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THREE FESTIVAL 2018 28 JULY – 4 AUGUST 01452 768928 Booking opens in April 3choirs.org

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THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL VENUE All Church and Café High Street, Hereford, HR4 9AA 2 minutes walk from , next to Boots

Join us for Late Night Concerts plus the very best homemade Herefordshire produce and our freshly baked, daily bread. Saturday 28 July – Saturday 4 August (except Sunday) Breakfast 8am – 11.30am Lunch 11.30am – 3pm Pre-concert suppers 5.30pm – 7.30pm NO BOOKING REQUIRED Late Concert Bar open half an hour before late concert start cafeatallsaints.co.uk Make the most of your trip to [email protected] Herefordshire 01432 370415 Look on our website eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk T 07713 243869 [email protected]

A great place to stay, visit and explore

t 01432 268430 e [email protected] @visitherefordshire @VisitHfds

www.visitherefordshire.co.uk Introduction

All festivals start with a blank sheet of paper and the way that a particular programme develops can happen in many different ways. My plans for this year began with a single work: a long-held ambition to revive Ethel Smyth’s fine but now little-performed in D. One hundred years after the passing of the 1918 Representation of the People Act – the start of universal suffrage in the United Kingdom – seemed the perfect opportunity to do so, given the composer’s prominent links to Geraint Bowen © Derek Foxton the suffragette movement. You can read more overleaf about the major programming strand, At the heart of the festival since its origins Celebrating Women, which developed as a in the early 18th century, the Three Cathedral result. Read more, too, about our centenary Choirs of Gloucester, Hereford and tribute to – himself a committed Worcester combine for joint and supporter of women’s suffrage – including our a performance of Monteverdi’s of major choral and orchestral concert conducted 1610, sure to be a highlight of the week. by Sir Andrew Davis, who also conducts the The festival will end with Brahms’ , first ever Three Choirs performance of Elgar’s in a programme including Parry’s own King Olaf. Elegy for Brahms, and Parry’s pupil Vaughan In 1918, the musical world was robbed Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region. of the prodigious talent of Lili Boulanger at I hope you enjoy browsing the wide range of the age of only 24 and we present her setting events on offer in this brochure, and we look of , composed in 1915 as a response forward to seeing you later this year! to the horrors of World War I, in a programme which also includes Stravinsky’s Symphony of . Following performances of Mendelssohn’s two great Elijah and St Paul at the 2016 and 2017 festivals, we complete our cycle of his major choral works with his Lobgesang, paired with Bruckner’s Te Deum. Geraint Bowen, 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 OfficeThe Three Choirs Festival Association Ltd, 7c College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LX Registered Company No 00580176 Registered Charity No 204609 3 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS FESTIVAL Interlocking themes weave their way through our wide range of talks, chamber music, family events and flagship choral and orchestral concerts this year. Here are some ways you can delve deeper into our key programming strands …

Celebrating Women Our ‘Clarion Girl’ on the cover (taken from a poster advertising the 1908 ‘Women’s Sunday’ rally in Hyde Park), heralds leading suffragette Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D on opening night, and we also look at women composers across the centuries, from the medieval music of Hildegard von Bingen to work fresh off the page in commissions from Hannah Kendall and Kerensa Briggs.

p8 Trio Dali Clara Schumann, Lili Boulanger and Rebecca Clarke p9 Wulstan Atkins Lecture Talk exploring women composers and their work p 10 Opening Night Ethel Smyth p 13 The Planets Hannah Kendall

p 14 James Gilchrist Clara Schumann Hannah Kendall p 15 Judith Bingham p 20 Ruby Hughes Helen Grime p 21 Choral Kerensa Briggs, Janet Wheeler, Judith Weir, Ina Boyle and Rachel Laurin p 25 Joby Burgess Rebecca Dale, Linda Buckley and Nicole Lizée p 28 Clare Hammond Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Lili Boulanger p 29 Symphony of Psalms Lili Boulanger p 30 Festival Youth Cecilia McDowall p 31 Gothic Voices Hildegard von Bingen and Joanne Metcalf p 32 Flute, Viola and Harp Sofia Gubaidulina

4 Hubert Parry Another centenary marked by the festival is the of Hubert Parry, whose family home was firmly in Three Choirs territory, on the outskirts of Gloucester. His music features at both the open and close of the festival, along with a 24-hour Parry focus in the middle of the week:

p8 Opening Service Te Deum in D p 15 Tenebrae Songs of Farewell p 22 The Baronet and The Playboy Shulbrede Tunes p 24 Talk: The Development of a Great Personality p 24 Lecture Recital: Parry and the Suffragettes Hubert Parry p 25 Choral Evensong Hear my words and Choral Prelude on ‘Old 104th’ p 26 Centenary Tribute Blest pair of Sirens, Symphony No 5, Invocation to Music p 33 Closing Night Elegy for Brahms

All Things Organ This year, we welcome The Institute of British Organ Builders and their members who will be exhibiting throughout the week in All Saints Church. Alongside daily free talks about organs and organ-building, the recital programme allows you to explore some imaginative and unusual uses of these instruments, and visit some of the finest organs in the area:

p 9 Liam Dunachie’s Organ Trio p 17 Olivier Latry Cathedral Recital p 18 Kit Downes’ ‘Organ Ceilidh’ p 21 Belmont Abbey Organ Recital: Adam Mathias p 27 Holy Trinity Organ Recital: George Herbert p 32 Leominster Priory Organ Recital: George de Voil The Hereford Cathedral organ

5 FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE Drumming Workshop Saturday 28 July, sessions at 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30 pm Powell Theatre £5 (ideal for all ages) Join Bym from Beat Bang Bong to learn some upcycled carnival drumming. Use recycled bottles, buttons, bearings, buckets, broom handles and barrels to

play some musical games and compose Shadow puppets by Kate Romano your own percussion piece. To add some upcycled melody you can make your own lollypop stick kazoo to take home Drama Workshop afterwards and carry on the fun! Monday 30 July, 11.30 am – 12.45 pm Powell Theatre Hansel and Gretel £6 (ideal for ages 7+) Sunday 29 July, 3.30 – 5 pm Twelfth Night is all about revolution, Tomkins Theatre albeit a failed one. Or is it? Join the £15, under 26 £8 (ideal for ages 12+) director and actors of the Gloucestershire Youth Players company for a fun, Enter a world of light and shadow, of exploratory and fast-paced workshop darkness and deception, a helter-skelter based on Shakespeare’s comic take on journey into ghostly landscapes and love and ambition. feasts of sugar. Hansel and Gretel is a newly re-imagined storytelling with chamber music, shadow-play and Carousel Clarinet Duo live-projected puppetry. See p 12 for Monday 30 July, 2.30 – 3.15 pm more information. Holy Trinity Church £5 adults, children FREE A lively, rhythmic, interactive introduction to clarinets of all sizes from Rob & Luan Shaw. Lots of familiar tunes from favourite films and TV for tiny tots and their brothers and sisters.

Magnard Ensemble Tuesday 31 July, 12 noon – 1 pm St Francis Xavier Church £6 (ideal for ages 5+) A fun-filled, interactive introduction to the wind quintet. Audiences from 5–105 love the Magnard Ensemble’s unique and engaging style and their family concerts explore chamber music through games, interactive demonstrations,

Puppetry by About Face Theatre and well-known pieces.

6 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Automata Making Dance! Dance! Tuesday 31 July, Sessions at 1.30, 2.30 Saturday 4 August, 9.30 – 10.15 am and 3.30 pm Powell Theatre Leominster Priory £5 (ideal for ages 8+) £5 adults, children FREE Join Jo Foy for this family friendly craft Join Lilliput violin duo Kate Skeet and workshop making a simple mechanical toy. Kate Fawcett as they entertain with jigs, Working with cardboard, wire, bamboo, beads reels, waltzes and tangos. Tunes from and paper you’ll create and decorate your own around the globe for tiny toes to tap to! automata, see some examples of the artist’s other work, and learn how to have lots of fun Three Stories About Home with moving artwork! Saturday 4 August, 1.30 – 2.30 pm Powell Theatre Twinkle Tunes £10, £5 children (ideal for ages 4+) Thursday 2 August, 11.30 am – 12.15 pm Once upon a time … not so very long ago ... Powell Theatre A travelling Romany boy, a girl whose £5 adults, children FREE soldier father is away from home, and a From musical stories and Mozart to nursery young refugee fleeing to Australia, whose rhymes and some interesting ways to play lives are curiously intertwined. Papercut the violin, this is a fun-filled session for tiny puppetry and live string quartet help to tots from Lilliput violin duo Kate Skeet and tell these evocative tales. Kate Fawcett.

