Classical music and jazz: Latest news> May 6
Published: 6 May 2010
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
THE music festival season is upon us with a vengeance. As well as the big name festivals, though, there are some fantastic gems to be found among specialist local festivals.
This Saturday the ninth London Festival of Contemporary Church Music is opening with an evening concert at St Pancras Church, Euston Road. The week-long festival seeks to showcase performances of recent and contemporary liturgical at some of London’s finest churches, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Abbey among them as well as St Pancras. Music at the opening concert played by the Dmitri Ensemble will include four pieces by Giles Swayne and works by such Renaissance masters as Palestrina, Tallis and Josquin. www.lfccm.com
Next Tuesday sees the opening of the five-day London Classical Guitar Festival at Bolivar Hall, Grafton Way, not to be confused with and very different from the London Guitar Festival being held on the South Bank later in the month. The Bolivar Hall festival is opening with a recital given by Dimitris Dekavallas, guitar, and Marios Argiros, oboe, providing an exciting alternative to traditional guitar/flute combos. Other concerts will be given by the highly acclaimed Appassionata Trio of girl-guitarists and Camden guitar legend John Williams.
Visit: www.ilams.org.uk
Next Thursday, the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music is opening with the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 performed at St John’s, Smith Square, by La Venexiana, the Italian music ensemble which recently completed its recording of all Monteverdi’s works.
Visit: lufthansafestival.org.uk
Coming shortly are the keenly awaited details of this year’s Hampstead & Highgate Festival programme drawn up by new artistic director, Danny Driver. The festival is expected to mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of Diaghilev’s company Ballets Ruses and the 200th anniversaries of the births of composers Chopin and Robert Schumann.