6.15 pm St Martin’s Church 5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral
£14 FREE (ticket required)
Shanna Hart organ Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir
Nicholas Freestone organ
JS Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in
Stephen Shellard conductor
C minor, BWV 582 14'
Böhm Chaconne in G 4' King Responses
JS Bach Canonic Variations on Dyson Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D
“Vom Himmel hoch da komm’ ich her”, Elgar Give unto the Lord
BWV 769a 3'
Iain Quinn Continuum (“N-O-T-R-E The Music Makers
D-A-M-E”) 4'
Alain Variations sur un thème de 7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral
Clément Jannequin 6' See following page for more information
Vierne Naïades from 24 Pièces de
fantaisie 5'
Martin Passacaille 12'
Fiddlers Three
9.45 – 10.45 pm College Hall
The first recital in our series showcasing
£18, under 25s FREE
talented young performers from the Royal
College of Organists spans the centuries from Join the Musical and Amicable Society for
Bach to the present day, demonstrating the a late-night romp through the seventeenth
SATURDAY
full range of this magnificent instrument’s century. Three violinists compete and
capabilities and colour. combine in a riot of musical colour – twisting
and turning through Purcell’s ingenious
St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions
divisions, Marini’s mischievous special
allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.
effects, Schmelzer’s outrageous harmonies,
£8 Coach departs 4.20 pm, returns and a smattering of folk music.
by approx. 6.40 pm
Supported by Fr Michael Thomas
St Martin’s Church organ Musical and Amicable Society
10 3choirs.org 01452 768 928THE MUSIC MAKERS
7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral ‘We are the music-makers, and we are the
£58, £53, £32, £25, £15 dreamers of dreams…’ The festival looks
to new horizons in a first half of adventure,
Marta Fontanals-Simmons mezzo-soprano
beginning with Copland’s heroic fanfare.
Tom Mole baritone
Afterwards, Elgar’s melancholic and reflective
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
ode to ‘the artist’ takes tunes from his most
Philharmonia Orchestra
beloved works to celebrate creativity in all
Samuel Hudson conductor
its forms.
Copland Fanfare for the Common Man 3'
Supported by The C-T Trust in celebration of
Beethoven Meeresstille und glückliche
the 900th anniversary of the Lygon Family at
Fahrt 8'
Madresfield Court; Songs of Travel supported
Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel 23'
by The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust
Elgar The Music Makers 35'
SATURDAY
Marta Fontanals-Simmons © Victoria CadischSUNDAY
Festival Eucharist Night, Macbeth and King Lear, among
others, timelessly reflect on this deeply
10.30 am – 12 noon Worcester Cathedral personal, intergenerational journey.
FREE (ticket required)
Please note this is an outdoor performance.
Worcester Cathedral Choir It will be relocated only in the event of
Nicholas Freestone organ severely adverse weather conditions.
Samuel Hudson conductor
Jonathan Dove Missa brevis Three Stories about Flying
Bairstow Let all mortal flesh keep silence
1.30 – 2.30 pm
Henry Sandon Hall
DRAMESTICS THEATRE COMPANY £10, £7 children,
PRESENT under 5s FREE
From Age to Age: Father – (ideal for ages 5+)
25 JULY
Shakespeare – Son 500 years ago, young Leonardo da Vinci
1 – 3 pm West End Gardens dreams of making a flying machine…
£12, £6 children 200 years ago, Martha Pocock is
launched across the Avon Gorge in a
Edward Derbyshire director
wicker basket attached to a set of kites…
It is said that William Shakespeare sheds and in 2020, young Charley Finn has
light upon every human experience; a soaring imagination taking him
certainly, his poetry evokes the whole into a futuristic world of space travel.
gamut of emotions, much like music. Meanwhile, paper birds flit and swoop
Over thirty years, a son and father with a through the stories and the centuries,
shared love of Shakespeare write to one linking the lives of the children in
another about their lives. Over decades, curious ways. Written and narrated by
they thread often unspoken emotions Kate Romano, the show is illustrated
through the lines they pen, interweaving with shadow puppetry and evocative
monologues from their favourite lyricist. live chamber music performed by the
Passages from his most famous works, acclaimed Goldfield Ensemble. Where
including Hamlet, Coriolanus, Twelfth will your imagination take you?
Three Stories about Flying
12 3choirs.org 01452 768 928THE ELGAR CHORALE PRESENTS Worcester Wags and Wagers
Now sleeps the crimson petal 2.30 – 4.30 pm St Martin’s Church
2 – 4 pm College Hall £22, £16
£22 Elgar goes to the races, entertains George
The Elgar Chorale Bernard Shaw and Lawrence of Arabia, and
Kelly McCusker violin composes a football chant for Wolves; Ivor
Christopher Allsop piano Atkins saves the festival from extinction;
Piers Maxim conductor two eighteenth-century ladies enjoy festival
balls, picnic breakfasts and the finest castrato
Holst Two Psalms 12' in Europe, while King George III’s visit
Elgar (arr. Hunt) Two Part Songs 6' gives us a festival coin. Steve Williams with
Howard Blake Songs of Truth and Glory 10' Zeb Soanes (Newsreader, BBC Radio 4),
Hunt Two Part Songs 6' Ben Cooper (BBC1 Bargain Hunt) Sir Roy
Roderick Williams Shout, O ye winds! Strong and other familiar faces present
(premiere) 8' anecdotes and characters from past Worcester
Sumsion In Exile 7' festivals, lavishly illustrated with rare pictures
Piers Maxim Four Lullabies for the Girls 12' and interspersed with music and songs, some
Elgar From the Bavarian Highlands 24' not heard for a century.