Puppetry Skills Workshop Friday 3 August, sessions at 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30 pm Powell Theatre £5 (ideal for ages 8+) Learn how to bring a puppet to life and devise a short performance with Jess MacKenzie from About Face Theatre Company, using their bunraku-style puppets, which derive from Japanese traditions. Lilliput Concerts

Those aged under 26 can access a range of free tickets to events and rehearsals. Please see p 39 for more details.

Drumming, puppetry and automata workshops presented in partnership with ignite cic

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Holy Trinity ChurchHoly 26 5' piano trio Coach departs 2.30 returns by approx. 5 pm mann Trio 01452 768 928 o Dali £5 printemps  Trio Dali Trio 3 – 4.45 under 26 FREE £22, £27, Tri C Schu L Boulanger Violinist Jack Liebeckreturns to the festival, this time with his piano trio, inprogramme a celebrating women composers. Lili Boulanger’s expressive diptych was the of one last compositions before her untimely death a century ago, aged just 24. Framing these vignettes are trios from Clara Schumann, a later composition described as by some her ‘masterpiece’, and Rebecca Clarke, echoes work whose 1921 the lush harmonies and impressionistic colour Boulanger’sof writing. the by Supported Ambache Trust Charitable L Boulanger Clarke 3choirs.org pm pm 6 for 6 for am; pleaseam; be

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(ticket required) Public booking opens April: 23 on Free OrganFree Talk 9.30– 10.30 Dominic Gwynne Goetze of & Gwynne Ltd talks historic about organ conservation and restoration, in the firstof a series of free talks tying inwith the Institute British of Organ Builders’ Exhibition in All Saints Church. Drumming Workshop 8 Fami 2.30 & 3.30 1.30, at Sessions Powell Theatre all (ideal£5 for ages) A 50-minute, fun-packed workshop you’ll play inwhere the ‘Plastic Band’ upcycledof instruments, and create a kazoo to take See p home. more information. In partnership with ignite cic am 11.30 – 1 2.45 pm FREE Choir Cathedral Hereford Three Choirs Festival Chorus Peter Dyke Mathias 11.15 at begin seated no later than 11 Opening Service Geraint Bowen Elgar Parry

SATURDAY 28 JULY Evening Prayer will be said today at 5.30 pm Festival Reception in the Cathedral Crypt 6 – 7 pm Bishop’s Palace £12, Friends of Hereford Three Choirs WULSTAN ATKINS LECTURE Festival members £10 Shout, Shout, Up with your Song! Celebrate the start of the 2018 festival with drinks and canapés, hosted by the Friends 5.45 – 6.45 pm Left Bank of Hereford Three Choirs Festival. £12 Supported by Rob and Pat Watkins Dr Rhiannon Mathias, Music Lecturer at Bangor University and a specialist in music by Opening Night women composers, discusses the work of Ethel Smyth, Lili Boulanger and others featured at 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral the festival, reflecting on the context in which See following page for more information they were working. Supported by Katharine O’Carroll Liam Dunachie Organ Trio and Robert and Sherill Atkins 10.15 – 11.30 pm All Saints Church £16, £12 Since his days as a Hereford chorister, Liam Dunachie has made his name as a versatile and talented jazz pianist, organist and composer. Tonight, with his trio, Liam performs a mixture of traditional jazz standards and his own compositions on his 1964 Hammond organ. SATURDAY Bar open from 9.45 pm

Trio Dali © Felix Broede Liam Dunachie

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 9 SUNDAY 29 JULY We open theWe festival with Ethel Smyth’s magnificent MasswhichD, in according to George Bernard was Shaw a sign the of rise composers. music women of Smyth’s carefully reflects mood the of content and the masssetting: the radiant, joyful Gloria triumphantly crowns this richly coloured setting. Alongside this, a rare chance to onlyhear substantial Ireland’s John choral work, which offersutopian a of vision future peace and equality. the by Supported Friends Hereford of Three Choirs Festival Western Great and Railway ' ' mezzo soprano soprano Cathedral

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Ethel Smyth

Ireland Geraint Bowen Philharmonia Madeleine Shaw Paul Nilon Neal Davies Three Choirs Festival Chorus Eleanor Dennis Eleanor £50, £45, £32, £25, £15, £10 £32, £15, £45, £50, £25, Smyth

7.45 – 9.457.45 OPENING NIGHTOPENING SATURDAY SUNDAY 11 , a modern conductor

Shire HallShire vocal coach vocal Two Kids, and Lost Two pm ing together singers and musicians Never Failed Me Yet Me Failed Never 1 – 2.15 £8, children £4 Academia Musica Herefordshire Youth Choir Cantate Domino Singers SHYPP Weller Jon The Encore Ensemble David Wordsworth Bring allof ages, this performance Gavin of Bryarsʼ Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Yet Me is the culmination of a collaboration between the festival, Herefordshire’s and this Encore, music hub year’s nominated charity the At SHYPP. centre Bryars’ of meditative work is the recordinghomeless a man of recalledwho the comfort a long- of remembered hymn. Around his song, four choirs and an ensemble a weave beautiful tapestry sound of to haunting effect. Bookending the performance, mediaSHYPP showcases two films they have developed that explore the idea of home and homelessness: Stories Four Homeof retelling Hansel of and Gretel. A £2.50 transactionA £2.50 fee applies to all ticket orders Cathedral mezzo soprano conductor

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Harmoniemesse (no ticket (no required) Four Stories Four of Home A still from mediaSHYPP’s Festival Festival am 10.30 – 12.15 pm FREE Lucy Bowen Susanna Spicer James Oxley James Geidt Choir Cathedral Hereford Orchestra Philharmonia Peter Dyke Geraint Bowen Haydn Mozart Mozart the by Supported Cathedral Friends Hereford of

SUNDAY 29 JULY Hansel and Gretel Choral Evensong 3.30 – 5 pm Tomkins Theatre 5.30 – 6.20 pm Cathedral £18, under 26 £8 FREE (ticket required) Age guidance: 12+ Hereford Cathedral Voluntary Choir Matthew Kaner music Joel Trekell organ Simon Armitage Peter Dyke conductor Clive Hicks Jenkins art and visual direction Edward Pullin We wait for thy loving Caroline Clegg dramaturgy kindness O God Music performed by the Goldfield Ensemble Reading Responses Produced by Goldfield Productions Roy Massey Service in G minor Enter a world of light and shadow, of darkness Timothy Parsons The Lord is King and deception, a helter-skelter journey into Paulus As if the whole creation cried ghostly landscapes and feasts of sugar. The from Triptych words of Simon Armitage retell the famous story in an extended lyrical poem entwined The Planets with chamber music by composer Matthew Kaner, one of the most original voices of his 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral generation. With shadowplay and puppetry See following page for more information by Clive Hicks-Jenkins, Hansel and Gretel presents an evocative collection of art-forms, to Requirements drawing audiences into an uneasy yet curiously familiar landscape. 10.15 – 11.15 pm All Saints Church £16, £12 £5 Coach departs 3 pm returns by approx. 5.15 pm The Lay Clerks of Hereford Cathedral SUNDAY Always a highlight of the festival programme, the gentlemen of Hereford Cathedral Choir Free Organ Talk present an evening of the sacred and profane: 4 – 5 pm All Saints Church light entertainment with repertoire spanning Dr Nicholas Thistlethwaite, author of many centuries and styles. The Making of the Victorian Organ and Bar open from 9.45 pm The Cambridge Companion to the Organ explores the history of the English organ.

