United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [3] – Jackson, Tomkins, Howard, Scarlatti: The Marian Consort / Rory McCleery (director). College Hall, Worcester, 26.7.2021. (JQ)
The Marian Consort provides a feast for the ears at the Three Choirs Festival
John Quinn
A thrilling navigation of The Great Journey at the Three Choirs Festival
United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [2] – Smyth, Jackson, C. Matthews: Marcus Farnsworth (baritone), The Goldfield Ensemble / Adrian Partington (conductor). Worcester Cathedral, 25.7.2021. (JQ)
The Three Choirs Festival 2021 is well and truly launched at Worcester Cathedral
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 introduces the 2021 Three Choirs Festival in conversation with John Quinn
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.
The ESO plays David Matthews’s conspicuously successful arrangement of Elgar’s String Quartet
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)
The Three Choirs Festival announces its Bold Adventure for 2021
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.
An impressive ‘New Beginning’ as the Royal Northern Sinfonia welcome Dinis Sousa
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)
The English Symphony Orchestra’s fine commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day
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)
at Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth