THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL GLOUCESTER 2019 26 JULY – 3 AUGUST 01452 768928 3choirs.org Booking opens in April @3choirs 3ChoirsFestival @3choirs 3ChoirsFestival 3ChoirsFestival O R M E • S C T I A S L U L RELAUNCHED FOR M S E • 2019 R M WITH OVER O O 50 STALLS M R E • T S R A D E R ORCHARD ST. FOOD & CRAFT MARKET FIRST WEEKEND OF EVERY MONTH Up to 70% off the RRP at over 60 outlet stores, waterside dining, cafés and cinema Introduction I am excited to introduce this year’s Three Choirs Festival programme. I hope you will find it a pleasing mixture of the familiar and the innovative. Our aim is always to honour the great tradition of the Three Choirs Festival by presenting masterpieces of the choral- Adrian Partington © Michael Whitefoot orchestral repertoire, whilst offering challenges by performing musical rarities beautiful music, and the astonishing climax and premieres. The evening concerts has no parallel. We are also honouring feature such pillars of the repertoire as Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday with Verdi’s Requiem, conducted by Edward an evensong consisting entirely of his music, Gardner, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and and the first performance of an important Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, each to new work for solo organ, played by be performed with passion and elegance by John Scott Whiteley. our resident orchestra, the Philharmonia, We are delighted that the BBC National and the heroic Festival Chorus. We will also Orchestra of Wales will be presenting a present some less commonly-performed centenary performance of Elgar’s Cello works such as Holst’s The Mystic Trumpeter, Concerto, with the wonderful British virtuoso, David Matthews’s beautiful short cantata Natalie Clein; and the spectacular Berlioz Stars (1970), Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet, and Overture Le Carnaval romain at this year’s the first UK performance of Mendelssohn’s festival. We are proud to honour in this arrangement of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Other concert the late John Joubert (who died in items that may be new to you include Carl January this year), by offering a revival of his Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow (2011), Stephen most significant choral-orchestral work, An McNeff’s The Burning Boy (2017) and Giles English Requiem, which made a big impression Swayne’s Our Orphan Souls (2014), and we at its premiere in Gloucester in 2010. are proud to present the first performance of Bob Chilcott’s Christmas Oratorio. I believe that we are offering at Gloucester in 2019 a thrilling programme of old and new; We are honouring one very significant and I hope that you will join us at the 292nd anniversary at the Festival: 150 years since meeting of the Three Choirs Festival. the death of arguably the most influential composer of the 19th century, Hector Berlioz. We will present his unique masterpiece La Damnation de Faust on the opening night, with a stellar cast of soloists. This endlessly inventive work includes some of Berlioz’s most Adrian Partington, 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 A glance at some of our key inspirations Hymns to India and programming strands connecting more Cheltenham-born Gustav Holst’s interest than 70 events in this year's festival: in Indian culture was the catalyst for this exploration of a rich seam of Anglo- Adventures in Song Indian connections. In partnership From the intrigue of a Tudor Court with the Holst Birthplace Museum (Clare McCaldin in Mary’s Hand, p 18) and London’s Bhavan Centre you can to the dramatic escarpment of Wenlock try your hand at Bharatanatyam dance Edge (James Gilchrist, p 20), the solo (p 24), discover the building blocks of voice can transport a listener to the heart Indian Classical Music and explore the of a time or place. This year’s recitals origins of the Rig Veda (p 29), delve into reach into history, landscape and the Gloucestershire’s historic connections arc of human experience, from the to India (p 31) and learn about the Holst terror of young man in a WWI trench Birthplace Museum’s collection from (Joshua Ellicott, p 18) to the touching the composer’s ‘Indian Period’ (p 27). lifecycles of Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été Activities for all the family include an (p 26) and Somervell’s Maud (Roderick Indian crafts morning and a musical Williams, p 24). retelling of the Ramayana from the Dr K Sextet (p 35), who also give a full recital of music exploring the world’s stories (p 32). Holst’s own settings of Rig Veda can be heard in Painswick (Set I, p 31) and in a singular event interweaving contemporary choral settings and traditional chanting of Rig Veda (Set III, p 29) Roderick Williams John Tavener © Adrian Burrows Clare McCaldin as Mary Tudor Roxanna Panufnik Joshua Ellicott © Sane Seven © Robert Workman © Paul Marc 4 Berlioz 150 New Notes: New Voices The 150th anniversary of the death of Music by living composers is an important Romantic visionary Hector Berlioz was one part of every festival programme, but of the very first milestones to shape this year’s especially this year, where each performance programme, beginning with the extraordinary with young performers to the fore features La Damnation de Faust on the first night in music of today. Stephen McNeff’s music- Gloucester Cathedral (p 10). Later in the week, theatre-come-miracle-play The Burning Boy you can hear his orchestral firecracker (p 8) and Carl Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow Le Carnaval Romain (p 19) and the seductive (p 32) bookend a week which sees the Youth song cycle Les nuits d’été (p 26) and find out Choir give a UK premiere (p 17), the Rodolfus more about his life and work from Berlioz Choir pay tribute to John Tavener (p 14) and expert Hugh MacDonald (p 9). the Three Cathedral Choirs – including the girl and boy choristers – premiere Bob Chilcott’s A Christmas Oratorio (p 25). Also premiered at the festival will be Robert Saxton’s Violin Sonata for Madeleine Mitchell (p 12), a new song by Ian Venables for Roderick Williams (p 24), a new choral work by Sally Lamb McCune (p 29) and a solo organ piece for John Scott Whiteley from Sir James Macmillan, who celebrates his 60th birthday in 2019 (p 15). To celebrate this birthday of one of the UK’s great choral composers, the festival showcases some of his finest work, including Seven Last Words from the Cross (p 7), four stirring works in the Broadcast Choral Evensong (p 21) and elegiac rhapsodies for solo violin (p 12). Hector Berlioz John Tavener © Adrian Burrows Shivaangee Agrawal Carl Davis Bob Chilcott Bob ChilcottJames Gilchrist 5 ABOUT US FRIDAY Three Choirs Festival Orchestra in Residence The Three Choirs Festival is a week-long The Philharmonia Orchestra is a world- programme of choral and orchestral class symphony orchestra for the 21st concerts, cathedral services, solo and century, led by Principal Conductor & chamber music recitals, talks, theatre, Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen. family events, exhibitions and social The Orchestra’s home is Southbank activities, rotating each summer Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London, between the beautiful cathedral cities where it presents over 50 performances of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford. each year. Six other residencies across It’s thought to be the longest-standing the UK bring the Philharmonia to a wide 26 JULY classical music festival in the world and national audience. Internationally, the celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2015. Philharmonia is active across Europe, At the heart of the modern festival are Asia and the USA. large-scale evening concerts featuring the Three Choirs Festival Chorus and Founded in 1945, the Phiharmonia has the Philharmonia Orchestra (resident been self-governing since 1964 and is at the festival since 2012) alongside owned by its 80 members. Salonen has internationally-recognised soloists. been Principal Conductor since 2008. The festival’s packed schedule of daytime Jakub Hrůša and Santtu-Matias Rouvali events and the friendly atmosphere are Principal Guest Conductors and of our bustling festival village is Christoph von Dohnányi and Vladimir augmented by a growing programme Ashkenazy are honorary conductors. of bespoke community and outreach The Philharmonia’s Principal projects beginning in the run up to the International Partner is Wuliangye. festival and showcased as part of the festival programme. Each year, the festival elects a nominated charity to receive a share of collections taken at the Opening Service. This year, Gloucester continues its ongoing support of Mindsong, who bring music therapies to those living with dementia. Important Dates Monday 8 April Gold and Life Members booking opens Monday 15 April Standard Members booking opens Wednesday 24 April General booking opens Friday 26 July – Saturday 3 August Three Choirs Festival 2019 Puppetry by About Face Theatre Philharmonia Orchestra © Ash Mills 6 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 FRIDAY SEVEN LAST WORDS FROM THE CROSS 7.45 – 9.40 pm Tewkesbury Abbey The acclaimed choir of Merton £35, £30, £22, £12 College, Oxford celebrates Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday year with Choir of Merton College, Oxford his spellbinding masterpiece Seven Bristol Ensemble Last Words from the Cross, an intensely 26 JULY Benjamin Nicholas conductor moving account of the final moments Judith Weir Ave Regina Caelorum 4' of Christ’s crucifixion.