Presteigne Festival

This year's Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts in the UK's Welsh Border Marches runs from 27 August until 1 September 2015. Centred on St Andrew's Church, Presteigne, but also visiting many other venues on both sides of the English/Welsh border, the festival includes a visit from Nova Music Opera, bringing thought-provoking performances of Charlotte Bray's Entanglement (with a libretto by Amy Rosenthal) and Thomas Hyde's That Man Stephen Ward. Both operas feature misunderstood individuals caught up in the grubby London glamour of the 1950s and 60s, and they've been co-commissioned by Nova Music and the Presteigne and Cheltenham Festivals.

The Festival also welcomes the Choir of Royal Holloway and director Rupert Gough, who make four appearances with repertoire including works by Rautavaara, Gabriel Jackson, James MacMillan, Tarik O'Regan and Toby Young.

The festival's resident composer will be Matthew Taylor, who brings Pastorals, a commissioned work for violin and string orchestra, and will have various pieces performed by the Navarra Quartet, the Festival Orchestra, Fenella Humphreys, Tom Poster and the piano duo Joseph Tong and Waka Hasegawa.

There are, in addition, commissions from David Knotts, Joseph Phibbs, Cecilia McDowall and Michael Small. David Matthews' Three Housman Songs will receive their first performance in a new string orchestra version.

The festival has a strong Nordic theme, marking the 150th anniversaries of the births of Nielsen and Sibelius, and featuring contemporary works by Vasks and Rautavaara.

Presteigne also features music by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Dvořák, Haydn and Ravel, and appearances by other performers, including soprano Gillian Keith, flautist Kathryn Thomas, pianist Timothy End and the festival's artistic director, conductor George Vass.

Information: www.presteignefestival.com

Posted: 27 July 2015

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