A wealth of world talent.THE classical bill of fare at this year's Hexham Abbey Festival, which gets under way a week today, promises to be bigger and better than ever. This year's theme - Distant Voices - is attracting skilled classical musicians from across the world as well as offering a showcase to much home-grown talent. In the abbey on Saturday September 26 David Murray will conduct the Festival Chorus & Orchestra in Dvorak's Stabat Mater with soloists soprano Claire McKenna from Northumberland, mezzo-soprano mezzo-soprano: see soprano. Joanna Gamble, tenor Nicholas Ransley and bass Philip Smith. The concert opens at 7.30pm. On the Sunday at 10am Newcastle Sinfonietta sin·fo·niet·ta n. 1. A symphony that is shorter than usual or that calls for fewer than the usual number of instruments. 2. A small symphony orchestra, especially one consisting of stringed instruments only. join the Abbey Choir for a Eucharist performance of Schubert's Mass in G, D167, plus Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck, and the combined choirs of the abbey and Newcastle's St Nicholas' Cathedral meet for Evensong at 6.30pm. On the Monday (September 28, 7.30pm) the award-winning chamber orchestra Skipton Camerata play Mendelssohn's G minor String Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, and are joined by Hexham Abbey organist Michael Haynes for Poulenc's Organ Concerto. On the Tuesday (September 29, 1pm) pianist Simon Passmore gives a recital of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Ravel, while there is Middle Eastern music The music of the Middle Eastern and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Iran, and it's influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced (and has been influenced by) the to music of Greece and India music, as well as Central Asia, from Joglaresa's performance, Dancing in Tetuan, at 7.30pm. Orichalcum Orichalcum is a legendary metal mentioned in several ancient writings, most notably the story of Atlantis as recounted in the Critias dialogue, recorded by Plato. According to Critias, orichalcum was considered second only to gold in value, and was found and mined in many : World of Brass is Wednesday's lunchtime event (September 30, 1pm) with versatile trumpeter James Stretton, and at 8pm the violinist from the Kosmos group, Harriet Mackenzie, and pianist Anna Tilbrook play pieces by Beethoven, Debussy, Bartok, Bloch, Prt, Takemitsu and Szymanovski. The dynamic young Russian pianist Natalia Strelchenko is the Friday featured artist (October 2, 7.30pm) playing Balakriev's challenging Oriental fantasy, Islamey. Andrew Passmore and friends perform (Saturday, October 3, 1pm) pieces by Byrd, Gibbons, Tomkins, Bach and Handel using the abbey's new Lammermuir chamber organ, and the festival draws to a close with a 7.30pm programme by the world-famed Hilliard Ensemble, entitled Arkhangelos. For ticket details contact the Hexham Abbey Festival box office on www.queenshall.co.uk or call (01434) 652477. NEWCASTLE City Hall Newcastle City Hall is a concert hall located in Newcastle upon Tyne, which has hosted many popular music acts through the years. It is adjacent to the city baths. External links
RICHARD YATES richardcyates@talktalk.net CAPTION(S): LAST ACT - The Hilliard Ensemble |
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