This celebratory tribute to the late Donald St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions
Hunt, a former Worcester Artistic Director allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.
and founder of The Elgar Chorale,
encompasses choral works associated with
£8 Coach departs 1.50 pm; returns
SUNDAY
the Chorale and the festival, including the by approx. 4.55 pm
premiere of a new commission by baritone
and composer Roderick Williams.
Donald Hunt © Worcester News
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 13Choral Evensong The World Imagined
5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral 7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral
FREE (ticket required)
See following page for more information
Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choirtary }
John Wilderspin organ Lay Clerks in Concert
Ed Jones conductor
10 – 11 pm College Hall
John Cullen Responses £18
Sumsion Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in G
Harris The Call The lay clerks provide their usual mix of
close-harmony classics and unaccompanied
choral repertoire in this enduringly popular
In conversation with late-night show.
Gabriel Jackson
6 – 7 pm King’s School Theatre
£12
This year’s commissioned composer
Gabriel Jackson discusses his
career and the inspirations for
his new piece, The World
Imagined, with Three Choirs
Festival CEO Alexis Paterson.
SUNDAY
Gabriel Jackson
14 3choirs.org 01452 768 928THE WORLD IMAGINED
7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral The festival presents a significant
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15 commission from one of Britain’s leading
choral composers, Gabriel Jackson, renowned
Nick Pritchard tenor
for his immediacy and delicacy of expression.
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Drawing inspiration from the beauty of
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
poetry, philosophy, art and life, The World
David Hill conductor
Imagined is an ecstatic contemplation of
Jack White Digital Dust 13' creation and humankind’s small place in
Elgar Enigma Variations 29' an infinite cosmos. Jack White’s propulsive
Gabriel Jackson The World Imagined Digital Dust opens the first half, followed
(festival commission, premiere) 45' by Elgar’s enduringly popular Enigma
Variations, first heard in their current form
This concert will be recorded for future
at the 1899 Worcester Three Choirs Festival.
broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Gabriel Jackson’s The World Imagined
supported by the Three Choirs Festival
Commissioning Circle
SUNDAY
????????????????????????????MONDAY
TALK WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS
The Founders of Worcester Elgar’s Footsteps
Art Gallery and Museum: 10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue,
Colonialism and Empire Worcester High Street
£10
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre
£12 This leisurely walk takes in Elgar’s
homes and haunts, visiting places
Many older museums have their
beloved by the composer and his family,
beginnings rooted in colonialism, and
including the Glee Club and St George’s
collections were often formed from
Catholic Church.
wealthy donors who benefitted from
empires. Kerry Whitehouse, Curator of Please note that this is an outdoor
the World Cultures collection, reveals event, which will take place regardless
26 JULY
recent research on the founders and of the weather.
donors of the Museums Worcestershire
collections. ST MARTIN’S CHURCH PRESENTS
Tiny Tunes: Atlantic Drift
SOCIETY OUTING
10.30 – 11.10 am St Martin’s Church
Hartlebury Castle £6 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies,
£25 (includes travel and refreshments) toddlers and their siblings)
Society members are invited on a The Lilliput violin and viola duo perform
bespoke tour of Hartlebury Castle, a lucky dip of tunes from the British
adapted for COVID-19 restrictions. Isles and the Americas – including some
For centuries the castle was the which have migrated across the ocean!
residence of the Bishops of Worcester, Come to dance, clap, sway, sing along –
the historical setting for tales of rebellion or just to listen and be soothed.
and countless royal visitors, and
St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if
Worcestershire’s former political centre.
restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for
Please note that the museum will be closed opening times.
during this tour.
Coach departs 9.30 am; returns
by approx. 1 pm
Hartlebury Castle Tiny Tunes
16 3choirs.org 01452 768 928MUSEUM OF ROYAL WORCESTER The Marian Consort: Stabat Mater
PRESENTS 3 – 4.20 pm College Hall
My Life in Music and Pots £25
10.30 am – 12 noon The Marian Consort
Exhibition Hall, Museum of Royal Worcester Rory McCleery director
£14
Gabriel Jackson Stabat Mater 18'
Henry Sandon reflects on his lifelong love Tomkins Then David mourned 4'
of music and pots, his Worcester journey, Dani Howard new work (premiere) 15'
and singing at the Three Choirs Festival for Scarlatti Stabat Mater 25'
over 25 years. Join us for this very special
reminiscence and enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits The powerful text of the Stabat Mater has
on Royal Worcester china in the museum’s inspired composers for centuries, and this
beautiful eighteenth-century gallery. concert contrasts two outstanding examples
of heartfelt and poignant settings from the
seventeenth century and from the composer
The Great Journey of this year’s festival commission, Gabriel
11.30 am – 1 pm Worcester Cathedral Jackson. In between, The Marian Consort
£30, £25, £20, £15 perform their newly commissioned work
from Dani Howard, whose music has been
Roderick Williams baritone
described as ‘sophisticated and incredibly
Goldfield Ensemble
beautiful’.