Hansel and Gretel

12 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928

THE PLANETS

7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral From its first ominously pulsing drum beat £55, £50, £32, £25, £15, £10 to the ethereal slow fade out of the final movement, Holst’s The Planets is a hugely Philharmonia Orchestra popular and exciting orchestral suite. Written Elim Chan conductor in haste between Holst’s service in World War I, Hannah Kendall Baptistry it was finally premiered after the armistice (festival co-commission) 4' 100 years ago. The first half features the lost Finzi A Severn Rhapsody 7' and recently republished Norfolk Rhapsody No 2 Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody by Vaughan Williams, never before heard at No 2 10' the festival despite being written over a Holst The Planets 51' century ago, and the premiere of a festival

co-commission by Hannah Kendall. This all-British programme is conducted by Elim Chan, who made a critically-acclaimed debut with the Philharmonia last year. Supported by the American Friends of the In partnership with Three Choirs Festival SUNDAY

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y Eve y l am – 12.45 am – 1.30 ported Katharine by Wedgbury £5 Drama Workshop 11.30 ages (ideal for 7+) £6 Twelfth Night is all about revolution, albeit a failed Or one. is the it? Join director and actors the of Gloucestershire fun, for company Players Youth exploratory and fast-paced workshops based Shakespeare’s on comic take on andlove ambition. £27, £22 GilchristJames Schubert Dove Jonathan Fami 11.30 Anna Tilbrook Schumann C James Gilchrist Recital: James Pilgrim Solitary The Purcell (arr. Britten) Vaughan Williams Vaughan be alone, to dream,̒To to contemplate. wander intoout the severing world, To the bonds homeland, of seeking a direction and a goal as yet unknown.’ Thus James Gilchrist describes two great Romantic themes as the threads that throughout weave this recital as delvesit into the pilgrim spirit. Joined by his long-standing accompanist Anna Tilbrook, this is sure to be an evocative expressed. exquisitely journey Sup was

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Left Bank Powell TheatrePowell © Patrick Allen © Patrick 14 James Gilchrist Gilchrist James ty L e pm i am . will be served the at Left Bank c r So Elgar Society Lunch a Howard Tomlinson lg pm following the morning’s lecture. All welcome. 11 am11 – 12.30 £12 Roger organist Judd Renowned twenty over years for organist assistant Chapel, George’s St andat Windsor, has manyplayed for royal occasions. In today’s talk, Elgar Sinclair and GR – an enduring friendship the friendship between Elgar and the organistHereford (along who with his bulldog) inspired the of one 1 to include£30 £40 or the morning talk Lunch E One Man and His Dog One Man 100 Years on: Life at Hereford at Hereford on: Life Years 100 in 1919 School Cathedral – 10.30 9.30 (includes breakfast) £12 AddisonSydney was Dr of one Sinclair’s choristers during I.After War World leaving the kept choir, he a diary his of day-to-day activities and today's talk explores this schoolboy's life account of Cathedral Hereford at School in 1919. Former headmaster the of school Dr important the source for history the of school in the context a post-war of world.

MONDAY 30 JULY Family Event Including many composers with strong Carousel Clarinet Duo connections to the Three Choirs Festival, and the premiere of a psalm originally intended 2.30 – 3.15 pm Holy Trinity Church for Torsten Rasch’s 2014 piece A Foreign £5 adults, children FREE Field, commissioned to mark the start of Ideal for babies, toddlers and siblings the centenary, this is sure to be a moving from one of the UK ̓s most Fun and interactive music sessions. exhilaratingly refined vocal ensembles. See p 6 for more information.

Twelfth Night Free Organ Talk 4 – 5 pm All Saints Church 2.30 – 4.30 pm Bishop’s Palace Garden £12, £6 children Andrew Caskie, Managing Director of Nicholson Organs of Malvern, speaks about Gloucestershire Youth Players the history of this prestigious company. All-Shakespeare youth theatre group GYP take you on a magical journey to the land of Illyria, where society – and love – is turned upon its Choral Evensong head, and a parallel universe of madness and 5.30 – 6.20 pm Cathedral mayhem, a land of alternative facts, becomes a FREE (ticket required) seeming reality. Be prepared to be whisked off your feet as they transform the garden into a Three Cathedral Choirs cosmos of energetic storytelling, pacey twists, Peter Dyke organ comedy and fun. Adrian Partington conductor Please note that this is an outdoor performance Sumsion Responses

which will only be relocated in the event of Gray Service in F minor MONDAY extremely adverse weather conditions. Harris Bring us, O Lord God Dvořák (arr. Peter Dyke) Finale from Tenebrae Symphony No 9 2.45 – 4.45 pm Cathedral Elgarʼs King Olaf £40, £35, £25, £20, £15, £10 7.45 – 9.20 pm Cathedral Tenebrae Nigel Short director See following page for more information Elgar They are at rest 3' Tavener Song for Athene 6' Alive and Brel Gurney Since I believe in God 6' 10 – 11 pm All Saints Church Torsten Rasch A Foreign Field Psalm £16, £12 (premiere) 5' Judith Bingham A Walk with Ivor Gurney 8' This Herefordshire quintet (piano, flute and Howells Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing 8' vocal trio) have established a great reputation Vaughan Williams Valiant-for-Truth 6' for their cabaret revue of the finest songs Parry Songs of Farewell 35' of Jacques Brel. Returning to the festival by Schoenberg Friede auf Erden 8' popular demand, this intimate show brings Brel’s wit and irony to life. This programme marks a gentle reflection on the final year of the World War I centenary, Bar open from 9.30 pm telling a story of loss and an earnest wish for peace. A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 15 TUESDAY 31 JU LY Conducted by world-renowned champion Elgar’sof music, Andrew Sir Davis, this rarely-heard masterpiece tells the exciting saga the of tenth-century Norwegian King Olaf. With sublimely colourful orchestration underscoring battle scenes heroic of and tender duets, love this to miss. not is one Please note that there will be no interval thisin performance the by Supported Estate Michael of Morris '

conductor Sir Andrew Davis Andrew Davis Sir © Dario Acosta soprano tenor Cathedral bass

pm Scenes from the Saga King of Olaf 85

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Sir AndrewSir Davis Judit Orchestra Philharmonia £55, £50, £32, £25, £15, £10 £32, £15, £55, £50, £25, Andrew Staples David Shipley Three Choirs Festival Chorus Elgar

7.45 – 9.207.45 ELGAR'SKING OLAF MONDAY TUESDAY Celebrity Organ Recital: Olivier Latry 11 am – 12.10 pm Cathedral £20 unreserved Bach Prelude and Fugue in E flat BWV 552 16' Franck Choral No 2 in B minor 14' Debussy (arr. Alexandre Cellier) Clair de lune 6' Dupré Prelude and Fugue in G minor Op. 7 No 3 8' Alain Postlude pour l’office des The Laskett Gardens

1 ULY JU 31 Complies 5' Thierry Escaich Evocation II 6' Three Choirs Festival Olivier Latry Improvisation Society Outing: The Laskett Gardens Olivier Latry is a virtuoso of the highest order, so it is perhaps no surprise that 10 am – 1 pm The Laskett Gardens he holds the office of titulaire des grands £22 including travel and refreshments orgues at France’s most iconic cathedral, (Society members only) Notre Dame in Paris. Latry is famous for championing the music of his The Laskett Gardens were created by compatriots in performances around Sir Roy Strong and his late wife, Julia the world, and today’s recital is no Trevelyan Oman. This visit offers a exception. The programme is dominated chance to explore these formal gardens,

by French composers loved for the colour TUESDAY influenced by Italian Renaissance as and expression in their music, and this well as formal Tudor and Stuart English recital is sure to explore the full range of gardens. Visitors will look round in their Hereford Cathedral organ’s possibilities. own time with individual audio guides, and morning refreshments will be available. Free Organ Talk Please note that there is no car parking 1 – 2 pm All Saints Church at The Laskett Gardens. Independent organ designer and editor Family Event of Organ Building, the journal of the IBO, Geoff McMahon explores some of Magnard Ensemble the technical aspects of organ design. 10.30 – 11.30 am St Francis Xavier Church

£6 (ideal for ages 5+) The Magnard Ensemble A fun-filled, interactive introduction to the wind quintet. See p 6 for more information. Supported by Cavatina Chamber Music Trust

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 17 Family Event A Heckelphone for Hereford Automata Making 5.30 – 6.45 pm Shire Hall Sessions at 1.30, 2.30 & 3.30 pm £15, £12 Powell Theatre As we near the 200th anniversary of the £5 (ideal for ages 5+) building of Hereford’s Shire Hall, Dr Stephen A 50-minute workshop teaching you how Williams gives an illustrated talk looking to make a simple mechanical toy. See p 7 back to the 1909 Three Choirs Festival and for more information. the (sometimes tumultuous!) preparations for the premiere of ’ Dance In partnership with ignite cic Rhapsody No 1.

