Music at Paxton – Summer Festival of Chamber Music 2023 [3]: (MC)
22.7.2023 – Paul Lewis (piano), Picture Gallery, Paxton House, Berwickshire, Scotland
At Paxton: Paul Lewis’s Schubert and ‘An Entertainment’ from Rowan Pierce and Christopher Glynn
Michael Cookson
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
A praiseworthy Opera Gala celebrates the Royal Northern College of Music’s fiftieth anniversary
United Kingdom RNCM Opera Gala: Soloists, RNCM Opera Chorus, RNCM Professional Experience Scheme Students, Orchestra of Opera North (augmented by players from RNCM) / Garry Walker (conductor). Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 28.6.2023. (MC)
Semperoper’s compelling La Cenerentola is well served by Michieletto and his design team
Germany Rossini, La Cenerentola: Sächsische Staatsopernchor, Staatskapelle Dresden / Alessandro De Marchi (conductor). Semperoper, Dresden, 4.6.2023. (MC)
Dresden’s Le nozze di Figaro is splendidly sung though the production is still underwhelming
Germany Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro: Soloists, Sächsische Staatsopernchor, Staatskapelle Dresden / Georg Fritzsch (conductor). Semperoper, Dresden, 27.5.2023. (MC)
Martin Helmchen’s sublime artistry shone through in Brahms’s First Piano Concerto in Dresden
Germany Dresden Music Festival 2023 [13] – 7.6.2023, Kulturpalast, Dresden: Martin Helmchen (piano), Dresden Festival Orchestra / Ivor Bolton (conductor). (MC)
In Dresden: Till Brönner’s contemporary groove and virtuosic percussionist Martin Grubinger
Germany Dresden Music Festival 2023 [11] – 5.6.2023, Kulturpalast, Dresden: Till Brönner and Band (Till Brönner [trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals], Olaf Polziehn [piano], Christian von Kaphengst [double bass, bass guitar, keyboard], Bruno Müller [guitar], David ‘Fingers’ Haynes [drums], Jan Miserre [keyboards] and Mark Wyand [saxophone])
Janowski’s appealing Strauss and the compelling Hagen Quartet prove highlights of the Dresden Festival
Germany Dresden Music Festival 2023 [8] – 2.6.2023, Kulturpalast, Dresden: Francesco Piemontesi (piano), Dresdner Philharmonie / Marek Janowski (conductor). (MC)