Adrian Partington conductor
MONDAY
Smyth Chrysilla; La Danse 10'
Gabriel Jackson In the Mendips 16'
Colin Matthews The Great Journey 50'
Roderick Williams is the protagonist in this
tale of a Spanish conquistador’s disastrous
sixteenth-century expedition. This exquisite
portrayal of greed and destruction is told
through veiled references to sixteenth-
century styles in a colourful score. Ethel
Smyth’s vignettes are tinged with French
impressionism, while an instrumental
interlude by Gabriel Jackson evokes an
afternoon on the Somerset hills.
Supported by the Friends of Worcester
Three Choirs Festival
Museum of Royal Worcester The Marian Consort
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 17Philharmonia Young Purcellʼs King Arthur
Artists Recital 7.30 – 9.40 pm Worcester Cathedral
5 – 6.15 pm Worcester Baptist Church See following page for more information
£20, £15, under 25s FREE
Julia Liang violin Ludwig: Concerto quasi
David López Ibáñez violin una fantasia
Ana Teresa de Braga e Alves viola
Yaroslava Trofymchuk cello 10.15 – 11.15 pm College Hall
£18, under 25s FREE
Ravel String Quartet in F 30'
Mozart String Quartet No 15 in D minor Composer and director Charlie Barber weaves
K421 30' together fragments of Beethoven’s music
recreated for piano and string quartet in the
Join current and past participants of the setting of an imagined rehearsal. He invites
Philharmonia’s MMSF Instrumental the audience on an intimate musical journey
Fellowship in this intimate chamber music reflecting on the composer’s influence on the
setting. Ravel’s shimmering, bright union of music of today.
colour contrasts sharply with Mozart’s darker
and discursive quartet (the second of six
dedicated to Haydn) in a recital that superbly
demonstrates the broad expressive range of
the string quartet.
MONDAY
£8 Coach departs 4.15 pm; returns
approx. 6.45 pm
Choral Evensong
5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral
FREE (ticket required)
Gloucester Cathedral Choir
Jonathan Hope organ
Adrian Partington conductor
King We Beseech Thee, Almighty God
Sumsion Responses
King The Gloucester Service
Parsons Ave Maria
Julia Liang
18 3choirs.org 01452 768 928PURCELL'S KING ARTHUR
7.30 – 9.40 pm Worcester Cathedral The Gabrieli Consort perform their award-
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15 winning version of one of Purcell’s most
lyrical and harmonically adventurous semi-
Anna Dennis, Mhairi Lawson,
operas. Telling the story of King Arthur’s
Charlotte Shaw sopranos
battles with the heathen Saxons and his quest
Jeremy Budd, James Gilchrist tenors
to rescue his blind fiancée, the music teems
Marcus Farnsworth, Dingle Yandell basses
with magic.
Gabrieli Consort and Players
Paul McCreesh conductor Supported by Mr and Mrs David Ball
Purcell King Arthur 92'
MONDAY
????????????????????????????
Charles Ernest Butler's King ArthurTUESDAY
TALK Paul Greally Organ Recital
Forgotten Histories: 10.30 – 11.45 am St Martin’s Church
Black Musicians of the £14
Nineteenth Century Paul Greally organ
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre Brahms Prelude and Fugue in G minor
£12 WoO 10 8'
Edward Elgar’s music is synonymous Schumann IV. “Innig” from Six Studies
with the Three Choirs Festival, but in Canonic Form, Op. 56 4'
he also introduced promising young Hindemith Sonata No 1 17'
composers to festival audiences. One Rheinberger Sonata No 8 in E minor,
of these, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Op.132 25'
described by Booker T. Washington as The second in our series of recitals by
27 JULY
‘the foremost musician of his race’, young musicians selected by the Royal
was the first black composer to have College of Organists showcases a range
his work performed at the festival, in of composers well known for their
1898. Dr Paul Ellison examines the lives contributions to the organ repertoire.
of two musicians of African descent,
beginning with virtuoso violinist George St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if
Bridgetower, original dedicatee of restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for
Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata. opening times.
£8 Coach departs 9.50 am;
Storytelling with returns by approx. 12.10 pm
Gaspard the Fox Supported by Fr Michael Thomas
10.30 – 11.15 am
The Undercroft
£7, under 5s FREE
(ideal for children and their families)
Meet Gaspard, a friendly fox with a taste
for adventure! Author Zeb Soanes tells
the story of the real-life London fox who
inspired his books, and reads excerpts
accompanied by illustrations and
photographs.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor The Orlando Consort
20 3choirs.org 01452 768 928THE FESTIVAL PLAYERS PRESENT and extending harmonic ranges. Joined by
bass Robert Macdonald, the Orlando Consort
Henry V performs pieces with texts from the Song of
1.30 – 3.30 pm West End Gardens Songs, tributes to fellow composers, poems
£17, £10 children by humanist scholars, and, marking the
Worcester Charter’s 400th anniversary,
After a rebellious and spirited youth spent
renowned Worcester Cathedral organist
carousing in the taverns of London, Prince
Thomas Tomkins’s most famous work. The
Hal takes on the responsibility of Kingship
concert also marks the 500th anniversary
and leads his troops across the Channel to do
of Josquin Desprez’s death and concludes
battle with the French at Agincourt.
with Robert White’s setting of the beautiful
Follow the charismatic King in this stirring Lamentations of Jeremiah.
tale of leadership, bravery, humour and
love – exhilarating entertainment for a Beet(Who)ven?
summer’s day.