Gould Piano Trio Monteverdi Vespers 3 – 4.50 pm Holy Trinity Church 7.45 – 9.30 pm Cathedral £27, £22 (under 26 FREE) See following page for more information Robert Plane clarinet Gould Piano Trio Kit Downes’ Organ Ceilidh Ireland Phantasie Trio in A minor 12' 10 – 11.15 pm All Saints Church Huw Watkins New work £16, £12 (premiere, festival co-commission) 20' Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time 55' Kit Downes is a versatile jazz musician and composer who has worked with a hugely Robert Plane, who has developed a reputation diverse range of musicians. Tonight, he for championing English clarinet music, celebrates the festival’s organ focus and joins the renowned Gould Piano Trio for this his own most recent solo organ project, TUESDAY colourful programme. The first half pairs Obsidian, in a programme ranging from Bach Ireland’s inventive Phantasie with a new to folksong-inspired fantasias and his own work by composer and pianist Huw Watkins, compositions, including an ‘organ ceilidh’ whose music is characterised by a warmth and written especially for this event, which lyricism that brings out the distinctive colours will invite members of the audience to join of the instruments for which he writes. Also Kit in playing a range of the instruments rich in colour and detail is Messiaen’s iconic simultaneously and showcase the individuality Quartet for the End of Time, which brings of some of the chamber organs being this recital to a contemplative close. exhibited by The Institute of British Organ Building throughout the week. £5 Coach departs 2.30 pm, returns by approx. 5.05 pm Bar open from 9.30 pm Supported by Richard Hall 10.30 – 11.10 pm Cathedral Crypt Evening Prayer will be said today at (enter through St John’s door) 5.30 pm in the Cathedral Crypt FREE, no ticket required Compline will be sung by the Ethelbert Consort, and include Tallis’ motet Salvator mundi.

18 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 MONTEVERDI VESPERS

7.45 – 9.30 pm Cathedral This giant of the Renaissance repertoire is £55, £50, £32, £25, £15, £10 performed tonight by an outstanding cast of period instrument performers and Mary Bevan soprano the cathedral choirs of Hereford, Gloucester Lorena Paz Nieto soprano and Worcester. Brecon Baroque is led by Gwilym Bowen tenor Rachel Podger and incorporates the English Ruairi Bowen tenor Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. Under the Henry Neill bass baton of this year’s Artistic Director, a fine David Shipley bass selection of young soloists, who are specialists Three Cathedral Choirs in this repertoire, completes the line-up. Brecon Baroque Please note there will be no interval in Geraint Bowen conductor this performance. Monteverdi Vespers (1610) 95' Supported by Hereford City Council and Lee Bolton Monier-Williams TUESDAY

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£5 the mid hour night, of ye O come from Newcastle,not 12 Waly O Waly Frauenliebe und -leben Op. 42 25 Stockbridge; Memories; Songs my mother taught 12 me HughesRuby has become known for her rich, warm and beautifully voice nuanced interpretations, enhanced all sensitivethe by Middleton’s Joseph more partnership. understated and This recital brings together songs fond of recollection and the hope for future, with newest Helen Grime’s song cycle, written setting Ruby, for Benson’s Fiona Travellers Bright programme that reflectson the profound impact of parenthood. Ruby H Trad (arr. Britten) 11.15 £27, £22 MiddletonJoseph Schumann Mahler Ives HelenGrime Ruby Hughes Recital: Hughes Ruby Love and Life New for Songs Ruby Hughes Ruby Hughes © Phil Sharp 3choirs.org of Hereford All Saints Church am

Public booking opens April: 23 on am – 12 noon Using a series demonstration of builder Robert organ models, Balfour-Rowley gives a fascinating introduction to the mechanics of anhow organ works. Free OrganFree Talk 11 Mappa Mundi Mappa 20 9.30 – 10.30 Powell Theatre (includes breakfast) £12 Arrowsmith Sarah Cathedral’s education department Mappa discusses Hereford’s how Mundi reflectsWestern the Christian understanding time, of space and the cosmos in the Middle Ages. The map exhibits a very different world view from would we one recognise today: peopled with weird humanoids and strange beasts, first at it presents a curious picture dominated a world of by myth there is muchand to this Yet fable. more curious map than and legend fantasy. Hereford’s Curious Map Curious Hereford’s

WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST The Winter’s Tale Choral Evensong 1 – 3 pm Bishopʼs Palace Garden 3.30 – 4.30 pm Cathedral £17, £10 children FREE (ticket required) The Festival Players Three Cathedral Choirs Peter Dyke organ Written by Shakespeare in his later years, Geraint Bowen conductor The Winter’s Tale is an intriguing mix of drama and comedy. Leontes, King of Sicilia, Kerensa Briggs Set me as a seal sets in motion a train of events which (festival commission) affect two kingdoms and two generations, Janet Wheeler Responses sparked by an obsessive envy of a perceived Judith Weir Magnificat and Nunc dimittis relationship between his Queen and his oldest Boyle The Transfiguration friend. There is jealousy and joy, revenge Rachel Laurin Finale from Symphony No 1 and romance, loss and discovery, remorse Op. 36 and revelry, and an amazing . This service will be broadcast live on Tremendous entertainment for a summer BBC Radio 3. Please be seated by 3.15 pm evening, with music by Jonny Coppin. Please note that this is an outdoor performance The Singing Violin which will be relocated only in the event of 3.45 – 5.15 pm extremely adverse weather conditions. St John’s Methodist Church £15, under 26 FREE Belmont Abbey Organ Recital Emily Sun violin 2 – 3 pm Belmont Abbey Gamal Khamis piano £12 unreserved Beethoven Sonata No 3 in E flat 18' Adam Mathias organ

Grieg Sonata No 3 in C minor Op. 45 25' WEDNESDAY Buxtehude Passacaglia in D minor Fauré Sonata No 1 in A 25' BuxWV 161 7' Frolov Concert Fantasy on themes from Alain Introduction and Variations from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess Op. 19 10' Suite pour Orgue 7' Emily Sun, winner of the 2017 Bromsgrove Arvo Pärt Mein Weg hat Gipfel und International Musicians’ Competition, Wellentäler 8' showcases some titans of the solo violin Byrd Fantasia in A minor 8' repertoire, opening today’s recital with Ligeti Ricercare per organo – Omaggio a an energetic sonata by Beethoven. Fauré’s Girolamo Frescobaldi 5' achingly beautiful piece completes the Bach Passacaglia in C minor BWV 582 13' programme alongside two lyrical works: the The first in our series of recitals from the folk melodies of home echo in Grieg’s final up-and-coming stars of the organ world, sonata, and the recital closes with a virtuosic selected by the Royal College of Organists. celebration of Gershwin’s most popular opera. Today’s recital takes place in the tranquil church of Belmont Abbey on a Nicholson organ whose recent restoration was completed in 2010.

£7 Coach departs 1.15 pm, returns by approx. 3.30 pm Supported by Father Michael Thomas A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 21 The Three Deans’ Hymn of Praise Croquet Match & Garden Party 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral 5 – 6.30 pm Bishop’s Palace See following page for more information £15, members of the Friends of Hereford Three Choirs Festival £12 The Baronet and the Playboy (includes refreshments) 10.15 – 11.20 pm St John’s Methodist Church The Friends of the Hereford Three Choirs £16 Festival invite you to join them for a Garden Party featuring a not-to-be-missed sporting Parry Shulbrede Tunes fixture. Following Hereford’s resounding Poulenc Les soirées de Nazelles bowls win in Worcester last year, join us at this Beginning a 24-hour Parry focus at the genteel battle for sporting supremacy. festival, David Owen Norris performs two piano portraits to a video backdrop. Parry’s John Maine and Ascension Shulbrede Tunes is accompanied by a tour of 5 – 6.15 pm Left Bank the home of the title (his daughter’s) and the £12 family photo album. Alongside, Poulenc’s ‘twenty minutes of brilliantissimo’ are Artist John Maine discusses the design and animated by Guardian cartoonist Martin execution of the window and sculpture that Rowson, bringing caricatures to life as the make up Ascension, the newest of Hereford music plays. In Norris’ words, ‘the Essence Cathedral’s artworks. A fantastic opportunity of England and the Flamboyance of France’! to learn more about this strikingly bold and beautiful installation, conceived as a tribute and to the SAS, who have long had close links with Hereford. WEDNESDAY

