festival brochure 2013 - queenshall.co.uk · britten simple symphony, op. 4 britten saint nicolas,...

HEXHAM ABBEY

Festivalof Music & Arts

britten’s

got talent

20-28September2013

Cover photo: Portrait of Benjamin Britten by Mariusz Kaldowski

Welcome to the 61st

Hexham Abbey Festival

britten’s

got talent

We join national celebrations this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the central figures of 20th-century British classical music, Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). Composer of music in a wide variety of genres including orchestral, opera, choral, solo vocal, chamber, instrumental and film, Britten displayed a real spirit of innovation, which we have aimed to capture in this Festival of music and arts. Performances of his music are programmed alongside new music and arrangements incorporating jazz and blues, improvisation, audio-visuals, theatre and dance.

In addition to the world-class artists who will be coming to Hexham, we are proud to welcome a fantastic number of local musicians and artists who enrich the Festival including the Hexham Abbey Festival Chorus, the Abbey Choirs, Renaissance, the young musicians giving our lunchtime concerts and those contributing to our Festival exhibition. We look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be a very memorable Festival.

Marcus WibberleyFestival Director

We extend our thanks to all those who have made the Festival possible through their generous support, including: the Arts Council of England, Brewin Dolphin, Patricia J Arnold & Co Ltd, Orchard House Veterinary Services Ltd, Core Music, The Beaumont Hotel, Robson Print, James Norrey (booklet design), Telecoms Solution Provider (www.t1telecoms.co.uk), www.organrecitals.com and the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival (2nd–4th August 2013).

Friday 20

UtterJazz weave swing, samba, blues and grooves through their vibrant re-imaginings of Benjamin Britten’s WH Auden songs. Britten’s stunning harmonic soundscapes and Auden’s passionate and political lyrics are refracted through many diverse influences of contemporary jazz in these intriguing and entertaining new arrangements.

The programme comprises twelve evocative songs including Stop All the Clocks (made famous in Three Weddings and a Funeral) together with readings of WH Auden poetry – by turns refined, romantic, satirical, sexually or politically charged.

Look, Stranger 7.00pmRuthie Culver and the UtterJazz Quartetwith poetry readings by special guest actorRoger Lloyd Pack

Tickets: £14, £7 (concessions)Family Ticket: £34

The group will also be delivering a jazz workshop to local school children in the a� ernoon.

Join us for Twilight Drinks in the Abbey from 6.15pm

Saturday 21

The Hexham Abbey Festival Chorus, formed in 1976and comprised of local singers, continues the tradition of performing a concert of major choral works on the first weekend of the Festival. Composed in 1948 for the centennial celebrations of Lancing College, Britten’s cantata Saint Nicolas is one of his most popular works, involving an exciting combination of full choir, gallery choir (the Abbey Choristers), tenor soloist, orchestra, organ and even audience participation.

Britten’s Saint Nicolas 7.30pmHexham Abbey Festival Chorus and OrchestraThe Boy Choristers of Hexham AbbeyDavid Murray directorDaniel Joy tenorMarcus Wibberley organ

Join us outside the Abbey’s main entrance (opposite the Market Place) for a morning of live music in popular genres performed by local bands. Grab a bite to eat from the adjacent Hexham Market and listen to the all-age entertainment.

Music on the Flags 10.30am–12.30pm

Monteverdi Beatus VirBritten Simple Symphony, Op. 4Britten Saint Nicolas, Op. 42

Tickets: £20,£10 (concessions)Family Ticket: £46

Sunday 22

Festival Eucharist 10.00amThe Girl Choristers of Hexham AbbeyMarcus Wibberley Director of MusicAndrew Wyatt Assistant Organist

Preacher: The Revd Canon Graham Usher Rector of Hexham Abbey

Choral Evensong 6.30pmThe Abbey ChoirMarcus Wibberley Director of MusicAndrew Wyatt Assistant Organist

Preacher: The Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons

Britten Missa Brevis in D, Op. 63Britten Corpus Christi Carol

No ticket required

Dyson Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in DBritten Jubilate Deo in C

No ticket required

Photo: Roy Walton LRPS

Monday 23

The King of Kings 7.00pmDavid Briggs organ improvisation


A graduate of the University of Leeds, young tenor Alex has been based in the North East singing in opera, oratorio and in recitals whilst singing regularly as a Lay Clerk for Newcastle Cathedral Choir. From Morpeth, Alex is a member of Samling Academy, and last year was a bursary student of Dartington International Summer School. Performances have recently included the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring at The Sage Gateshead. In September, he will begin studying for an MMus in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The recital will include works by Bach, Handel and Britten.