2.30 – 3.30 pm
Please note this is an outdoor performance. St Martin’s Church
It will be relocated only in the event of severely £7, under 5s FREE
adverse weather conditions. (ideal for children and adults of all ages)
Who was Beethoven? In this whistle-stop
Love’s Command: Sacred Poetry musical tour, violinist Krysia Osostowicz
and Music of the Renaissance and pianist Daniel Tong reveal the story of
1.45 – 3.30 pm College Hall Beethoven’s life, from his favourite food to
TUESDAY
£25 his increasing deafness, and talk about the
influence he has had on composers of today.
The Orlando Consort Why does he remind one composer of Tom
Desprez Huc me sydereo – Plangent eum; and Jerry? And why does another think
Obone et dulcis Domine Jesus – Beethoven had the blues? Discover all this
Pater noster – Ave Maria and more in this relaxed event.
Gombert O flos campi St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions
Ceballos Hortus conclusus allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.
Phinot Ecce tu pulcher es
Anon Musica, quid defles
Desprez La déploration de Johannes
Was Shakespeare’s Henry V
Ockeghem: Nymphes des boys a War Criminal?
La Rue Absalon fili mi 4 – 5 pm King’s School Boathouse
Tomkins When David heard £14 (includes refreshments)
Mouton Domine, fac salvum regem
Gascongne Non nobis, Domine Following today’s performance of Henry V,
White Lamentations Peter Atkinson, the Dean of Worcester,
examines the development of the doctrine
This sublime programme focuses on the of the Just War and asks whether Henry V
first half of the sixteenth century, during was, by the standards of Shakespeare’s own
which composers were liberated to produce time, guilty of war crimes. There will also
works of unprecedented richness, setting be refreshments hosted by our Worcester
texts beyond the confines of daily liturgy, Friends.
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 21Beethoven Reflected Armstrong Gibbsʼs Choral
4.15 – 6.20 pm St Martin’s Church Symphony
£25, £20, under 25s FREE 7.45 – 9.55 pm Worcester Cathedral
Krysia Osostowicz violin See following page for more information
Daniel Tong piano
Judith Bingham The Neglected Child 4' Odyssey – Words and Music
Beethoven Sonata No 4 in A minor, Op. 23 22' of Finding Home
Huw Watkins Spring 5'
Beethoven Sonata No 5 in F, Op. 24 10.15 – 11.30 pm College Hall
‘Spring’ 24' £18
Beethoven Sonata No 9 in A, Op.47 Christopher Kent actor
‘Kreutzer’ 35' Gamal Khamis piano
Matthew Taylor Tarantella Furiosa 6'
C Schumann Scherzo No 2, Op. 17
A programme selected from pianist Daniel Debussy Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest from
Tong and violinist Krysia Osostowicz’s Préludes Book I
acclaimed Beethoven Plus project presents George Stevenson Flashbacks
new companion pieces to Beethoven’s violin Amy Bryce Freehand
sonatas. These pieces create conversations Daniel Kidane Air for a Journey
between Beethoven and living composers and Shostakovich Prelude Op. 87, No 14
shed fresh light on what Beethoven’s music JS Bach Adagio BWV 974
means to us today. Thomas Adès (arr. Gamal Khamis) O Albion
TUESDAY
St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions from Arcadiana
allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times. Homer’s narrative is retold in an absorbing
Coach departs 3.35 pm; returns and moving production, tracing Odysseus’s
£8
by approx. 6.45 pm journey and the aftermath of war, exploring
themes of diaspora and migration.
Commissioned works by award-winning
Choral Evensong poets and composers are set alongside
5.30 – 6.30 pm Emily Wilson's acclaimed new translation
Worcester Cathedral of Homer's epic, as well as works by
FREE (ticket required) Shakespeare, JS Bach, Debussy, Clara
Schumann and others.
Worcester Cathedral Choir
Nicholas Freestone organ
Samuel Hudson conductor
Aston Alleluya psallat
Hunt Responses
Atkins Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in
A and D
Bullock Christ, the fair glory of the
Holy Angels
This service will be recorded for broadcast
on 29 September on BBC Radio 3. Please be
seated by 5.15 pm.
Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis
22 3choirs.org 01452 768 928ARMSTRONG GIBBS'S CHORAL
SYMPHONY
7.45 – 9.55 pm Worcester Cathedral Gibbs’s tuneful and evocative choral
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15 symphony, which he considered his best,
is a rarely-heard masterpiece that tells the
Ruby Hughes soprano
well-known story of Odysseus in a style that
Njabulo Madlala baritone
will be familiar to fans of Vaughan Williams
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
and Parry. In the first half, we hear a revival
Philharmonia Orchestra
of a work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor,
Adrian Partington conductor
following its Worcester premiere in 1899,
Coleridge-Taylor Solemn Prelude and Copland’s evocative homage to
(2nd performance) 15' nineteenth-century American pioneers.