Ascension at Hereford Cathedral Martin Rowson’s vision of Poulenc’s Valse-Caprice on the name BACH © Martin Rowson

22 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 HYMN OF PRAISE

7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral ‘All that has breath, praise the Lord!’ £50, £45, £32, £25, £15, £10 We continue our exploration of Mendelssohn’s large-scale choral works with his answer to Sarah Fox soprano Beethoven’s : a majestic Anna Harvey mezzo soprano expression of joy in mankind’s progression James Oxley tenor from darkness to enlightenment. One of Quentin Hayes bass Mendelssohn’s most popular works within his Three Choirs Festival Chorus own lifetime but now rarely performed, the Philharmonia Orchestra piece bursts with jubilant melodies and rich Peter Nardone conductor harmonies. Bruckner’s mighty Te Deum, a Bruckner Te Deum 22' piece which the composer called ‘the pride Mendelssohn Lobgesang Op. 52 65' of his life’, opens with the choir singing in

blazing unison. Supported by the Hereford Chairman’s Circle WEDNESDAY

Hereford Cathedral Powell TheatrePowell Bishop's Palace Garden Bishop's pm nt e pm All Saints Church te that this is an outdoor y Ev l pm 01452 768 928 am – 12.15 Free OrganFree Talk 1 – 2 Craftsman Robert Woodland gives a illustrating demonstration practical the techniques gilding, of grain work, marbling and other decorative and ornamental skills. Twinkle Tunes Twinkle The Winter’s Tale The Winter’s 2.30 – 4.30 11.30 children adults, £5 FREE toddlers babies, Ideal siblings and for Fun and interactive music sessions. See p 7 for more information. Fami performance which will be relocated only thein event of extremely adverse weather conditions. £17, children £10 The Festival Players Written by Shakespeare in his later years, The Winter’s is an Tale intriguing mix drama of Leontes, and comedy. King Sicilia, of sets in motion a train of events which affect two kingdoms and two generations, sparked by an obsessive envy a perceived of relationship between his Queen and his oldest friend. There is revengejealousy andromance, and joy, loss and discovery, remorse and revelry, and an amazing revelation. Tremendous summer a evening,entertainment for with Coppin. music by Jonny Please no 3choirs.org , Norris all the way to his l Shire Shire Hall ita , author of the , author of recently explores the development am Powell Theatream Powell rec and Jerusalem begins with his discovery that ure Public booking opens April: 23 on t employs his celebrated methods of live deconstruction seen (as in the Prince of documentaryWales’ Parry) on to shine a light this on underappreciated aspect of Parry’s output. final,Shakespearean, England 24 11.15 am – 12.45 pm £18, £15 In this illustrated talk, David Owen Norris Parry’s neglected get there song You’ll was in fact suffragist composed for Millicent Garrett Fawcett, a family friend, before going to examine on Parry’s development a ‘democratic’ of style melodic of vocal writing (Vaughan Williams said that Parry taught him to write choral music ‘like an Englishman and a democrat’). Hymn for From Aviators lec £12 (includes breakfast) £12 Michael Trott published Hubert Parry: A Life in Photographs, Parry’sof character from the tragic circumstances his of birth and upbringing by his high-minded father to becoming writer, a great composer, historian, teacher, administrator and a man whose humility and integrity endeared him to all met who him. Hubert Parry:Hubert of Development the Personality a Great – 10.30 9.30 Parry and the Suffragettes Parry

THURSDAY 2 AUGUST Bernstein and Mahler 2.30 – 4.30 pm Cathedral £35, £30, £25, £15, £10, £5 National Youth Choir of Wales National Youth Orchestra of Wales Carlo Rizzi conductor Bernstein Chichester Psalms 19' Mahler Symphony No 5 68' These talented young musicians celebrate the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth with his infectiously rhythmic Chichester Psalms before eminent conductor Carlo Rizzi guides the orchestra through the vast emotional landscape of Mahler’s huge Fifth Symphony. Joby Burgess © Nick White Supported by the Perry Family Trust and Carolyn Pascall Joby Burgess: Pioneers of Percussion Choral Evensong 10.30 – 11.30 pm All Saints Church 5.30 – 6.20 pm Cathedral £16, £12 FREE (ticket required) Takemitsu Seasons 16' Three Cathedral Choirs Rebecca Dale Can’t Sleep 7' Peter Dyke organ Linda Buckley Ekstasis 9' Peter Nardone conductor Xenakis Psappha 14' THURSDAY Radcliffe Responses Nicole Lizée The Filthy Fifteen 13' Wood Service in F (Collegium Regale) A solo recital of pioneering works from the Parry Hear my words most innovative and creative composers of the Parry Chorale Prelude on ‘Old 104th’ past century. Featuring the 9ft tall Capone-era aluminium harp, a typewriter, a giant steel A Parry Centenary Tribute sheet, loop pedals, an Angolan shepherding instrument, graphic scores and electronics, 7.45 – 10 pm Cathedral this promises to be a revelatory programme See following page for more information from one of contemporary classical music’s leading lights. Bar open from 10 pm

Compline 10.30 – 11.10 pm Cathedral Crypt (enter through St John’s door) Carlo Rizzi FREE (no ticket required) © Tessa Traeger Compline will be sung by the Ethelbert Consort, and include Tallis’ motet O nata lux.

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 25 FRIDAY 3 AUGUST , in this eloquently sets a poem Robert of cascading melodies express desire a to return andto heaven heavenlymusic, theme a which continues in the richly harmonic Fifth examiningSymphony, the triumph hope of over the human of life. Invocation to Music Bridges, penned ‘in Henry honour of Purcell’ to celebrate the bicentenary, composer's and is thought to have strongly by some influenced major choralworksof both Elgar and Vaughan Williams. A rare opportunity to hear Parry’s sumptuous melodic voice, so familiar from Blest pair of Sirens extended format. Reprieval the by Supported Music Trust; Sir Andrew Davis supported Gabbs by Solicitors ' ' ' soprano

conductor tenor Orchestra David Stout © Benjamin Ealovega Cathedral Festival Chorus bass

pm Blest pair Sirens of 11 Symphony No 5 27 No Symphony Invocation 55 to Music

Hubert Parry Hubert – 10 7.45 Katherine Broderick Katherine £55, £50, £32, £25, £15, £10 £10 £32, £15, £55, £50, £25, Mark Le Brocq David Stout Three Choirs Philharmonia AndrewSir Davis Parry Parry Parry Based a text on Milton, by John beautifully tonight’s centenary tribute Hubert to Parry. The sublime Blest pair of Sirens opens A PARRY CENTENARY TRIBUTE CENTENARY PARRY A THURSDAY FRIDAY Hereford’s Bishops Binchois Consort and the Saints 11 am – 1 pm Cathedral 9.30 – 10.30 am Powell Theatre £35, £30, £25, £15, £10, £5 £12 (includes breakfast) Binchois Consort Medieval historian Ian Bass shares Andrew Kirkman conductor some insights into Hereford’s religious The Binchois Consort is a vocal ensemble significance. By the later Middle Ages, with a fine reputation for historically Hereford Cathedral had become a pilgrim informed early music performances, destination on a par with Canterbury. receiving numerous accolades for its 3 AUGUST 3 This talk explores the role of Hereford’s Hyperion recordings. Today, it presents a bishops in the establishment of Hereford programme with a very special Hereford as a cult centre. connection: Cornago’s mass, Missa Ayo visto lo mappamundi, and the tune on Holy Trinity Organ Recital which it is based are the only known musical works of the later Middle Ages 11 am – 12 noon Holy Trinity Church to reference the idea of the ‘world map’. £12 (unreserved) This programme is topical in other ways, George Herbert organ too, featuring from Hereford sources and embracing the Hereford Vivaldi (arr. Bach) Concerto in saints Ethelbert and Thomas Cantilupe A minor BWV 593 13' (in the form of John Benet’s motet Lux Bach Sonata No 3 in D minor fulget ex Anglia), and the Lady Chapel BWV 527 14' musical tradition begun anew in the 14th Mendelssohn Sonata in B flat century under the watchful liturgical and Op. 65 No 4 14' musical eye of Thomas de Charlton, the FRIDAY Whitlock Allegretto, Folk Tune and then bishop of Hereford. Scherzo from Five Short Pieces 9' -Saëns No 7 from Sept Improvisations 5' Three Choirs Festival Society Members’ Lunch The second of our RCO Young Organists recital series is given by George Herbert, 12.45 – 2 pm Left Bank one of the youngest organists the festival £30 (includes lunch, a glass of wine has welcomed in recent years and a and coffee) promising talent, who won numerous Enjoy a two-course lunch with fellow awards from the Royal College of Society members, followed by an address Organists in 2017. by special guest Sir Andrew Davis. Coach departs 10.30 am, returns £5 The Three Choirs Festival Society AGM by approx. 12.20 pm will be held today at 5.30 pm in the Powell Supported by Father Michael Thomas Theatre. All Society members welcome