Young Musicians’ Platform 1.00pmAlex Banfield voiceJames Norrey piano

Cecil B. DeMille’s 1927 silent film The King of Kings is about the last weeks of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion. While the film is shown, David Briggs provides a colourful and exciting improvised accompaniment to the film on the world-famous Phelps pipe organ of the Abbey.

Tickets: £6, £3 (concessions)

David Briggs is an international concert organist currently based in Canada, where he is Artist in Residence at St James Cathedral, Toronto. He is renowned the world over for his brilliant and dazzling organ improvisations, especially to silent films, and his ability to engage and excite audiences of all ages.


Tuesday 24

Matthew BarleyAround Britten

7.00pm


One of the finest cellists of his generation, Matthew Barley presents a programme of innovative music for solo cello, aided by audio-visuals and described as ‘The Cycle of the Soul’. As part of his ambitious Around Britten project, which sees him performing in one hundred venues around Britain during 2013 in celebration of the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth, his programme pays homage to Britten’s creativity and innovation. It will include Britten’s Third Suite for Cello, Bach’s Suite No. 5 in C minor and new commissions composed specially for this project.


Photo: Nick White

Young Musicians’ Platform 1.00pmLucy Hoile celloAndrew Wyatt piano


Lucy is an 18-year-old cellist from Newcastle. She studied at the City of Edinburgh Music School and The Sage Gateshead’s Weekend School. Since 2009, Lucy has been principal cello with the Young Sinfonia, and in 2011 joined the National Youth Orchestra, becoming their principal cellist in 2012. Lucy has given solo recitals in the North East including at The Sage Gateshead, participated in BBC Proms performances as part of the NYO, and performed at Buckingham Palace for the Coronation concert in July 2013. She will begin studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in September.

The recital will include works by Brahms and Debussy.

Choral Evensong 6.30pmThe Abbey ChoirMarcus Wibberley Director of MusicAndrew Wyatt Assistant Organist

Wood Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in DWalton Set me as a seal upon thine heart

No ticket required

PATRICIA J ARNOLD & Co LtdCHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Proud to sponsor Hexham Abbey Festival 2013

Wednesday 25

In Peascod Time 8.00pmPassamezzo


Specialising in English Elizabethan and Jacobean masque, the ensemble Passamezzo presents a programme of music, dance and spectacle for all the family to enjoy. Featuring singers, viols, recorders, Renaissance violin and plucked strings, together with lavishly costumed actors and dancers, this colourful theatrical display will be brought to life in the historical setting of the Abbey.


Photo: Manfred Schräder

Wednesday 25

La Moulin Magique 1.15pm & 6.00pmThéâtre Sans Frontières

Tickets: £13.50, £11.50 (concessions), £8.50 (students and per-head groups of 4 or more)

Local Hexham-based theatre company Théâtre Sans Frontières presents this inspiring theatrical show in the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre. The miller and his wife are so hungry they have to eat their boots and still the dastardly landlord demands rent. Everyone aged 8 and upwards will be enchanted by this magical folk-tale from Brittany, packed with talking vegetables, live music and loads of fun. The show is in simple French.

Choral Evensong 6.30pmThe Girl Choristers of Hexham AbbeyMarcus Wibberley Director of MusicAndrew Wyatt Assistant Organist

Sumsion Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in DVaughan Williams The Song of the Tree of Life

No ticket required


Thursday 26

N.B. At Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street

Masked Dances and Sacred Musicfrom a Tibetan Monastery

8.00pmThe Power of Compassion

Recreating the mysteries of the Buddist Monastery, eight Tibetan monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery give a dramatic presentation of sacred music, dance and chanted prayer with traditional costumes and ceremonial masks. The performance o� ers a rare opportunity to witness a unique and endangered culture. The thrill of the noise, movement and colour is sure to engage and inspire people of all ages.


Over a three-day period, visitors to the Abbey will be able to see the monks creating a Sand Mandala. Once the mandala is complete, it will be destroyed in a moving traditional act representing the impermanence of all things.

The monks will also be delivering a workshop to local school children in the a� ernoon.