Copland Appalachian Spring 23'
Supported by the Wigornia Circle
Gibbs Symphony No 2 ‘Odysseus’ 60'
and the American Friends of the
Three Choirs Festival
This concert is dedicated to the memory
of Carolyn Pascall
TUESDAY
????????????????????????????
Ulysses and the Sirens by John William WaterhouseWEDNESDAY
THE WULSTAN ATKINS LECTURE THE ELGAR SOCIETY PRESENTS
Sir Ivor Atkins: Worcester The Elgar-Atkins Partnership
and Beyond in Worcester
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre 11 am – 12.15 pm
£12 RGS Godfrey Brown Theatre
£12
Choral conductor and organist Simon
Lindley presents an evaluation of Adrian Lucas, one of Sir Ivor Atkins’s
Atkins’s achievements as musician, distinguished successors at Worcester
composer, scholar and editor, and his Cathedral, explores the interaction and
role in reviving the festival after the friendship between two musicians of
First World War. powerful individuality and sensibility.
Presented in association with the Church
£8 Coach departs 10.15 am;
Music Society returns by approx. 12.45 pm
Supported by Katharine O’Carroll and
Robert and Sherill Atkins Enoch Arden
11.30 am – 12.40 pm College Hall
28 JULY
WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS £22
Elgar’s Footsteps Christopher Kent actor
10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue, Gamal Khamis piano
Worcester High Street
Strauss Enoch Arden 60'
£10
Written by Tennyson in 1864 and set
This leisurely walk takes in Edward
by Richard Strauss for speaker and
Elgar’s homes and haunts, visiting places
piano, Enoch Arden is a deeply touching,
beloved by the composer and his family,
epic narrative poem. With hauntingly
including the Glee Club and St George’s
beautiful words and music, this is a rare
Catholic Church.
opportunity to hear a hidden Romantic
Please note that this is an outdoor gem from the almost forgotten genre
event, which will take place regardless of musical melodrama.
of the weather.
Enoch Arden
24 3choirs.org 01452 768 928THE FESTIVAL PLAYERS PRESENT Choral Evensong
Henry V 3.30 – 4.30 pm Worcester Cathedral
1.30 – 3.30 pm West End Gardens FREE (ticket required)
£17, £10 children Three Cathedral Choirs
After a rebellious and spirited youth spent Nicholas Freestone organ
carousing in the taverns of London, Prince Samuel Hudson conductor
Hal takes on the responsibility of kingship Cheryl Frances-Hoad Earth puts her
and leads his troops across the Channel to colours by (premiere)
do battle with the French at Agincourt. Gabriel Jackson Responses
Follow the charismatic king in this stirring Howells St Paul’s Service
tale of leadership, bravery, humour and John Rutter A Pilgrims’ Prayer
love – exhilarating entertainment for a (festival commission, premiere)
summer’s day. John Rutter Lead, kindly Light (premiere)
Please note this is an outdoor performance. This service will be broadcast live on
It will be relocated only in the event of severely BBC Radio 3. Please be seated by 3.15 pm.
adverse weather conditions.
Troubled Times: Beethoven,
English Symphony Orchestra: Wordsworth and the French
New Notes Revolution
WEDNESDAY
2 – 3.15 pm Kidderminster Town Hall
4.30 – 6.30 pm College Hall
£30, £25
£25, under 25s FREE
English Symphony Orchestra
Zeb Soanes reader
Kenneth Woods conductor
The Jupiter Ensemble
Emily Doolittle Woodwings (premiere) 11' David Owen Norris director/pianoforte
Steve Elcock Symphony No 8
Beethoven (arr. Moscheles) Egmont
(premiere) 20'
Overture, Op. 84
Beethoven Symphony No 7 35'
Beethoven (arr. Hummel) Symphony No 3
Beethoven’s visionary seventh symphony in E flat ‘Eroica’
is the sprightly conclusion to this concert
Revolutionary poetry from a man who was
featuring the English Symphony Orchestra’s
actually in Paris in 1789, and revolutionary
latest premiere in a commissioning
music from a composer who wished he had
cycle championing today’s most exciting
been. Discover how these two disappointed
symphonists. Steve Elcock’s music is
revolutionaries, both born in 1770, illuminate
characterised by vivid orchestrations
each other through their art.
and a sweeping emotional range rooted
in symphonic tradition, and yet entirely
distinctive.
£10 Coach departs 12.50 pm; returns
by approx. 4.10 pm
Fighting at the Hotel de Ville by Jean Victor Schnetz
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 25Duruflé Requiem
7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral
See following page for more information
Fair Oriana: Silver Baroque
9.45 – 10.45 pm College Hall
£18, under 25s FREE
Angela Hicks soprano
Penelope Appleyard soprano
Jonatan Bougt theorbo
Harry Buckoke viola da gamba
David Wright harpsichord
Inspired by the description of their sound
as ‘silvery’, Fair Oriana’s Silver Baroque
programme is an exploration of music on
nocturnal themes, spanning opera, oratorio,
church and theatre music, with surprise
twists along the way. The programme
includes works by Handel, Purcell,
WEDNESDAY
Monteverdi and a new commission by
Owain Park.
