Buxton International Festival Brochure 5 - 21 July 2019

B U X T O N F E S T I VA L . C O . U K

5 – 2 1 J U LY 2 0 1 9

B O X O F F I CE 01298 72190 I N F O R M ATI O N 01298 70395 1

F R I D AY 5 J U LY 7.30pm New Voices Festival Foundation Concert

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S AT U R D AY 6 J U LY 9am Perspectives: Is digitalisation killing classical music?

10.30am Mark Cocker & Friends 12pm In the Spotlight: RNCM 2pm Mark Wigglesworth 3.30pm Imogen Cooper 6pm Opera Talk

6pm Song at Six 6.30pm Out of Africa – CTO at Haddon Hall 7.15pm EUGENE ONEGIN

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S U N D AY 7 J U LY 10am Sarah Ward & Friends 10.45am Festival Mass 12pm Improviso 12pm Amanda Foreman 2pm GEORGIANA 3.30pm Lizzie Ball 5.15pm Georgian Dinner 6pm Song at Six 6pm Mill Songs & Georgian Chamber Music 6.30pm Grace Notes – CTO at Haddon Hall 7.30pm Lucy Worsley 8.30pm Zorada Temmingh M O N D AY 8 J U LY 10am Gillian Moore 12pm Philip Moore & Huw Watkins 12pm BIF Vocal Recital 2pm Alan Powers 3.30pm Castalian String Quartet 4pm Festival Walk: How Buxton Helped Build the 20th century 6pm Opera Talk 6pm Song at Six 7.15pm ORPHEUS IN THE

UNDERWORLD 7.30pm Out of Africa CTO at St John’s Church

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T U E S D AY 9 J U LY 9am Perspectives: The Future of the Economy 10.30am Robert Skidelsky 12pm Matilda Lloyd & Richard Gowers 12pm Festival Walk: Buxton’s ghost theatres 2pm Diarmaid MacCulloch 3.30pm Alessandro Fisher & Ashok Gupta 4pm The Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie 6pm Opera Talk

6pm Song at Six 7.15pm LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE 7.30pm The Literary Salon: Alan Powers 9pm Kabantu

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W E D N E S D AY 1 0 J U LY B I F F R I E N D S D AY 9am BIF podcast 10.30am Ian Kershaw & Matthew Parris 12pm In the Spotlight: RNCM 2pm Cookery: Max Fischer 3.30pm Peter Donohoe 4pm Robin Hanbury-Tenison

6pm Opera Talk 6pm Song at Six 6pm Dr Peter Collinge 7.15pm EUGENE ONEGIN 7.30pm The Literary Salon: Peter Moore 9pm Jason Singh & Friends T H U R S D AY 1 1 J U LY 9am Perspectives: Brexit Britain – What Next?

10.30am Max Adams 12pm Bethan Langford & Keval Shah 12pm Festival Walk: Victorian splendour 12.45pm Opera Talk 2pm ORPHEUS IN THE

UNDERWORLD 2pm Dorian Lynskey

3.30pm Peter Donohoe & Alissa Margulis 4pm Richard King 6pm Song at Six

6pm Dr Gillian Williamson 7pm Dinner & Musical Theatre at Dome 7.30pm BBC Philharmonic 7.30pm An Audience with Kate Humble F R I D AY 10am 10.30am 12pm 12pm

2pm 2pm 3.30pm 4pm 5.15pm 6pm 7.15pm 7.30pm

9pm

1 2 J U LY Peter Hennessy THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU Soraya Mafi & Adrian Kelly Festival Walk: Buxton on the Home Front Dr Ruth Larsen Cookery: Saliha Mahmood Ahmed La Vaghezza Tristram Hunt & Julian Glover Georgian Dinner Opera Talk GEORGIANA The Literary Salon: Adrian Kelly & Michael Williams In the Spotlight: University of Derby

S AT U R D AY 1 3 J U LY 10am Jacqueline Riding 10.30am THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 12pm Jonathan Radford & Ashley Fripp 2pm Max Hastings 4pm Venki Ramakrishnan 6pm Opera Talk 7.15pm LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE 7.30pm The Literary Salon: Tom Service