“…a psychedelic whirl of chanting, dancing, drums,

cymbals and processions…” The Times

a rare opportunity to witness a unique and endangered culture. The thrill of the noise, movement and colour is sure

Photo: Georgina Cranston

Photo: Georgina Cranston

Thursday 26

Friday 27

Young Musicians’ Platform 1.00pmSarah Gardner piano


Sarah achieved distinction at ABRSM Grade 8 aged 12, and LRSM aged 16 in 2012. From the age of 8, she has won over 100 first places at local music festivals. She has reached the national final of the European Piano Teachers Association competition three times and the Rotary Club Young Musician twice. Playing her first piano concerto aged 12, she has appeared at such venues as The Sage Gateshead, Steinway Hall and The Royal Albert Hall, and was a soloist in the Classic FM Live 20th anniversary concert, broadcast nationally. In September, Sarah takes up a place at the Royal Academy of Music.

The recital will include works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and Ravel.

4 Girls 4 HarpsHeard in hundreds of venues and festivals in the UK and across Europe since 2000, we welcome the world’s leading harp quartet to Hexham Abbey. This unusual combination has enabled a medium for new music to be heard alongside new arrangements of existing popular works. Dynamic performances, a varied and innovative repertoire and four engaging personalities make this a treat for everyone.

7.00pm


Saturday 28

Ode to St Cecilia by candlelight 7.00pmRenaissanceMartin Neary guest conductorMarcus Wibberley organ

Renaissance is a small group of singers directed by Ben Rowarth, taking many of its singers from Durham University, its students, sta� and Alumni. Founded in 2011, the group has been notably gaining profile, receiving outstanding reviews. They will be accompanied tonight by a baroque string quintet and organ.

Renaissance will be prepared and presented for this final candlelit concert of the Festival by eminent choral specialist Martin Neary LVO. Previously Organist of Westminster Abbey, and famed for directing the music at such occasions as the Funeral of Princess Diana, Martin Neary has devised tonight’s programme in celebration of Britten’s centenary. Also included are works by other composers connected to St Cecilia and Britten, most notably Henry Purcell.

In Conversation…At 5.45pm, ticket-holders for tonight’s concert are invited to join us in the Abbey, where Festival Director Marcus Wibberley will be in conversation with Martin Neary about tonight’s programme and other influences and experiences. Unsold tickets can be purchased on the door from 5.30pm.



Festival ExhibitionLindisfarne: Faith, Inspiration & Stitchby members of the Embroiderers’ Guild in the North East Region

Inspired by the beauty, cra� smanship and designs of the Lindisfarne Gospels, embroiderers throughout the North East have applied their own imagination and skill to create contemporary treasures. The Lindisfarne Collection is their interpretation and response to the rich symbols, ornamentation and text of the Gospels and to the faith that inspired their creation. The range of embroideries shows many diverse examples of fine stitching in traditional style alongside contemporary textile art, together illustrating the broad diversity of the art of the needle. Pieces will be exhibited and on sale in the North and South Quire Aisles of the Abbey, and in the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, from 12th September to 12th October.

Festival O� icee: [email protected]: 0808 126 1257 Ariane Baty (Festival Administrator)

Friends of the Festivale: [email protected]: 01434 608882 David Ratcli� (Friends Coordinator)

Become a Friend of the Festival: Enjoy priority booking, special Friends’ events, ra� les and prizes. The Friends stall will have a presence at all evening concerts in the Abbey during the Festival.

@HAFestival www.hexhamabbey.org.uk

Contact us

Ticket Information

Tickets for all events can be booked directly through the Queen’s Hall Box O� ice:

Concessions are o� ered to all under 18s, those in full-time education, registered unemployed (JSA), disabled people and their carer/escort.N.B. Di� erent concessions apply for Le Moulin Magique.

Unsold TicketsAny unsold tickets will be available on the door.

Queen’s Hall Arts CentreBeaumont StreetHexhamNE46 3LS

Opening hours:Mon–Sat 10am–4pm

t: 01434 652477w: www.queenshall.co.uk

General InformationWheelchair access is available to all events. If you require assistance entering our venues, please contact the Festival O� ice in advance.

Car parking is available in the car park of the Wentworth Leisure Centre, Waitrose and the Tourist Information Centre. From there it is a 10 minute (uphill) walk into town.

Main VenueHexham Abbey, Beaumont Street, Hexham, NE46 3NB

Hexham Abbey Festival reserves the right to make alterations to the programme if necessary.

Family Ticket (where advertised)Valid for 4 consecutive seat numbers when purchased for a family unit of 2 adults and 2 children.

Come and experience the atmosphere of the Abbey interior at twilight with a pre-concert glass of wine or so� drink, on sale from 6.15pm in the Abbey.

Denotes a Twilight Concert

festival brochure 2013 - queenshall.co.uk · britten simple symphony, op. 4 britten saint nicolas,...

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