Bantry House
'A music-lovers' paradise' - Kelly Ferjutz The West Cork Chamber Music Festival 2008 runs from 28 June until 6 July in the Republic of Ireland at Bantry House, spectacularly situated on the shores of Bantry Bay with one of the best views in Ireland. The main concert platform is in the nineteenth century library that looks out over Italian gardens. The room's intimacy makes it ideal for chamber music, bringing to mind the famous salons where great composers from the past launched their chamber works. Thanks to the generosity of the Shelswell White family, during the festival it seems as if every corner of the house is dedicated to some rehearsal, masterclass or performance, and the opportunity to hear great music in such unique surroundings is what makes this festival so special. After hearing a mind-stretching or ear-enhancing concert, it's possible to watch the sun set over Bantry Bay from the terraced gardens of the house, and then to return for a candle-lit late-night recital. The 2008 Festival features music by American, Austrian, English, Estonian, French, Georgian, German, Irish, Italian, Polish and Russian composers, and performers new to the festival in 2008 include cellist Sol Gabetta, violinist Vadim Gluzman, viola player Ula Ulijona, pianist Antti Siirala, flautist Ashildur Haraldsdottir, double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku and the Royal and Badke Quartets. A new series of coffee concerts for 2008 features baroque concerti and Mozart's string quintets, and there are some fascinating vocal dramas, including a tale from the crusades by Monteverdi and Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Galina Grigorjeva's new commission (for soprano and string quartet) is the result of a collaboration with the thirty-year-old David Oistrakh Festival in Estonia, and will be performed by Patricia Rozario and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet. For a feeling for what it's like to visit Bantry House, read our report from the 2007 West Cork Chamber Music Festival by Kelly Ferjutz.
Information: www.westcorkmusic.ie
Posted: 24 April 2008
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