Sincerity and firm resolve from the Dudoks and joyful folk music from Sophie Joint and Breanna Wilson

Music at Paxton – Summer Festival of Chamber Music 2023 (MC)

Music at Paxton 2023 is held at Paxton House in the county of Berwickshire, part of the Scottish Borders region. This is my fifth occasion attending Music at Paxton, a ten-day festival that is taking place between the dates Friday 21st July to Sunday 30th July 2023.

Set in the spectacular rolling scenery of the Scottish Borders, Paxton House is only a short walk to the River Tweed, and some five miles from the Northumberland town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Most of the concerts are held in the beautiful Picture Gallery of this historic Georgian house that makes an elegant backdrop, while some other concerts use a large marquee in the substantial grounds of the estate.

Festival artistic director Angus Smith and his Music at Paxton team have put together a varied and thoughtful music programme, gathering a talented group of musicians. Consisting of seventeen events including those appealing to the seasoned chamber music follower, to concerts for all the family to enjoy, and to those especially designed for young children.

My stay was for the first three days of Music at Paxton, and I selected four concerts to review.

Music at Paxton – Summer Festival of Chamber Music 2023 [1]: 

21.7.2023 – Dudok Quartet Amsterdam (Judith van Driel, Marleen Wester [violins], Marie-Louise de Jong [viola], David Faber [cello]), Picture Gallery, Paxton House

Dudok Quartet Amsterdam © Yuri Andries

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A gripping, inspiring Three Choirs Festival performance of a major work by Francis Pott

United KingdomUnited Kingdom Three Choirs Festival 2023 [5] – Svane, Bax, Holst, Pott: April Fredrick (soprano), Clare Presland (mezzo-soprano), Marcus Farnsworth (baritone), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Adrian Partington (conductor). Gloucester Cathedral, 25.7.2023. (JQ)

April Fredrick, Clare Presland and Marcus Farnsworth © James O’Driscoll

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International Chamber Music Academy returns to Ochsenhausen’s idyllic paths and gardens

GermanyGermany Second International Chamber Music Academy at the Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen [2]: in partnership with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Faculty members Matthias Buchholz (viola), Hillel Zori (cello), François Benda (clarinet), Elina Gotsouliak and Sun Hee Kim (pianos), and students. Kloster Bibliothekssaal, Ochsenhausen, 15.7.2023. (LV)

Oboist Leonid Surkov, bassoonist Luca Dovalina and pianist Jascha Silverstein play Poulenc © Saxton Rose

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Freshly conceived, brilliant reading of Beethoven’s Ninth performed at the Proms to the highest standard

United KingdomUnited Kingdom Prom 12 – Helen Grime, Beethoven: Eleanor Dennis (soprano), Karen Cargill (mezzo-soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Michael Mofidian (bass-baritone), BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, London, 23.7.2023. (CC)

Ryan Wigglesworth conducts the BBC SSO © BBC/Sisi Burn

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Tanglewood’s superb production brings Handel’s masque Acis and Galatea to life

United StatesUnited States Tanglewood 2023 [2] – Handel, Acis and Galatea, a Masque: Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra / Richard Egarr (conductor and harpsichord). Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Massachusetts, 20.7.2023. (CSa)

Nicholas Mulroy (Acis), Dashon Burton (Polyphemus), and Hera Hyesang Park (Galatea) © Hilary Scott

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Riveting performances crowned the last day of the Vattnäs Chamber Music Festival

SwedenSweden Vattnäs Chamber Music Festival 2023 [3] – From Here to Eternity – Music That Survives Everything: Anna Sjögren (recitation), Lovisa Huledal (mezzo-soprano), Karin Mobacke (soprano), Amelia Jakobsson (soprano), Anna Larsson (contralto), Göran Eliasson (tenor), Kristoffer Töyrä (bass-baritone), Johannes Marmén (violin), Amalie Stalheim (cello), Eelis Malmivirta (French horn), Octavian Leyva Dragomir (piano), Martin Sturfält (piano), Michael Engström (piano), Marmén Quartet, Vattnäs Strings, Earendel Quintet / Fredrik Burstedt (conductor). Vattnäs Concert Barn, 15.7.2023. (GF)

Johannes Marmén, Martin Sturfält, Amelia Jakobsson and Amalie Stalheim performing Shostakovich © Göran Forsling

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A varied, stimulating and very long Vattnäs Chamber Music Festival day

SwedenSweden Vattnäs Chamber Music Festival [2] – From Stenhammar to Bernstein – Old and New Music Carved on Stone for the Future: Vattnäs Strings, Agnes Auer (soprano), Tobias Westman (tenor), Anna Baek Christensen (soprano), Martin Sturfält (piano), Michael Engström (piano), Octavian Leyva Dragomir (piano), Jacob Kellermann (guitar), Anders Paulsson (soprano saxophone). Vattnäs Concert Barn, 14.7.2023. (GF)

Anders Paulsson playing Piazzolla © Göran Forsling

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