26–31 August 26–31 Awst 2021 festival brochure llyfryn yr ŵyl www.presteignefestival.com • Your local online wine merchant. • Free delivery in Presteigne • Fed up with “industrial” supermarket wines? Re-discover the joy of “Real Wines” from around the world • Prices from £7.99 • To chat about your wine requirements or to visit call Mark on 01544 267 314 • Eich masnachwr gwin ar-lein lleol • Danfoniad am ddim • Wedi hen flino ar winoedd archfarchnad “diwydiannol”? Ailddarganfyddwch lawenydd “Gwinoedd Go Iawn” o bedwar ban byd • Prisiau o £7.99 • I sgwrsio am eich anghenion gwin neu i ymweld â ni, ffoniwch Mark ar 01544 267 314 www.therealwineco.co.uk Welcome Welcome to our 39th annual celebration of the arts – created and curated in partnership with composers, musicians and artists, taking place amid the timeless beauty of the Welsh Marches. As a result of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, our 2021 edition has a different look. To enable compliance with government guidelines, we are presenting hour-long socially-distanced events. To facilitate the presentation of larger-scale concerts, the Festival is widening its reach to include Hereford Cathedral and Leominster Priory for the first time. Before booking, please acquaint yourself with our Covid-19 safety protocols, found at the back of this brochure. The music programme embraces a variety of constituents – an exploration of music from France centring on Ravel, a mini-feature of Michael Tippett and music by Malcolm Arnold marking his centenary. Supporting events include an assortment of talks and exhibitions – at the Sidney Nolan Trust and Bleddfa Centre – and the popular Presteigne Open Studios weekend. The Festival’s advocacy for new music continues with exciting works from composer-in-residence Cecilia McDowall – in her 70th year – and others: James Francis Brown, Gary Carpenter, Nathan James Dearden, Sarah Frances Jenkins, Luke Styles, Adrian Sutton, Hilary Tann, Matthew Taylor and James B Wilson, our 2021 RPS Emerging Composer. I hope you’ll be tempted to join us in and around Radnorshire’s favourite Festival town for another amazing collection of world-class events. George Vass, artistic director Croeso Croeso i’n 39ain dathliad blynyddol o’r celfyddydau – wedi’i greu a’i guradu mewn partneriaeth â chyfansoddwyr, cerddorion ac artistiaid, ac yn cael ei gynnal yn harddwch bythol y Mers. O ganlyniad i bandemig parhaus Covid-19, mae rhifyn 2021 ychydig yn wahanol. Er mwyn gallu cydymffurfio â chanllawiau’r llywodraeth, rydym yn cynnal digwyddiadau awr o hyd gan gadw pellter cymdeithasol. Er mwyn hwyluso’r gwaith o gyflwyno cyngherddau ar raddfa fwy, mae’r ŵyl yn ehangu ei chyrhaeddiad i gynnwys Eglwys Gadeiriol Henffordd a Phriordy Llanllieni am y tro cyntaf. Cyn archebu, dylech ddarllen ein protocolau diogelwch Covid-19, sydd i’w gweld yng nghefn y llyfryn hwn. Mae’r rhaglen gerddoriaeth yn cynnwys amrywiaeth o gyfansoddion – archwilio cerddoriaeth o Ffrainc sy’n canolbwyntio ar Ravel, darn byr o waith Michael Tippett a cherddoriaeth gan Malcolm Arnold i ddathlu ei ganmlwyddiant. Mae’r digwyddiadau ategol yn cynnwys amrywiaeth o sgyrsiau ac arddangosfeydd – yn Ymddiriedolaeth Sidney Nolan ac Oriel Bleddfa – a phenwythnos poblogaidd Stiwdios Agored Llanandras. Mae’r gwaith o eirioli dros gerddoriaeth newydd yn parhau gyda gweithiau cyffrous gan y cyfansoddwr preswyl Cecilia McDowall – sy’n 70 eleni – ac eraill: James Francis Brown, Gary Carpenter, Nathan James Dearden, Sarah Frances Jenkins, Luke Styles, Adrian Sutton, Hilary Tann, Matthew Taylor a James B Wilson, cyfansoddwr newydd RPS 2021. Rwy’n gobeithio y gallwn eich denu i ymuno â ni yn hoff dref Wyliau Sir Faesyfed a’r cyffiniau, ar gyfer casgliad anhygoel arall o ddigwyddiadau o’r radd flaenaf. George Vass, cyfarwyddwr artistig 3 Sponsorship Estates and Agency Group Presteigne and Norton Town Council Major Donations Arts Council of Wales The Malcolm Arnold Trust The John S Cohen Foundation The Elmley Foundation The Fidelio Charitable Trust THE MUSICIANS’ COMPANY The Moondance Foundation The Musicians’ Company RVW Trust Tŷ Cerdd Wales Cultural Recovery Fund The Williams Church Music Trust Corporate Patrons The Real Wine Company The Stagg Inn, Titley The Workhouse Gallery and Café, Presteigne Other Donations Essential financial support is also provided by Corporate Patrons, Sponsors and a generous community of Benefactors, Patrons and Friends. If you would like details of any of these or to enquire about other opportunities, please email our Festival Producer: [email protected] Volunteers We are enormously grateful to our team of volunteers. Some assist as stewards, programme sellers and drivers, while others provide overnight accommodation for performers and composers over the online booking: booking: | telephone 01544 267800 www.presteignefestival.com Festival period. Without them, it would be impossible for us to mount such an inspiring celebration of the arts each year. In unavoidable circumstances Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts Limited reserves the right to alter artists or programme content. 