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 27 Family Event Choral Evensong Puppetry Skills Workshop 5.30 – 6.20 pm Cathedral Sessions at 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30 pm FREE (ticket required) Powell Theatre Three Cathedral Choirs £5 (ideal for ages 7+) Peter Dyke organ A 50-minute puppetry workshop teaching Geraint Bowen conductor you how to operate and express using Tunnard Responses striking, beautiful puppets. See p 7 for more Leighton Magdalen College Service information. Philip Moore All wisdom cometh from In partnership with ignite cic the Lord Bach Prelude and Fugue in E minor Clare Hammond BWV 548 2.45 – 4.40 pm Holy Trinity Church Symphony of Psalms £27, £22 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral Clare Hammond piano See following page for more information Jacquet de la Guerre Suite in G 11' Mendelssohn The Bee’s Wedding 2' Bach Goldberg Variations L Boulanger D’un vieux jardin; D’un jardin clair 5' 10.15 – 11.40 pm St Francis Xavier Church Schubert Impromptus, D899 30' £18, £15, £10 Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Rachmaninov) Mahan Esfahani harpsichord Flight of the Bumblebee 2'

FRIDAY Debussy selection from Préludes 20' Bach Goldberg Variations BWV 988 78' Stravinsky Petroushka Suite 16' ‘Everyone wants to record Bach’s Goldbergs, Dazzlingly virtuosic pianist Clare Hammond but not many show as much piercing insight presents a programme of piano music as harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani.’ that spans over four centuries, beginning Guardian with a suite by prodigy of the court of Bach’s fascinatingly multi- Louis XIV, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre. layered Goldberg Variations Favourites of the piano repertoire, Debussy’s were reputedly written for impressionistic Préludes are complemented harpsichord prodigy Johann by sprightly bee-inspired pieces and Lili Gottlieb Goldberg to play, Boulanger’s evocative miniatures. sending his insomniac employer £5 Coach departs 2.15 pm, off to sleep. Almost hypnotic returns by approx. 5 pm in its endless invention, this performance by Esfahani follows his Mahan Esfahani Free Organ Talk © Bernhard Musil critically acclaimed 4 – 5 pm All Saints Church recording of the work Shires Organ Pipes will give a practical in 2017. demonstration on the art of pipe-making, Supported by and discuss their traditional, hand-crafted The Very Reverend approach. Michael Tavinor

28 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 SYMPHONY OF PSALMS

7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral The sparkling dance rhythms in Ravel’s £50, £45, £32, £25, £15, £10 elegantly neoclassical suite belie the sombre dedication of each movement to a friend Anna Harvey mezzo soprano who had died in World War I. Although as a Magnus Walker tenor woman she was excluded from the fighting, Timothy Ridout viola Lili Boulanger also saw the extreme toll of Three Choirs Festival Chorus war and composed the touching Psalm 130 Philharmonia Orchestra with its dark harmonies as a heart-breaking Adrian Partington conductor to loss of hope. Stravinsky’s Symphony Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin 17' of Psalms, also deeply moving, maps a journey L Boulanger Psalm 130 (Du fond de from keening sinfulness to redemption and l’abîme) 25' ferocious exaltation. Walton Viola Concerto 27' Supported by the Elmley Foundation Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms 21' and Pamela White

Three Choirs Festival Hereford 2015 © Ash Mills FRIDAY

Magnus Walker © Ash Mills , ' ' 30 22

' . Cathedral Stabat Mater Sea Pictures conductor

baritone

Serenade Strings for 14 01452 768 928 Get involved! an experiencedIf you're singer aged 14-25, might you like to consider joining the youth choir. Full details of what to expect can and to apply how be found 3choirs.org/take-part at The Mater reimagines Stabat the meditations the of Virgin Mary as standsshe before the Cross. This setting by Cecilia McDowall times is at contemplative and solemn, others at impassioned and emphatic. Alongside this is a choral arrangement by Donald Fraser Elgar’s of dramatic Sea Pictures recently by also recorded the who ESO, celebrate their local connections with Serenade effervescent Elgar’s Mr by MrsSupported and David Ball, Michael Guittard Harry and Prince, theand Elgar Society Elgar Elgar Fraser) (arr. 11.15 am – 12.30 pm £5 £10, £15, £35, £25, £30, Philip Smith Three ChoirsFestival Choir Youth English Orchestra Symphony Peter Nardone Cecilia McDowall Three Choirs Festival Festival Choirs Three Choir Youth 3choirs.org

, Dean of All Saints Church Leominster Priory Powell TheatrePowell nt e am am noon v y e l Public booking opens April: 23 on am – 12 Free OrganFree Talk 11 The last in the series IBO's talks of and demonstrations on organ building. ami 30 Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir Three Youth Choirs Festival Corrick © Sally f – 10.15 9.30 children adults, £5 FREE toddlers babies, Ideal siblings and for Fun and interactive music sessions. See p 7 for more information. Dance! Dance! Medieval Shrines Medieval – 10.30 9.30 £12 (including breakfast)£12 Medieval shrines the at were heart of faith andreligion in the Middle Ages ruthlesslybut were destroyed the at Reformation. Michael Tavinor Hereford, exploresHereford, theirsignificance in medieval times and what they may be saying to the Church today. of

SATURDAY 4 AUGUST Gothic Voices © Eric Richmond

Family Event Gothic Voices: Three Stories About Home Stella Maris – Virga Jesse 1.30 – 2.30 pm Powell Theatre 2.30 – 4.15 pm Leominster Priory £10 adults, £5 children £27, £22, £12 Ideal for ages 4+ SATURDAY Gothic Voices Producer of last weekend’s Hansel and Gretel For centuries the figure of Mary has deeply retelling, Kate Romano returns with stories captivated the devotees of European religious for a younger audience using shadow puppetry culture. This programme, marrying music and music. As she narrates Three Stories of from two of Gothic Voices’ most celebrated Home, a string quartet will underscore these recordings, explores this fascination through highly engaging tales with evocative music. the eyes of both men and women. Ancient See p 7 for more information. liturgical texts and poems illuminate Mary’s various mythical and human aspects, set to music by masters of medieval England, offset by contemporary responses to these themes on the one hand, and introduced and reflected on by the celebrated Hildegard of Bingen, writing in the 12th century, on the other.

£9 Coach departs 1.30 pm, returns by approx. 5 pm Supported by Leominster Town Council

Hildegard of Bingen

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 31 Leominster Priory Organ Recital 5 – 6 pm Leominster Priory £12 (unreserved) George de Voil organ Bruhns Praeludium in E minor 9' Schumann Selection from Six Studies, Op. 56 15' Bach Prelude and Fugue in G Kristin Hammerseth BWV 541 8' Reger Benedictus Op. 59 No 9 6' Flute, Viola and Harp Recital Oortmerssen Nun ruhen alle Wälder 3' Liszt Prelude and Fugue on BACH 11' 5.15 – 6.30 pm St Francis Xavier Church £15, under 26 FREE George de Voil is already making a name for himself as a talented organist and choral Kristin Hammerseth flute director, so this last in our organ recital series Henrietta Hill viola is sure to be a showstopper. The programme Tomos Xerri harp takes Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, Programme to include: 1693 – 2013 as its theme, in a series of Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp 16' intricately crafted works from across Sofia Gubaidulina The Garden of Joys and the centuries. Sorrows 16' £9 Coach departs 4 pm, Talented young Instrumental Fellows returns by approx. 6.40 pm selected by the Philharmonia Orchestra Supported by Father Michael Thomas perform a selection of twentieth-century repertoire for flute, viola and harp, starting SATURDAY with Debussy’s impressionistic trio of 1915. Setting out to write for ‘diverse instruments’, Debussy’s Trio is the first major work in this genre, but many composers since have made effective use of the distinctive yet complementary timbres of these instruments, not least Sofia Gubaidalina, whose work evokes a shimmering, suspended place of stillness.