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S U N D AY 1 4 J U LY 10am Tom Service 11am Festival Mass 12pm BIF Vocal Recital 12.45am Opera Talk 2pm EUGENE ONEGIN 2pm Clare Hammond 4pm Clare Hammond masterclass 5pm Friends’ Dinner 6pm Song at Six 7.30pm Alistair McGowan 8pm VOCES8 M O N D AY 1 5 J U LY 10am Jenny Waldman 10.30am THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 12pm In the Spotlight: Chethams 2pm Scenes from the Opera: Eugene Onegin 3.30pm Peter Donohoe, Alissa Margulis

& Per Nyström 4pm Sophie Thérèse Ambler 5.15pm Georgian Dinner 6pm Opera Talk

6pm Song at Six 7.15pm GEORGIANA

T U E S D AY 1 6 J U LY 10am Simon Winder 10.30am THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 12pm Savitri Grier & Yundu Wang 12pm Festival Walk: Victorian splendour 2pm Scenes from an Opera: Lucio Papirio Dittatore 3.30pm Peter Donohoe 3.30pm The English Concert 3.30pm Anna Pasternak 3.30pm Festival Walk: Picking up ideas for foraging 6pm Opera Talk

6pm Song at Six 7.15pm EUGENE ONEGIN 9pm Chris Ingham Quartet

W E D N E S D AY 1 7 J U LY B I F F R I E N D S D AY 9am Perspectives: Are gender

stereotypes damaging our children?

10am Festival Walk: Picking up ideas for foraging 10.30am THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 10.30am Christopher Somerville 12pm Frith Piano Quintet 2pm Scenes from the Opera: Georgiana 2pm Cookery: John Wright 3.30pm La Serenissima 6pm Opera Talk 6pm Song at Six

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7.15pm ORPHEUS IN THE

UNDERWORLD 7.30pm The Literary Salon: Anna Beer 7.30pm National Youth Jazz Orchestra T H U R S D AY 1 8 J U LY 9am Perspectives: Science & AI 10.30am Anna Beer 12pm Victoria String Quartet 12pm Festival Walk: Buxton on the Home Front 12.45pm Opera Talk 2pm LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE 2pm Martin Moore

3pm Roderick Williams & Iain Burnside 6pm Song at Six 7.30pm The Julian Bliss Septet 8.30pm Ex Cathedra Consort 9pm Bella Hardy

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10.30am

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1 9 J U LY Perspectives: The Future of our Political Parties Nick Robinson THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 12pm Victoria String Quartet 12pm Festival Walk: Buxton’s ghost theatres 2pm Melissa Harrison & Tim Pears 3.30pm Garry Magee & Tim Lole 3.30pm A Good Reed?

4pm David Cannadine 6pm Opera Talk 6pm Song at Six 7.15pm EUGENE ONEGIN 19.30 The Literary Salon: Naoke Abe

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S AT U R D AY 2 0 J U LY 10am Melvyn Bragg 10.30am THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU 12pm Victoria String Quartet 2pm Jane Glover 3.30pm Carnival of the Animals 4pm John Lanchester 5.15pm Georgian Dinner 6pm Opera Talk 6pm Song at Six 7.15pm GEORGIANA 9pm Dominic Alldis Trio

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S U N D AY 2 1 J U LY 11am Festival Mass 2pm Brodsky Quartet

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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S WELCOME As soon as I glimpsed the interior of Buxton Opera House last year, I began to imagine the operas I would like to experience in this intimate space. Eugene Onegin was one of my first ideas – a timeless and powerful story of love and loss. Jamie Manton is a young director at the beginning of an exciting career, and we have assembled an outstanding cast of established singers and promising young talents which, along with the Northern Chamber Orchestra and the Buxton Festival Chorus, is sure to harness the passion of Tchaikovsky’s inspired score.

As the restoration of Buxton’s Crescent reaches its completion, Georgiana will bring to life one of the Georgian England’s most charismatic figures. Musical director Mark Tatlow and director Matthew Richardson have created this work, featuring some of the finest music of the period.

Antonio Caldara’s Lucio Papirio Dittatore was first performed in Vienna in 1719, and has not been performed since. It is a remarkable rediscovery, our list of soloists is of the highest quality, and I am certain no orchestra can deliver this dynamic score with more energy than La Serenissima under Adrian Chandler – not to be missed!

Opera della Luna are perennial favourites in Buxton, and Jeff Clarke’s production of Orpheus in the Underworld, with its biting political satire, is the ideal vehicle for the company’s brilliance, and a fitting tribute to the comic genius of Jacques Offenbach, in this his bicentenary year.