4 cover photograph (detail): Alex Ramsay | brochure design: Andrew Giles THURSDAY 26 AUGUST | DYDD LAU 26 AWST Event 1 3.30pm Virtuoso Caprices | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 6 Event 2 6.00pm Awakening Shadow | Opera PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 7 Event 3 8.30pm Awakening Shadow | Opera PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 7 FRIDAY 27 AUGUST | DYDD GWENER 27 AWST Event 4 11.30am Miroirs | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 8 Event 5 11.30am Still in the water and singingbirds | Concert PEMBRIDGE ∙ St Mary’s Parish Church 9 Event 6 2.30pm Miroirs | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 8 Event 7 2.30pm Still in the water and singingbirds | Concert PEMBRIDGE ∙ St Mary’s Parish Church 9 Event 8 4.30pm Tam O’Shanter and the Avant-Garde | Talk PRESTEIGNE ∙ Memorial Hall 10 Event 9 6.00pm Britten, Grime and Webern | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 11 Event 10 7.45pm A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs | Talk PRESTEIGNE ∙ Memorial Hall 12 Event 11 8.30pm Britten, Grime and Webern | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 11 SATURDAY 28 AUGUST | DYDD SADWRN 28 AWST Event 12 11.30am A Shropshire Lad | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 13 Event 13 2.30pm A Shropshire Lad | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 13 Event 14 3.00pm Virtuoso Caprices | Concert LEINTWARDINE ∙ St Mary Magdalene 14 Event 15 4.30pm Michael Tippett – A Discussion | Conversation PRESTEIGNE ∙ Memorial Hall 14 Event 16 6.00pm Tippett, McDowall and Ravel | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 15 A GLANCE AT YL GIPO FESTIVAL Event 17 8.30pm Tippett, McDowall and Ravel | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 15 Ŵ SUNDAY 29 AUGUST | DYDD SUL 29 AWST 11.00am Festival Eucharist PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 16 Event 18 3.00pm Festival Orchestra at Leominster Priory | Concert LEOMINSTER ∙ Priory Church 17 Event 19 4.30pm Elizabeth Barrett Browning | Literature PRESTEIGNE ∙ Memorial Hall 16 Event 20 5.30pm Festival Orchestra at Leominster Priory | Concert LEOMINSTER ∙ Priory Church 17 Event 21 6.00pm Debussy Connections | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 18 Event 22 8.30pm Debussy Connections | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 18 MONDAY 30 AUGUST | DYDD LLUN 30 AWST Event 23 11.30am Variants of Solitude | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 19 Event 24 2.30pm Variants of Solitude | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 19 Event 25 3.00pm Choir of Royal Holloway in Leominster | Concert LEOMINSTER ∙ Priory Church 20 Event 26 4.00pm I have a Dream | Literature PRESTEIGNE ∙ Memorial Hall 21 Event 27 5.30pm Choir of Royal Holloway in Leominster | Concert LEOMINSTER ∙ Priory Church 20 Event 28 6.00pm Schumann Piano Quartet | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 22 Event 29 8.30pm Schumann Piano Quartet | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 22 TUESDAY 31 AUGUST | DYDD MAWRTH 31 AWST Event 30 11.30am Bach and Butterflies | Concert PRESTEIGNE ∙ St Andrew’s Church 23 YR Event 31 3.00pm Festival Gala | Concert HEREFORD ∙ Cathedral 24 Event 32 7.45pm Festival Gala | Concert HEREFORD ∙ Cathedral 24 5 EVENT 1 Thursday August at 3.30pm | St Andrew’s Church, Presteigne LD8 2AF Dydd Lau 26 Awst am 3.30pm | Eglwys Sant Andreas, Llanandras LD8 2AF VIRTUOSO CAPRICES Fenella Humphreys violin Fritz Kreisler Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op 6 Cecilia McDowall Anaphora Grażyna Bacewicz Caprice No 2 Niccolò Paganini Caprice in B flat, Op 1 No 13 Sally Beamish, Emily Howard, Alexandra Harwood, Adrian Sutton, Andra Patterson, Robin Haigh, Piers Hellawell, Héloïse Werner, Stuart MacRae, Laura Reid, James Joslin, Seonaid Aitken Variations on Paganini’s 24th Caprice Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade Devil’s Minion Roxanna Panufnik Hora Bessarabia Henryk Wieniawski Étude-Caprice in E flat, Op 18 No 2 online booking: booking: | telephone 01544 267800 www.presteignefestival.com Sarah Frances Jenkins Tincture of the Skies Presteigne Festival commission · World premiere Niccolò Paganini Caprice in A minor, Op 1 No 24 Tickets | Tocynnau £20 Premium | Premiwm ∙ £15 restricted view | golweg gyfyngedig ∙ £6 student | mfyrwyr Advance booking only | Archebu ymlaen llaw yn unig 6 Event end time: 4.30pm | Amser gorffen y digwyddiad: 4.30pm EVENT 2 Thursday August at 6.00pm | St Andrew’s Church, Presteigne LD8 2AF Dydd Lau 26 Awst am 6.00pm | Eglwys Sant Andreas, Llanandras LD8 2AF EVENT 3 Thursday August at 8.30pm | St Andrew’s Church, Presteigne LD8 2AF Dydd Lau 26 Awst am 8.30pm | Eglwys Sant Andreas, Llanandras LD8 2AF AWAKENING SHADOW Nova Music Opera Richard Williams director · George Vass conductor Luke Styles and Benjamin Britten Awakening Shadow, a chamber opera Commissioned jointly by the Presteigne and Cheltenham festivals · Welsh premiere Awakening Shadow is a fusion of newly composed scenes by Luke Styles with Benjamin Britten’s five Canticles, brought together to form a thoughtful through-composed work for five singers and four instrumentalists, here presented in a semi-staged production.