Fair Oriana
26 3choirs.org 01452 768 928DURUFLÉ REQUIEM
7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral Two beautiful and enduringly popular works
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15 of the French repertoire frame this evening’s
concert. We begin with Fauré’s miniature but
Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir
sublime Cantique de Jean Racine, followed by
Philharmonia Orchestra
Grace Williams’s vivacious suite for string
Geraint Bowen conductor
orchestra, depicting the characteristics of
Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine 7' the sea and the composer’s longing for it.
G Williams Sea Sketches 21' Duruflé’s most substantial work, his setting
Duruflé Requiem 41' of the Requiem Mass, evokes meditative
images of rest and peace.
Supported by The Elmley Foundation and
Fr Michael Thomas; Geraint Bowen
supported by Pamela White
WEDNESDAY
2017 Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir © Michael WhitefootTHURSDAY
TALK Gaspard’s Foxtrot
Seeing and Hearing 1 – 2 pm Rogers Theatre,
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre Malvern College
£12 £18, £7 children (ideal for all ages)
What can music teach us that images James Mayhew illustrator
cannot? Delius, Vierne and Bach – all Zeb Soanes narrator
composers featured in this festival – Philharmonia Orchestra
struggled with loss of vision. Jeremy Holly Mathieson conductor
Begbie explores how this affected their Prokofiev (arr. David Matthews)
work, and what we can learn about Peter and the Wolf 25'
the distinctive powers of hearing Jonathan Dove Gaspard’s Foxtrot
over seeing. (premiere) 25'
This concert premiere brings to life
Fluttery Strings: Gaspard the Fox’s latest adventure! An
Swans, Squirrels
29 JULY
accidental bus journey through London
and Rainbows leads this friendly fox to his very first
classical music concert and sees him
10.30 – 11.15 am The Undercroft
become the star of the show. Narrated
£6, under 5s FREE (ideal for all ages)
by the book’s author, Zeb Soanes,
The Topaz Duo presents a programme and illustrated live via digital link by
of well-known favourites, performed artist James Mayhew, this will be a
on flute and harp, from Swan Lake to wonderfully entertaining introduction to
Somewhere Over the Rainbow. a live orchestra, and a special immersive
musical experience for those who are
CELEBRITY ORGAN RECITAL already hooked!
David Briggs Join in with fun fox-themed arts and crafts
11 am – 12.15 pm Worcester Cathedral in the foyer of the theatre from 12 noon.
£22 Coach departs 12 noon; returns
£10
David Briggs organ by approx. 2.45 pm
David Briggs Variations on ‘Take the Supported by
A Train’ (UK premiere) 19' Malvern Hills District Council
Vaughan Williams (arr. David Briggs)
Symphony No 5 in D 45' 3 – 3.30 pm
Rogers Theatre, Malvern College
World-renowned concert organist
£10, £7 children (ideal for all ages)
David Briggs gives the UK premiere
of his recent variations marking The second performance will
the anniversary of the Harlem feature Gaspard’s Foxtrot only, and
Renaissance, followed by his own is recommended for anyone who
arrangement of one of Vaughan would benefit from a more informal
Williams’s most sophisticated and environment. Please contact the ticket
best-loved symphonies. office for more information.
28 3choirs.org 01452 768 928Clair de Lune: Louis Vierne While Vierne’s organ music is widely
celebrated and regularly performed, his
and the Turn of the Century extensive catalogue of songs is far less
1.45 – 3.45 pm St Martin’s Church commonly heard. Incorporating texts from
£25, £20 renowned poets such as Verlaine, Byron, Keats
and Hugo, this recital explores fin de siècle
Erika Mädi Jones soprano
song settings by Vierne’s students, colleagues
Panaretos Kyriatzidis piano
and fellow organists, including rarely heard
Fauré Clair de lune 3' turn-of-the-century composers such as Amy
White So we’ll go no more a-roving 5' Woodforde-Finden and Maude Valérie White.
Elgar The wind at dawn 3'
St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions
R Strauss Die Nacht; Heimliche
allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.
Aufforderung 6'
Grieg Ein Traum 2'
£8 Coach departs 1.05 pm; returns
Vierne Clair de lune from Suite by approx. 4.15 pm
Bourguignonne; L’heure du berger 6'
Woodforde-Finden Till I wake 3' THE FRIENDS OF WORCESTER
A Mahler Die stille Stadt 3' CATHEDRAL PRESENT
R Strauss Wiegenlied 10' Tea and Talk with David Briggs
Debussy Clair de lune from Suite
Bergamasque 5' 3 – 4.45 pm St Andrew’s Methodist Church
Bridge Adoration 3' £20
Berg Die Nachtigall from 7 early songs 2' Following his cathedral organ recital, David
THURSDAY
L Boulanger Reflets 3' Briggs examines the life of an international
Poldowski Mandoline; L’heure exquise 5' concert organist, discussing his busy touring
Vierne VII. Dans la nuit, IX. La suprême schedule and exploring his interest in
appel from 12 preludes, op. 36 7' transcription and improvisation. The Friends
N Boulanger Soir d’hiver 4' of Worcester Cathedral will provide a delicious
Dubois Spleen 3' tea of sandwiches, scones and cakes.