The music series presents some of the world’s finest performers, some returning to Buxton, and others making their first appearances here.

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Tchaikovsky’s monumental Piano Trio promises to be a highlight of Peter Donohoe’s four-concert series. Tchaikovsky is also the focus of three concerts by the Victoria String Quartet. We are thrilled that the BBC Philharmonic will perform at the Festival for the first time, giving a concert in the Octagon. Watch out for concerts which have been paired with book events, as well as the BIF Company Recital Series and Literary Salon Evenings.

I look forward to seeing you all in July!

ADRIAN KELLY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

B O O K Y O U R 4 0 T H A N N I V E R S A RY SOUVENIR PROGRAMME before 1 June, for the price of £12 (price after 1 June £15). Programmes can be booked in advance from the Buxton Opera House Box Office and collected from the start of the Festival from the Festival Tea Garden, Box Office, the Waterstones cabin, or from programme sellers outside the Opera House.

CEO’S WELCOME On the 30 July 1979, Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor opened the first Buxton Festival at the newly refurbished Buxton Opera House. In 2019 we will be celebrating 40 years of this resilient organisation which has faithfully mounted operas less frequently produced and brought to life rarities seldom seen. Imagine 40 summers of scintillating programmes of music, 40 summers of singers, musicians and authors entertaining and inspiring us with their art. Over the years the Festival has been central to so many people’s lives, providing audiences contact with a range of artists and opportunities for artists to test their mettle and refine their art. It’s been a remarkable journey; an extraordinary achievement. And we’ve only just begun!

The Festival is under new management and I am thrilled to be working with Adrian Kelly, our new Artistic Director, who is the driving force behind the opera and music programme; Caroline Hewitt, our new Artistic Administrator, who will be managing the BIF company; Victoria Dawson, our new Book Organiser, who has conjured up a fabulous constellation of renowned authors and speakers; Lucie de Lacy, our new Outreach Officer, who has created a range of community programmes designed to bring the length and breadth of people in Derbyshire closer to the Festival; Emma Lloyd, our new Marketing Manager, who has championed a new website and implemented a cracking marketing plan for our 40th Anniversary; Brian Shawcross, our new Financial Manager and Lucy Marsden, our new fundraiser, working together with Jo Williams, our Development Director, to keep the Festival solvent!; Lee Barnes, our steady Administrator, with 25 years of Festival experience, and John Phillips and Robbie Carnegie creating copy and producing our brochures and programmes.

We’re proud to announce our partners for this year’s Festival, which include Virgin Trains as our travel partner, providing great service to Macclesfield; Haddon Hall who supported the singers from Cape Town Opera, our new drinks partner Kuro Gin; the University of Derby who are presenting several speakers; Royal Overseas League who are hosting a concert; the British Academy who are presenting Perspectives; the Festival Foundation who is underwriting the opening concert and, of course, our partners and funders of long-standing: Arts Council of England, High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, The Old Hall Hotel, No 6, Longcliffe, Waterstones, Buxton Opera House, Pavilion Gardens, St John’s Church and the Friends of Buxton International Festival.

Imagine this coming summer and all that is in store for you – see you soon!

MICHAEL WILLIAMS CEO BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 5

SUPPORTERS

Buxton International Festival and artists are very grateful for the support of the following organisations.

FUNDERS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

THANK YOU R E NI SHAW HALL AND CH A N D O S R E CO R D S FO R THE IR 40T H AN N I V E R S ARY G I F T SUPPORTED BY

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SUPPORTING THE F E S T I VA L I S A P I E C E O F CAKE IN OUR TEA GARDEN E N T E R O U R F E S T I VA L T E A G A R D E N A N D Y O U ’ L L F I N D A P E A C E F U L OASIS OF CALM, THE CHANCE TO MIX WITH THE ARTISTS AND AN EVERCHANGING MENU OF SURPRISE EVENTS …

Specially created for our 40th anniversary, the Festival Tea Garden will be the hub of the Festival as supporters and performers mix to share what they have seen so far and explore what’s on next in the wonderfully English setting of the St John’s Church Peace Garden, opposite the Opera House.

The Festival Tea Garden will be open during the day, come rain or shine, thanks to an all-weather canopy, and there will be treats ranging from BIF buskers to impromptu performances.

