Three Choirs Festival

The official website of the Three Choirs Festival

Worcester: 6th-14th August 2005
Hereford: August 2006
Gloucester: August 2007

ORGAN RECITAL - BEN VAN OOSTEN (EVENT 42)
11.00 - Hereford Cathedral

Mozart Fantasie in F minor K 608, Mozart ‘Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein’
(Figured chorale from Die Zauberflöte), Schumann Four Sketches Op. 58,
Franck Grande Pièce Symphonique Op. 17

The celebrated Dutch organist Ben van Oosten plays some of the glories of the solo organ repertoire by Mozart, Schumann and Franck.

LUTE SONG EVENT (EVENT 43)
11.00 - Shobdon Parish Church

Soprano Katherine Hawnt, together with lutenist Ziv Braha and viol da gamba player Uri Smilansky present John Danyel’s Songs for the Lute, Viol and Voice of 1606 – an intimate and moving portrait of longing and melancholy, on the occasion of its 400th anniversary.

Katherine Hawnt (pictured right) soprano, Ziv Braha lute

RETURN COACH TRAVEL (EVENT 44)
Hereford to Shobdon

SONG RECITAL (EVENT 45)
14.30 - St John’s Methodist Church

James Oxley and Roderick Williams, two of Britain’s finest young singers, perform settings of Burns and Shakespeare by Haydn, Schumann, Sauguet, Sibelius and Korngold.

James Oxley tenor, Roderick Williams baritone, Caroline Dowdle piano

ENSEMBLE FOLKLORIQUE LES BERRIAUDS DE VIERZON (EVENT 46)
14.30 - Baptist Church

A welcome return for this group of musicians and dancers, who will give a performance of French
folk song and dance in traditional costume.

HAMLET (EVENT 47)
15.30 - Bishop’s Palace Garden

The Festival Players Theatre Company

>>The Festival Players

TALK: MICHAEL TAVINOR (EVENT 48)
16:00 - Powell Theatre

The Dean of Hereford discusses the legacy of the English Hymnal, which
celebrates its centenary this year.

CHORAL EVENSONG
17:30 - Hereford Cathedral

With Three Cathedral Choirs

Leighton Responses, Leighton Second Service, Rheinberger Abendlied, Shostakovich Passacaglia.

CATHEDRAL CONCERT (EVENT 49)
19:45 - Hereford Cathedral

With the Festival Chorus and Philharmonia

Shostakovich Tahiti Trot, Ravel Ma mère l’oye, Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite Walton Belshazzar’s Feast

Shostakovich’s sparkling arrangement of the Tahiti Trot (otherwise known as Tea for Two) opens the final concert in this year’s Three Choirs Festival. Ravel’s exquisite Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose Suite) and Stravinsky’s suite from the ballet Pulcinella continue the eclectic theme, before Walton’s dazzling and exuberant Belshazzar’s Feast brings the festival to a suitably rousing conclusion.

Geraint Bowen conductor, Neal Davies (pictured right) baritone.