Choral Evensong 5.30 – 6.20 pm Cathedral FREE (ticket required) Academia Musica Robert Green organ Jon Weller conductor Rose Responses Stanford Service in A Bairstow Blessed City Leominster Priory Bach Pièce d’Orgue BWV 572

32 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 BRAHMS' GERMAN REQUIEM

7.45 – 10 pm Cathedral Brahms was moved to write his German £55, £50, £32, £25, £15, £10 Requiem by the death of his mother. He uses a German text rather than the usual Elizabeth Watts soprano one to focus on comforting the grieving Matthew Brook baritone and considered it a ‘human Requiem’. Three Choirs Festival Chorus It is preceded in this festival finale by Parry’s Philharmonia Orchestra richly radiant expression of admiration Geraint Bowen conductor composed after Brahms’ own death, and Vaughan Williams Toward the Unknown Vaughan Williams’ romantically optimistic Region 14’ vision of the future. Parry Elegy for Brahms 11' Supported by the Three Choirs Foundation Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem 65' and the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust SATURDAY

Three Choirs Festival Hereford 2015 © Ash Mills YOUR VISIT YOUR Festival Hub Pre-concert Dinner Menu The heart of the festival is in the Festival Hub, located in Hereford Cathedral Saturday 28 July School. A perfect place to meet up with • Turkey escalope with a lemon old friends over a drink (and make a few and honey jus new ones!), you’ll find the Old Deanery • Butternut squash and quinoa roulade (v) bar and garden, serving a selection of fine wines, cask ales and local ciders, as well as the dining room where we serve Sunday 29 July our pre-concert meals. Relax with the • Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding daily newspapers in the Quiet Room, • Lentil roast with an apple glaze (v) or wander round the Sports Hall art exhibition, where there will be over 30 Monday 30 July local artists exhibiting a wide range of styles. You can be sure of a warm • Spanish-style chicken and chorizo welcome from our Friends of Hereford stew with rice Three Choirs Festival in the Sports Hall • Vegetarian paella (v) Café and the Zimmerman Café, serving a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes, Tuesday 31 July breakfasts, lunches and suppers. • Fillet of Scottish salmon with hollandaise sauce Opening Times • Vegetarian moussaka (v) Bar 10 am – midnight Dining Room 6 – 7.30 pm Wednesday 1 August Sports Hall Café 10 am – 8 pm Zimmerman Café 9.30 am – 6 pm • Boeuf bourguignon Quiet Room 10 am – 8 pm • Mushroom bourguignon (v)

Thursday 2 August • Chicken tikka masala, pilau rice and naan bread • Chickpea and spinach balti, pilau rice and naan bread (v) © Ash Mills

Friday 3 August Pre-concert Dining • Breaded cod, chips and mushy peas You can pre-book a two-course sit- • Glamorgan sausage and chips (v) down dinner, served in the Hereford Cathedral School Dining Hall, at 6pm each evening of the festival. Priced at £25 Saturday 4 August per person, all menus include a choice of • Beef lasagne, garlic bread and dessert, cheese, a glass of wine, and tea mixed leaves or coffee. Special dietary requirements • Tomato and mozzarella ravioli, can be catered for, but please inform the garlic bread and mixed leaves (v) ticket office at the time of booking.

34 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 School House Designer Crafts Exhibition Open daily 10 am – 7.45 pm Open daily 10 am – 7.30 pm The information hub of the festival site, The Herefordshire Guild of Craftsmen will you’ll find the ticket office, information point be exhibiting at the Left Bank for the duration and shop in School House. Our friendly staff of the festival joined by guests who share a and volunteers are on hand to offer practical passion and excellence in their chosen craft. information and local knowledge and can Exhibiting unique pieces in wood, glass, point you in the right direction. While you’re textiles, ceramics, leather, resin and art, picking up your tickets, browse books, CDs and several members will be working on current a range of items to take home as a souvenir projects during the week: further details will of the festival. be on the festival's website. Situated on the first floor (lift access), the selling exhibition will be open 9.30 am – 7.30 pm daily with a Prosecco bar, a terrace and a view over the river to rest and revive.

Organ Exhibition Open daily 10 am – 6 pm Members of The Institute of British Organ Building will be exhibiting in the side chapel at All Saints Church, with contributors including Mander Organs, Penny’s Mill,

Crafts from the Herefordshire Guild of Craftsmen Harrison & Harrison, Richard Bower and Vincent Woodstock. They will also present a series of free talks throughout the week – Hereford Guild of Guides brief information can be found in the event Walking Tours pages in this brochure, and full details will be available on our website and in Musical Walking Tours the programme. Monday 30 July – Friday 3 August 10.45 am – 12 noon daily £5, meet at the Elgar statue in the cathedral close Discover Elgar’s links to the city of Hereford, and to the Three Choirs Festival.

Historic Hereford Monday 30 July – Saturday 4 August 11.30 am – 1 pm daily Sunday 29 July 2.30 – 4 pm £5, meet at the west front of the cathedral An introduction to this ancient border city and some of its famous residents. The Elgar statue at Hereford Cathedral © Ash Mills

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 35 Festival Village Coaches to outlying venues will All times indicate minutes walking from and return to Broad Street.

St Francis Xavier Church (2 mins) 6 Shire Hall All Saints Church (5 mins) (4 mins) 5 8

Tomkins Theatre Broad St (17 mins) Holy Trinity Church (19 mins) a 7 9 10

Cathedral Castle St b 3

Left Bank St John’s (3 mins) Methodist Church (5 mins) Gwynne Street 1 2

St Martin’s St 4

River Wye

Festival Village Cathedral Entrances 1. Bishop’s Palace a. North Door 2. Bishop’s Palace Garden b. St John’s Door 3. School House (Ticket Office, Shop, Festival Hub Information Point) 7. Old Deanery Bar & Garden 4. Left Bank 8. Sports Hall Cafe & Exhibition 5. Zimmerman Café 9. Dining Room 6. Powell Theatre 10. Quiet Room

36 Hereford City Venues Coaches to outlying venues will collect Full details of seating areas and venue accessibility from and return to can be found online at 3choirs.org/your-visit Broad Street.

P Penhaglion Way A49 10 P Railway Station

Station Approach P 8 Blackfriars St Widemarsh St Edgar Street P Baggallay St Old Market Shops Whitecross Rd 11 A465 (A4103) Plough Lane and Restaurants P St Blue School Newmarket St Commercial Road P P

Eigh St Bath Street Commercial St

A438 Union St High St 6 High P P Town 7 West St Gaol St Friars St East St

P St Owen’s St P P 5 P

Broad St East St St JohnStreet P Church St 2 12 Bridge St Castle St Saint Owen St P Cathedral Barton Road 1 3 St EthelbertStreet A438

4 Castle B4224 Greyfriars Bridge Wye Bridge Green

Green Street

Mill Street

Wye St

e P er Wy Riv 9 Victoria Footbridge

1. Hereford 3. Bishop’s Palace 6. All Saints Church 10. Leominster Cathedral & Gardens HR4 9AA Priory HR6 8NH HR1 2NG hR1 2NG 7. Hereford Shire 11. Tomkins Theatre 2. Hereford 4. Left Bank Hall HR1 2HP hR4 0DU Cathedral hR4 9DG 12. St John’s School HR1 2NG 8. Holy Trinity 5. St Francis Church HR4 oDU Methodist Church See p 34–35 for Xavier Church HR1 2PR details of facilities hR4 9AP 9. Belmont Abbey HR2 9RZ