All the money made goes directly to the Festival, so every cuppa and piece of cake bought in the Festival Tea Garden supports our artists and activities.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ST JOHN’S CHURCH AND THE UNIVERSITY OF DERBY

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EUGENE ONEGIN

P Y O T R I LY I C H T C H A I K O V S K Y ( 1 8 4 0 – 9 3 )

A Buxton International Festival production, with the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

Artistic Director Adrian Kelly makes his conducting debut at Buxton International Festival with the production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Eugene Onegin is a classic tale of first love and painful rejection; of broken friendships, love and regret. When the young, romantic Tatyana is introduced to the dashing, unconventional Eugene Onegin, she believes that he is the hero of her dreams. However, he rejects her, flirting instead with her sister Olga, which angers Lensky, Olga’s fiancé and Onegin’s only friend. What follows will change all of their lives forever.

The young members of the cast of Eugene Onegin are all new to the Buxton Festival.

Lyric Soprano Shelley Jackson is forging an international career singing roles including Anna Bolena and Mimì.

Angharad Lyddon represents Wales at the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. David Webb is a Harewood Artist at English National Opera, and has also been a recent visitor to the Glyndebourne and Salzburg Festivals. George Humphreys has performed throughout Europe at theatres such as the Royal Opera House, Komische Oper Berlin and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

Director Jamie Manton achieved great critical success for his innovative production of Britten’s Paul Bunyan at English National Opera. This is his debut for BIF. Libretto by the composer, based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse. Sung in English, with side-titles.

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TCHAIKOVSKY OFFER Book any Victoria String Quartet recital and a performance of Eugene Onegin and receive a 15% discount.

SAT 6 JULY 7.15PM WED 10 JULY 7.15PM SUN 14 JULY 2PM TUE 16 JULY 7.15PM FRI 19 JULY 7.15PM* BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20 – £78 (see p 76 for seating plan) Under 35s offer – from 1 June all Opera tickets are priced at £5 for under-35s (proof of age required).

ADRIAN KELLY Conductor JAMIE MANTON Director JUSTIN NARDELLA Designer ZOE SPURR Lighting Designer SHELLEY JACKSON Tatyana ANGHARAD LYDDON Olga, Tatyana’s sister DAVID WEBB Lensky GEORGE HUMPHREYS Onegin

This would make a great companion to Peter Donohoe’s Russian repertoire

* For running times, see Festival website

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GEORGIANA

THOMAS LINLEY (1756–78); WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZAR T (1756–91); GIOVANNI PAISIELLO (1740–1816); MAR TÍN Y SOLER (1754–1806); STEPHEN STORACE (1762–96) A Buxton International Festival production, with the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

The world premiere of a specially commissioned 40th Anniversary opera pasticcio, illustrating the life and times of Georgiana Cavendish, the 5th Duchess of Devonshire.

While her husband was building Buxton’s magnificent Crescent, Georgiana Cavendish was setting London society alight with a mixture of dangerous liaisons, political activism and reckless gambling. Her life (1757–1806) inspired a best-selling biography by Amanda Foreman and the Keira Knightley Hollywood film, The Duchess.

Georgiana’s life is a story of obsession, the high life and celebrity, and of the relationship between two women in an age of male dominance. The score weaves together music by many of the composers Georgiana would have heard: Martín y Soler, the composer of Una cosa rara, quoted in the supper scene of Don Giovanni; Giovanni Paisiello, the most popular opera composer of his day; Stephen Storace, the brother of Nancy Storace, who created the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro; Thomas Linley, known as ‘the English Mozart’; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself.

Lyrics by Michael Williams, Text by Janet Plater. Music compiled by Mark Tatlow. Sung in English, with side-titles.

Thanks to The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust, Granada Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Ida Carroll Trust and members of the Georgiana Syndicate for their support.

* For running times, see Festival website

TICKET OFFER Book tickets for Bethan Langford and Georgiana and get 15% off.

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GEORGIAN DINNERS For the full Georgiana experience, book a preopera Georgian Dinner at the Old Hall Hotel (see p 64)

SUN 7 JULY 2PM FRI 12 JULY 7.15PM MON 15 JULY 7.15PM SAT 20 JULY 7.15PM* BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20–£78 (see p 76 for seating plan) Under 35s offer – from 1 June all Opera tickets are priced at £5 for under-35s (proof of age required).

