Welcome Funders This year’s programme features a Charley Boorman has driven the length number of artists and performers of Africa on a motorcycle, while the story who have pushed the boundaries of of Darwin’s Beagle is one of the greatest creativity and achievement. explorations of all time. King Arthur, At their premieres Handel’s Coronation Hollywood dancing legend Leslie Caron and Anthems and Haydn’s Creation the late, great Eric Morecambe all make an amazed and delighted audiences – appearance - so you should expect high Principal Sponsors Media Partners and continue to do so today. Tasmin drama, high kicks and high jinks this Festival! Contents KENTISH Little broke new ground for classical supported by audiences when she exclusively In turn we are asking you to be a little GAZETTE Classical Music & Opera 02 The official newspaper of Broadcasting live daily from the released The Naked Violin over the internet last year, while intrepid. Push your own boundaries and 2009 Canterbury Festival Festival Green Room Karbido from Poland have won a clutch of international try something new. Seek out The Festival World Music 09 awards redefining “music” playing percussively on their Club or St Mary’s - the best little theatre in Festival Club 12 specially customised table. Will Gow man-hauled his sledge Canterbury. There’s lots of great music and Sponsors to the South Pole while Dick Strawbridge is famous for comedy in the Shirley Hall, plus a wine bar, Comedy 15 his pioneering “green” lifestyle. I anticipate you will never and our special thanks go to The King’s Theatre & Dance 16 before have seen a play enacted in a tiny caravan during School for hosting so much of the Festival Talks & Other Words 24 which the actors serve you tea and biscuits! Don’t miss this during the closure of the Marlowe. Explore, riveting piece of “real life” theatre. experiment, experience and enjoy our most Carnival Parade 28 eclectic Festival ever! Family 29 See you there. Lunchtimes 31 Rosie Turner Festival Fringe 32 Festival Director Film 33 Walks 34 Exhibitions 37 Artists’ Open Houses 40 The Big Eat Out 44 Forest of Blean The Big Sleepover 45 Umbrella 46 Trusts and Patrons At A Glance Diary 50 Acknowledgments 52 The Sir John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust / The Tory Family Foundation / The Seary Charitable Trust / The Sunley Foundation / Richard Sturt / Canterbury Festival Foundation (Friends) Map 53 01227 378188 | www.canterburyfestival.co.uk Festival Box Office: 01227 787787 | www.canterburyfestival.co.uk Festival Box Office: 01 The Passing Cello through the Looking Glass Preciousness of Dreams Re-Imagining the 18th century An Evening of Thomas Hardy Robert Cohen Cello Songs and Readings Julius Drake Piano Philip Eve Tenor Stravinsky called Pulcinella ‘my discovery of the past, Christopher Gould Piano the epiphany through which the whole of my later work Violet Ryder Reader became possible. It was a backward look of course... CLASSICAL MUSIC CLASSICAL but it was a look in the mirror too’. MUSIC CLASSICAL Two well-known song cycles – Britten’s Winter Words and Finzi’s Till Earth Outwears, both Stravinsky’s “mirror” (Pulcinella reworked as the set to Hardy’s poetry – frame a performance Suite Italienne) is the starting point for a programme of A Hardy Triptych by the Kentish composer which views the 18th century through a refracting lens. FL Dunkin Wedd. These musical offerings Arrangement, translation and transformation all play are interspersed by readings from Hardy’s their parts in this programme of Locatelli, Pärt, Debussy work and fascinating biographical vignettes and Falla, as this mirror reflects works for cello and of the great Wessex writer. piano which are surely “the fairest of them all”. The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra Sunday 18 October (OS18) Monday 19 October (SH19) Shirley Hall, The King’s School 7.30pm Handel’s Coronation Anthems The Old Synagogue, King Street 5pm ‘A tiny soundbite of Heaven’ Tickets £12 (Students £6) Tickets £14 (Students £7) Conductor Harry Christophers (The Times) Sponsored by This year – the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death and the City of Canterbury 30th season of The Sixteen – it seemed particularly appropriate to invite a performance of the Coronation Anthems. These Chamber Choir were Handel’s first commissions as a British citizen and to be George Vass Conductor Duo Deal: Buy a ticket for this event (SH19) asked to write the music for George II’s coronation was a great Organ Edward Kemp-Luck and Songs of Travel (SH29 – details page 8) honour. He was not to disappoint. Public excitement about the Motets Old and New is a programme and save £4 music was electric and to prove lasting; the thrill of hearing the Willow Festival Evensong contrasting well-known works by Bach, opening sustained crescendo of Zadok the Priest culminating Canterbury Cathedral Choir Eliza Marshall Flute Mozart, Brahms and Mendelssohn with more in the thrilling entrance of choir, trumpets and timpani blazing is Camilla Pay Harp Dr David Flood Director contemporary pieces by Tarik O’Regan, still totally breathtaking. An unmissable opening concert for this Pre Concert Talk Cecilia McDowall and John McCabe. Under year’s Festival. A world premiere performance of the Duet A special Festival Evensong 1. the inspired baton of George Vass, a quality For an insight into this fascinating programme, join for Flute and Harp by Andrew W Morgan tops during which the men’s choir 2. Saturday 17 October (C17) Robert Cohen and Julius Drake in conversation prior the bill amongst other works by Mozart, Bizet, will perform works by Jacob concert is guaranteed. Cathedral Nave 7.30pm to the performance. 