SINCE 1999 A LIVE REVIEW SITE FOR OPERA, BALLET, CONCERTS, BROADCASTS, AND THEATRE
United Kingdom Copland, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Elgar – Three Choirs Festival 2021 [1]: Marta Fontanals-Simmons (mezzo-soprano), Tom Mole (baritone), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Samuel Hudson (conductor). Worcester Cathedral, 24.7.2021. (JQ)
Samuel Hudson discusses his 2021 Three Choirs Festival with John Quinn
When Samuel Hudson took up his post as Director of Music at Worcester Cathedral in autumn 2019, he must have been very excited. Not only was he to be in charge of the music at one of England’s leading cathedrals, but also the post carried with it the artistic directorship of the Three Choirs Festival one year in every three – and it was to be Worcester’s turn to host the festival in the summer of 2020. He moved to Worcester from Blackburn Cathedral, where he had been Director of Music since 2011, and his musical pedigree is strong. He was organ scholar successively at Girton College, Cambridge and Wells Cathedral, after which he held posts at two significant churches, St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London and All Saints’ Church, Hertford, prior to his move to Blackburn.
Gabriel Jackson’s new The World Imagined
When Covid restrictions caused the cancellation of the 2020 Three Choirs Festival I regretted that decision on many levels. One of my main disappointments was that the cancellation deprived us of the opportunity to hear the world premiere of a major new work by Gabriel Jackson, The World Imagined. Happily, it has been possible to reschedule the premiere and include it in the plans for the 2021 Three Choirs Festival. I have been an admirer of this composer’s music, especially his choral works, for many years now so the prospect of such a significant new score is enticing. Consequently, I seized the chance to discuss the new work with Gabriel, albeit in a socially distanced way.
United Kingdom Elgar reimagined, Elgar (arr. David Matthews): English Symphony Orchestra / Kenneth Woods (conductor). Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth. Relayed via the ESO’s YouTube channel, 14.5.2021. (JQ)
THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL 2021
It was a bitter disappointment when the Covid pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester; this was the first time in its 300-year history that the Festival had been cancelled other than during war time. Since then, the outlook for live music-making in the UK has been very uncertain, but the highly successful vaccination programme and a very welcome significant reduction in case numbers has brought optimism and the Three Choirs has announced a programme for the 2021 Festival. The city of Worcester has again been given the opportunity to act as host and the Festival will run from 24 July to 1 August.
United Kingdom Elgar, Haydn, Berlioz, Boulanger, Prokofiev: Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Royal Northern Sinfonia / Dinis Sousa (conductor). Streamed live from Sage, Gateshead, 16.4.2021. (JQ)
United Kingdom Inspired by Mahler – Mahler, Weinberg, Schulhoff, Ullmann: April Fredrick (soprano), Zoë Beyers (violin), English Symphony Orchestra / Kenneth Woods (conductor). Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth, relayed via the ESO’s YouTube channel, 27.1.2021. (JQ)
United Kingdom Christmas Music by Candlelight: Rupert Jeffcoat (organ), Ex Cathedra / Jeffrey Skidmore (conductor). Recorded in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 21 & 22.12.2020. Streamed via the IDAGIO Global Concert Hall from 23.12.2020. (JQ)
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