Bridge Come to me in my dreams 4'
Vierne V. A une femme, II. Un grand
sommeil noir, X. Marine from Spleens
et détresses 8'
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 29Choral Evensong Fenella Humphreys: Caprices
5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral 10 – 11 pm College Hall
FREE (ticket required) £18
Girl Choristers of Worcester and Violinist Fenella Humphreys celebrates
Gloucester Cathedrals some of the most demanding and virtuosic
Worcester Lay Clerks solo works ever written. The unaccompanied
Ed Jones organ programme will take you on a whirlwind
Nicholas Freestone conductor journey from celebrated violinist-composer
Niccolò Paganini through to new music
Clucas Responses
written especially for Fenella, taking in
Walton Chichester Service
Piazzolla, Kreisler, and Panufnik along
Britten Rejoice in the Lamb
the way.
Bach Magnificat
7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral
See following page for more information
THURSDAY
Fenella Humphreys © Alejandro Tamagno
30 3choirs.org 01452 768 928BACH MAGNIFICAT
7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral Bach’s exuberant and dramatic Magnificat
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15 is one of his most popular compositions,
and the perfect piece in which to hear our
Angela Hicks soprano
three cathedral choirs at their majestic
Penelope Appleyard soprano
best, alongside historically authentic
Sarah Denbee alto
accompaniment, while the gentle beauty
Greg Tassell tenor
of Buxtehude’s Lenten work allows them
Alex Ashworth bass
to demonstrate a quieter intensity.
Three Cathedral Choirs
The Musical and Amicable Society We gratefully acknowledge the
Geraint Bowen conductor Three Choirs Festival Patrons and
supporters of the Tercentenary Appeal
Buxtehude Membra Jesu nostri 55'
JS Bach Magnificat 29'
THURSDAY
????????????????????????????
© Ash MillsFRIDAY
TALK Nicholson & Co.
Adventures in the Archives Workshop Visit
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre Two tour times available
£12 £20 (includes travel and refreshments)
British music specialist Dr Jonathan A tour of the Nicholson workshop, taking
Clinch talks about the art of in current works-in-progress, including
reconstructing forgotten scores and the a new organ for Radley College near
issues surrounding the completion of Oxford and the restoration of the 1889
unfinished works, particularly his work Walker organ of St Mary’s, Portsea. The
on Herbert Howells’s Cello Concerto. visit will also include a talk by historian
30 JULY
Dr Jim Berrow on the firm’s founder
WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS John Nicholson.
Elgar’s Footsteps Coach for the first tour departs
10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue, 9 am; returns by approx. 1.30
Worcester High Street pm. Coach for the second
£10 tour departs 1 pm; returns by
approx. 5.30 pm.
This leisurely walk takes in Elgar’s
homes and haunts, visiting places Please note there is no car parking available
beloved by the composer and his family, at the workshop.
including the Glee Club and St George’s
Catholic Church.
Please note that this is an outdoor event,
which will take place regardless of the
weather.
Edward Elgar National Youth String Orchestra
32 3choirs.org 01452 768 928Matthew Schellhorn: Howells’s National Youth String Orchestra
Piano Music 1.30 – 3.30 pm Worcester Cathedral
11 am – 12.30 pm College Hall £30, £25, £20, £12
£25 National Youth String Orchestra
Matthew Schellhorn piano Damian Iorio conductor
Howells To a Wild Flower 3' JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3
Howells Melody 3' in G major, BWV 1048 12'
Howells Meadow-Rest and Near Midnight Howells Concerto for String Orchestra 25'
from Summer Idylls 10' Schnittke Moz-Art à la Haydn 13'
Howells Harlequin Dreaming (premiere) 4' Kalinnikov Serenade 12'
Howells Once Upon a Time 10' Rossini (arr. Damian Iorio) William Tell
Howells Phantasy (premiere) 5' Overture 12'
Martin Bussey new work (premiere) 6' Bach’s familiar Brandenburg and Howells’s
Howells Finzi: His Rest 5' emotionally charged Concerto, written shortly
Howells Siciliana 4' after the deaths of his hero Edward Elgar and
Howells Comme le cerf soupire… 6' his nine-year old son, open this programme
Howells Petrus Suite (premiere) 18' showcasing the NYSO’s talent and impressive
Herbert Howells’s distinctly unique talent versatility. In the second half we hear a gently
for combining a smooth, lyrical melodic elegiac waltz, a dramatic adventure in the
line with vivid harmony has only rarely Swiss Alps, and a musical joke.
been heard in the medium of piano music. Supported by
FRIDAY
This programme, packed with posthumous Michael Guittard and Harry Prince
premieres, presents undiscovered gems
showing the composer’s genius in a new
light, and includes a commission from Martin
Bussey, paying tribute to Howells.