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 37 5% discount discount10% 01452 768 928 Festival Firsts Firsts Festival a first-timeIf you’re festival-goer and live locally, can you get free tickets! contactPlease our friendly ticket office team for more information and to book your tickets. a regularIf you’re Three Choirs Festival to you love attendee, we’d ushelp share the experience with new people. When complete you your booking, you’ll be invited to like to suggest we’d donate: the cost welcome a singleof seat, but you’re less. considerto give or Please more sharing your the of love festival and help grow our audiences. 11 or more events more 11 or Discount applies to all price bands but to additionaldoes apply not seats, and free events count not do towards your event total. 7–10 events Multi-event Discount Booking Fees and Dispatch Booking Fees bookingA £2.50 fee applies to each postage for plus 50p order, (alternatively, canyou collect your tickets the at festival printor them home). at should receive ticketsYou sent by post within two weeks placing of your order. Tickets the held at boxfor office events in the cathedral will remain the at box office, whiletickets non-cathedral for events will be taken to the the door of hour one venue before the event. pm pm pm 3choirs.org am4 – am6 – 10 10 am 7.45 – 10 pm or call or our ticket office NG am – 4 from Monday 23 July, July, 23 from Monday 01452 768 928 R1 2 3choirs.org Public booking opens April: 23 on Why not becomea member? Why Starting you’ll get access £40, at to priority bookingand exclusive events and benefits. 3choirs.org/Visit membership for more information. © Ash Mills 38 Monday 23 – 23 Monday In person: In School Cathedral House, Hereford School H Booking Opens Gold Life and Members 10am, Wednesday 4 April Members Standard 10am, 9 April Monday Public Booking 10am, April 23 Monday How to bookHow Online: By Phone: (local rate from a UK landline) Monday to Friday 10 Thursday 26 July Friday 27 July Saturday 28 July – Saturday 4 August BOOKING INFORMATION Cathedral Rehearsals SHYPP Access to rehearsals is free of charge to The festival’s nominated charity for 2018 Society members, young people under 26 is the Supported Housing for Young People (children under 16 be accompanied Project (SHYPP), who provide housing, by an adult), benefit recipients, and senior training and employment opportunities citizens (proof of eligibility should be shown for young people across Herefordshire. on the door). Anyone wishing to attend The festival is working in partnership with rehearsals who does not qualify for free entry SHYPP and Encore, the Herefordshire Music may purchase a one-day rehearsal pass for Hub to present an event on Sunday 29 July £5, subject to availability. (see p 11 for details). Details of rehearsal times and any restrictions will be available online at 3choirs.org from Accessibility the start of July. We welcome all visitors to the festival and will be happy to help with access requirements CAVATINA Free Tickets wherever possible. A separate fact sheet is Thanks to the support of the available, giving full details of access to Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, all venues. 8–25 year olds can claim free Please contact the ticket office at the time tickets to the following chamber of booking if you have particular access music concerts: requirements, and note that not all seats can be removed for wheelchairs. A very limited Saturday 28 July (p 8) Trio Dali number of car parking spaces is available for disabled drivers with a blue badge, and these Tuesday 31 July (p 18) Gould Piano Trio will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Wednesday 1 August (p 21) The Singing Violin For detailed information, please visit Saturday 4 August (p 32) Flute, Viola and 3choirs.org/your-visit Harp Recital Souvenir Programme Book This beautifully-produced publication contains full details of every concert alongside song texts, notes, articles and much, much more – a great memento of your visit. Pre-order your copy for a reduced price of £15 (£17 at the festival), and you can opt to receive an electronic preview copy to browse before the festival, or pick it up from the ticket office.

Gould Piano Trio

£2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 39 ORCHESTRA IN RESIDENCE IN ORCHESTRA Philharmonia Orchestra

The Philharmonia Orchestra is a The Philharmonia was founded in world-class symphony orchestra for 1945. It has been self-governing since the 21st century, led by Principal 1964 and is owned by its 80 members. Conductor & Artistic Advisor Salonen has been Esa-Pekka Salonen. Principal Conductor since 2008. The Orchestra’s home is Southbank Jakub Hrůša and Santtu-Matias Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London, Rouvali are Principal Guest Conductors where it presents over 50 performances and honorary conductor positions are each year. Six other residencies across held by Christoph von Dohnányi the UK bring the Philharmonia to a and Vladimir Ashkenazy. wide national audience. Internationally, the Philharmonia is active across The Philharmonia’s Principal Europe, Asia and the USA. International Partner is Wuliangye.

Philharmonia Orchestra © Ash Mills

40 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Seating Plans

You can view seating plans and select your own In the cathedral, Zones D, E and F have no seat for all reserved venues by booking online. view of the stage, but a TV relay system is in Please note that Zone B seats are likely to have place for those seated in Zones C, D, E and F. small areas of the stage obscured. Seats in No audio enhancement is in place in any part Zone C will have a restricted view of the stage. of the cathedral.

Hereford Cathedral Key

Zone Stage A

Zone North Door B

Zone C

Plinth Plinth Zone South North D Transept Transept

Quire Zone Stalls E

Zone F St John’s Door

Pillar

Screen

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 41 St Francis Xavier Church Holy Trinity Church

Stage

Stage

North South Nave Nave Balcony West Door Main Entrance Organ

Shire Hall Leominster Priory

Stage

Stage Unreserved

42 Public booking opens on 23 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Sponsors and Supporters

The Three Choirs Festival is grateful to the following organisations and individuals for their generous support:

Corporate

Public Bodies

Three Choirs Festival Friends Organisations

Trusts and Foundations

CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust ⋅ Hawthorne Charitable Trust The Perry Family Charitable Trust ⋅ The Music Reprieval Trust Friends of Hereford Cathedral

Individual Richard Arenschieldt ⋅ Mr and Mrs David Ball ⋅ Joanna Brickell Supporters Michael Guittard and Harry Prince ⋅ Richard Hall ⋅ Terry and Penny Moore Katharine O’Carroll and Robert and Sherill Atkins ⋅ Carolyn Pascall The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor ⋅ Father Michael Thomas Katharine Wedgbury ⋅ Pamela White ⋅ The Estate of Michael Morris Thank you to the Postcode Lottery and everyone who donated to the 2017 Big Give Christmas Challenge in support of the Festival Chorus.

Chairman’s Richard Hall ⋅ William and Fiona Hanks ⋅ Glyn Morgan ⋅ Sir Roy Strong Circle Father Michael Thomas ⋅ Clare Wichbold ⋅ Jeremy Wilding and Sue Vaughan

Media Partner

There are a number of ways in which you can support the work of Three Choirs Festival. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Genie Dyke: [email protected] 01452 768 933 43 FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE Concert | Talk | Service | Family Event | Theatre | Other

28 JULY 29 JULY 30 JULY 31 JULY 1 AUGUST 2 AUGUST 3 AUGUST 4 AUGUST

● IBO Talk ● Festival ● 100 Years On ● Celebrity ● Hereford’s ● Parry’s ● Hereford ● Medieval Eucharist Organ Curious Map Personality Bishops Shrines ● Opening ● Elgar Society Recital Service Lecture ● IBO Talk ● Parry and the ● Binchois ● Lilliput Duo ● Society Suffragettes Consort ● James ● Ruby ● IBO Talk Outing Gilchrist Hughes ● Lilliput Duo MORNING ● Youth Choir ● Magnard ● Drama Ensemble Workshop

● Drumming ● Never Failed ● Twelfth ● IBO Talk ● The Winter’s ● IBO Talk ● Society ● Three Stories Workshop Me Yet Night Tale Lunch of Home ● Automata ● The Winter’s ● Trio Dali ● Hansel & ● Carousel Workshop ● Organ Recital Tale ● Organ Recital ● Gothic Voices Gretel Duo ● Wulstan ● Gould Trio ● Evensong ● Mahler and ● Puppetry ● Organ Recital Atkins ● IBO Talk ● Tenebrae Bernstein Workshop ● Heckelphone ● The Singing ● Young Lecture ● Evensong ● IBO Talk for Hereford Violin ● Evensong ● Clare Artists

AFTERNOON ● Festival Hammond Recital ● Evensong ● Garden Party Reception ● IBO Talk ● Evensong ● John Maine ● Evensong

● Opening ● The Planets ● King Olaf ● Monteverdi ● Hymn of ● Parry Tribute ● Symphony ● German Night Vespers Praise of Psalms Requiem ● Lay Clerks ● Alive & Brel ● Pioneers of ● Liam in Concert ● Kit Downes ● The Baronet Percussion ● Goldberg Dunachie

EVENING and the Variations ● Compline ● Compline Playboy