Steven Osborne

Schubert Sonata in B flat D 960

Beethoven Sonatas Op. 90 and Op. 101

Steven Osborne – piano.

Ranging from ethereal delicacy to barn-storming power, the ‘unique magic’ of Scottish pianist Steven Osborne’s sound was cited among the qualities that earned him the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award in 2013. All these are sure to be on display in his performances of Schubert’s last sonata and two masterpieces of Beethoven’s middle-to-late period.

Today, 11am, Holy Trinity Church

 

Henry IV (Part I and II)

Festival Players In 2012 the Gloucestershire-based Festival Players took over the UK’s longest established outdoor touring Shakespeare company, Theatre Set-Up. The first production of the new-look company at this year’s Three Choirs presents the story of the contrasting approaches to imminent war of Henry IV and his son Prince Hal.

Today, 11am, Bishop’s Palace Garden

 

Three Choirs @ 300

Dominic Jewel - speaker

In today’s anniversary talk Dominic Jewel, chief executive of the Three Choirs Festival, looks at our own past, present and future, drawing anecdotes from the past 300 years of music meetings in Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester to reveal how much has changed yet so much remains the same as this very special event prepares to enter its fourth century.

Today, 11.15am, Left Bank, Hereford

 

Three Choirs Festival Young Musicians of 2014

Emily Garland - soprano

Dominic Sedgwick - baritone

The joint winners of Dame Felicity Lott’s competitive singing masterclass at last year’s Worcester Three Choirs Festival in recital. Both are studying on postgraduate opera courses at London conservatoires.

Today, 2pm, Holy Trinity Church

 

Elgar Birthplace Visit and Talk

Michael Trott of the Elgar Society will deliver a talk entitled ‘What do we mean by Elgarian?’ As a self-taught musician, Elgar was not shaped by the musical tradition that gave us Stanford and Parry, but by his own close study of scores by Wagner, Brahms and others. How did this influence his compositional style? There will be a chance to look round the museum.

Today, 2pm, Elgar Birthplace Museum, Lower Broadheath, Worcester WR2 6RH

 

Three Centuries in One Afternoon

Gibbons O clap your hands

Ola Gjeilo Ubi caritas

Tavener Mother of God, here I stand

Morley/Purcell Second dirge anthem/Thou knowest, Lord

Sullivan The long day closes

Britten Hymn to St Cecilia

Alec Roth new work - festival commission: world premiere

Stanford Beati quorum via

Walford Davies God be in my head

Pearsall Lay a garland

Selection of jazz and pop arrangements to be announced from the stage.

Voces8

Vocal ensemble Voces8 have been topping the classical charts in recent years with immaculately produced recordings, giving a modern polish to repertoire that has been familiar to choristers down the ages. Making their Three Choirs debut, they intersperse tracks from their latest album Lux with repertoire chosen to reflect the festival’s history and a new work by Alec Roth commissioned for the occasion.

Today, 2.30pm, St Francis Xavier Church

 

The Wulstan Atkins Lecture

Timothy Day, former Director of the British Library Sound Archive and an authority on the recorded sound of English cathedral choirs, now lives in Plas Gwyn, Hereford, a former home of Edward Elgar. In the Wulstan Atkins Lecture, given annually in memory of Elgar’s godson and great friend, he discusses historic performance, Bach and the Three Choirs Festival.

Supported by Katharine O’Carroll and Robert Atkins.

Today, 5pm, Left Bank, Hereford

 

Evening Prayer (said)

Today, 5.30pm, Hereford Cathedral

 

St Matthew Passion

Bach St Matthew Passion

James Oxley - Evangelist

Matthew Brook - Christus

Elizabeth Watts - soprano

William Towers - counter-tenor

Anthony Gregory - tenor

Roderick Williams - baritone

Three Cathedral Choirs Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Geraint Bowen - conductor

The period-instrument OAE makes its Three Choirs debut accompanying the boys and men of our Three Cathedral Choirs in one of the greatest masterpieces of the choral repertoire, with a stellar line-up of soloists, under the baton of our artistic director, Geraint Bowen.

Supported by Angela Day.

Today, 7pm, Hereford Cathedral

 

Gwilym Simcock

Gwilym Simcock - piano

Mike Walker - guitar

The second of our relaxed late night events in All Saints features one of the UK’s most popular jazz pianists. Classically-trained Gwilym Simcock was the first jazz performer to be a BBC New Generation Artist, and has composed music for broadcast and for the stage as well as for his own ensembles. Tonight he’s joined by Salford-born guitarist Mike Walker, with whom he regularly performs as ‘The Impossible Gentlemen’.

Today, 10.15pm, All Saints Church

 

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