Matthew Schellhorn
Transaction fees apply, see page 48 for details 33Daniel Mathieson Organ Recital Evening Prayer will be said today at 5.30 pm
2.30 – 3.45 pm St Martin’s Church in the Cathedral Crypt
£14
Daniel Mathieson organ
Giving Voice to my Music
Harwood Sonata No. 1 in C sharp minor 18'
Bridge Three Pieces for Organ 12' 6 – 7 pm King’s School Theatre
Reubke Sonate: Der 94ste Psalm 25' £12
The third and final recital in our series Conductor and composer manager David
presented by the Royal College of Organists Wordsworth has worked with some of the
comprises two contrasting examples of world’s best-loved choral composers, including
nineteenth-century symphonic organ writing, Gabriel Jackson, Judith Bingham, Jonathan
with three lyrical miniatures in between. Dove and Cheryl Frances-Hoad, among many
others. Joined by world-renowned composer
St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions and conductor John Rutter, David introduces
allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times. his new book, Giving Voice to my Music, in
Coach departs 1.50 pm; returns which he interviews the extraordinary people
£8
by approx. 4.10 pm he has worked with over the years.
Supported by Fr Michael Thomas Festival offer: Copies of the book can be purchased
in advance at a special pre-order only price of £20
(RRP £25).
James Gilchrist: Sixteenth-Century
Love Songs
FRIDAY
Brittenʼs Saint Nicolas
4 – 6 pm Worcester Baptist Church
7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral
£30, £25, under 25s FREE
See following page for more information
James Gilchrist tenor
The Linarol Consort of Viols
The Becoming
A concert of enchanting sixteenth-century
song, performed by one of its leading 10 – 11 pm College Hall
exponents and authentically accompanied £18
on copies of the earliest surviving viol. Love An innovative musical experience combining
in all its various forms (unrequited, romantic poetry and song, written and performed by
and lascivious mischief) is explored in Nicola Harrison with jazz improvisation by
songs by leading musical figures working Martin Pickett and Keith Fairbairn, depicting
in Maximilian’s court: Heinrich Isaac, the sea in all its guises. Sea creatures and
Paul Hof haimer and Ludwig Senfl, one of other evocative characters populate this
the most prolific composers of German song exquisite oceanic journey. Expect beguiling
and secular music of the period. shore maidens, ocean-bound sirens, amorous
Coach departs 3.15 pm; returns selkies and pirates galore.
£8
by approx. 6.30 pm
34 3choirs.org 01452 768 928BRITTEN’S SAINT NICOLAS
7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral Britten’s mystical and exciting cantata depicts
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15 the miraculous life of St Nicolas in vivid
detail, portraying terrifying storms, Nicolas’s
Joshua Ellicott tenor
marvellous deeds and his pious followers, in
Worcester Cathedral Choir
the composer’s typically vivid style. Dobrinka
Philharmonia Orchestra
Tabakova’s beautiful and reflective Centuries
Samuel Hudson conductor
of Meditations, originally commissioned for
Dobrinka Tabakova Centuries of the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir, opens
Meditations 20' the programme, followed by John Rutter’s
John Rutter Visions 20' reverie on heavenly peace, Visions.
Britten Saint Nicolas 50'
Joshua Ellicott supported by Joanna Brickell
FRIDAY
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An Orthodox Byzantine icon of St NicholasSATURDAY
TALK The UK’s leading choir for outstanding
The Restoration of singers aged 18-25 returns to the
festival with a programme spanning
Manchester's Cavaillé-Coll centuries of choral works, from
9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre beautiful Renaissance polyphony to
£12 groundbreaking music of the twentieth
century. Drawing inspiration from
The Grade 1-listed Manchester Town
NYCGB’s 2021 theme of cultural
Hall and its historic Cavaillé-Coll organ
identity, the concert marks the
are currently undergoing an exciting
anniversaries of Desprez, Praetorius
£330 million restoration. Managing
and Sweelinck, and showcases works by
director of Malvern organ builders
Joanna Marsh and Kaija Saariaho. The
Nicholson & Co., Andrew Caskie,
concert culminates in a spellbinding
describes this unusual landmark project.
new commission and world premiere
by British-Iranian turntable artist and
National Youth Choir of experimental composer Shiva Feshareki.
31 JULY
Great Britain
11 am – 12.30 pm Worcester Cathedral Society Lunch
£30, £25, £20, £15, £10 1.15 – 3 pm King’s School Boathouse
National Youth Choir of Great Britain £30 (includes a glass of wine and tea/
Ben Parry conductor coffee)
Desprez Salve Regina a 5 8' Enjoy an exclusive two-course lunch
Fayrfax O lux beata trinitas 4' with fellow Society members, followed
Monte Super flumina Babylonis a 8 6' by an address by special guest Ben Parry,
Sweelinck O Domine Jesu Christe 7' director of the National Youth Choir of
Praetorius Jubilate Domino a 9 3' Great Britain.
Poulenc Chansons Françaises 20' The Society AGM will take place in the
Joanna Marsh Thou hast searched King’s School Boathouse on Sunday 25 July
me out 3' at 12.15 pm
Kaija Saariaho Tag Des Jahrs 15'
Shiva Feshareki new work (premiere) 15'
National Youth Choir Of Great Britain
36 3choirs.org 01452 768 928You can also read