1. The Sixteen Choir Saint-Saëns, Ibert and Piazzolla. Handl, Howells and Purcell. Sunday 18 October (S18) 3. Tickets £27 £23 £20 £16 £10 Shirley Hall, The King’s School 6pm Image © Mark Harrison Saturday 17 October (SP17) Sunday 18 October St Clement’s Church, Sandwich 7.30pm 2. Julius Drake Sponsored by Admission free to ticket holders (SH19) Image © Neil Libbert Festival Box Office: 01227 787787 | www.canterburyfestival.co.uk Festival Box Office: St Peter’s Methodist Church 7.30pm Cathedral Quire 3.15pm Tickets £14 01227 787787 | www.canterburyfestival.co.uk Festival Box Office: (Concessions £12 Children £2) 3. Robert Cohen Tickets £10 (Students £5) Admission free Image © JP Masclet 02 Presented by Music at St Peter’s 03 DIRECTOR’S CHOICE Organ Recital No Strings Attached Partners in Time DIRECTOR’S CHOICE by D’Arcy Trinkwon St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra Tasmin Little Violin Tasmin Little Violin The Fairy Queen One of the leading international with Vladimir Altschuler Conductor In the first of three appearances at the by Henry Purcell Guy Johnston Cello concert organists of his John Lenehan Piano Festival, Tasmin Little ‘a formidable Conductor generation, and a former Mark Deller Tchaikovsky Suite from Sleeping Beauty soloist’ (New York Times) introduces The “partners” of the title refers Senior Chorister of Canterbury Under the baton of former Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No 1 us to the violin in its purest and both to the development of the Cathedral, distinguished Canterbury Festival Director Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 Pathétique unadorned form. relationship between the violin CLASSICAL MUSIC CLASSICAL musician D’Arcy Trinkwon is and the piano over two centuries, and Stour Music Festival MUSIC CLASSICAL acclaimed for his rare élan, Her revolutionary project, The Naked ‘Johnston has already forged a place as one of the and also to the unique rapport Director Mark Deller, Stour virtuosity, and independent Violin – offering free CD downloads country’s most promising and distinctive cellists’ required between players in this Music Soloists and Chamber spirit. He will perform a typically across the Internet – won the 2008 (The Strad) intimate pairing. Choir and Stour Festival varied, colourful, and thrilling Classic FM Gramophone Award for Orchestra give a wonderful The St Petersburg Symphony and leading international programme. Audience Innovation. The subject of Tasmin Little and John Lenehan – a concert performance in cellist Guy Johnston return to Canterbury after a Tuesday 20 October a South Bank Show it subsequently pianist of ‘great flair and virtuosity’ Margate’s historic Theatre rapturous reception in the Festival in 2006. The influence (SMS20) became a unique musical journey, (The Times) demonstrate this in a Royal of this most celebrated of French culture in the Russia of the 19th century brings St Mildred’s Church, taking Little off the beaten track to perfect recital programme of music work. This year marks the together some remarkably similar styles in these works of Church Lane unlikely venues from homeless from Bach to Bartók, with some 350th anniversary of the birth Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns. You will hear some 7.30pm shelters to oil rigs. Mozart, Grieg and Tchaikovsky of Purcell. In 1692, following of Romantic music’s most electrifying and also Tickets £10 (Students £8) along the way. Setting the scene for the enormous success of Dido tragic sounds in the Symphony Pathétique, Now Tasmin brings this interactive this fizzingly energetic concert is the & Aeneas and King Arthur, and a French concerto of exquisite richness, venture to Canterbury Festival in thrilling Praeludium and Allegro by Purcell produced two great not far from Tchaikovsky’s own lyrical writing. a workshop of performance and Pre Concert Talk the legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler. masterpieces in the same The Sleeping Beauty ballet music which conversation. To meet one of the world’s with D’Arcy Trinkwon With her glorious flair and technical year – the famous Ode on introduces the concert, sweeps us into the leading players “up close and personal” command, Tasmin is more than up St Cecilia’s Day Hail! Bright mood of the evening, losing nothing 6.30pm is an opportunity not to be missed.