MARK TATLOW Conductor MATTHEW RICHARDSON Director JOHN MORELL Designer ZOE SPURR Lighting Designer SAMANTHA CLARKE Georgiana ANDREW KENNEDY Duke of Devonshire SUSANNA FAIRBAIRN Bess OLIVIA RAY Lady Spencer GEOFFREY DOLTON Sheridan KATHERINE AITKEN Grey ALED HALL Fox

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L U C I O PA P I R I O D I T TAT O R E ANTONIO CALDARA (1671–1736)

A Buxton International Festival production in collaboration with La Serenissima.

The story of family strife in pre-Imperial Rome, this forgotten gem by the Italian composer Antonio Caldara, featuring jubilant choral writing and dazzling virtuoso arias, is a perfect vehicle for the dynamic, Gramophone Awardwinning baroque ensemble La Serenissima.

Lucio Papirio Dittatore was composed by Caldara in 1719, by which time he was serving as vice-kapellmeister to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. Being composed for the imperial court, there are a number of characteristics rarely found elsewhere in opera seria, such as the use of the aria madrigale, a large amount of ballet music and a significant number of choral movements. This is a work composed on a grand scale, glorifying both the genre of opera seria and the name of the emperor.

The cast includes two ENO Harewood Artists, Eleanor Dennis and Rowan Pierce, as well as Elizabeth Karani, who sang in both Jephtha and Intermezzo in Buxton.

Countertenors William Towers and Owen Willets have both appeared recently at the Festival, and return as father and son Marco and Quinto Fabio. Baritone Gareth Brynmor John is a former winner of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award.

Completing a first-class line up, the title role is sung by tenor Robert Murray, who starred in Brescianello’s Tisbe last year.

Sung in Italian with English side-titles Supported by

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TUES 9 JULY 7.15PM SAT 13 JULY 7.15PM THUR 18 JULY 2PM* BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20–£78 (see p 76 for seating plan) Under 35s offer – from 1 June all Opera tickets are priced at £5 for under-35s (proof of age required).

ADRIAN CHANDLER MD violin GIULIA NUTI MD harpsichord MARK BURNS Director KITTY CALLISTER Designer ZOE SPURR Lighting Designer ROBERT MURRAY Lucio Papirio WILLIAM TOWERS Marco Fabio OWEN WILLETTS Quinto Fabio ROWAN PIERCE Papiria ELIZABETH KARANI Rutilia ELEANOR DENNIS Cominio GARETH BRYNMOR JOHN Servilio * For running times, see Festival website

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MON 8 JULY 7.15PM THURS 11 JULY 2PM WED 17 JULY 7.15PM* BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20–£68 (see p 76 for seating plan) Under 35s offer – from 1 June all Opera tickets are priced at £5 for under-35s (proof of age required).

TOBY PURSER Conductor JEFF CLARKE Director ELROY ASHMORE Designer JENNY ARNNOLD Choreographer TRISTAN STOCKS Orpheus DAIRE HALPIN Eurydice KATHARINE TAYLOR-JONES Public Opinion ANTHONY FLAUM Pluto IAN BELSEY Jupiter LOUISE CRANE Juno PAUL FEATHERSTONE Mercury LYNSEY DOCHERTY Diana KRISTY SWIFT Venus

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* For running times, see Festival website

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD JACQUES OFFENBACH (1819–80)

A Buxton International Festival production in collaboration with Opera della Luna. New English version by Jeff Clarke.

‘A profanation of holy and glorious antiquity. A desecration of the gods!’ That’s how one outraged critic greeted the first performance of Orphée aux Enfers in 1858. But Offenbach and his librettists were not so much desecrating ancient Greece as their own bourgeois society. Its waltzes and marches were played constantly from the Tuileries to the smallest taverns, and the Galop Infernal or can-can became one of the most famous dance tunes ever written.

Jeff Clarke’s new translation casts a satirical eye on our own society in much the same way that Offenbach’s original lampooned Second Empire Paris.

Opera della Luna specialises in the comic opera repertoire and has become one of the country’s most cherished touring companies. Described as ‘fast approaching national treasure status’, it made its BIF debut last year with The Daughter of the Regiment, which played to sold-out houses and received 5-star reviews.

THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU ALLAN STEPHENSON (B.1949) FRI 12, SAT 13, MON 15, TUES 16, WED 17, FRI 19, SAT 20 JULY 10.30AM–11.45AM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £10 (adult), £5 (child), £25 (family – 2 adults & 2 children) MICHAEL WILLIAMS Book and lyrics TOM NEWALL Conductor MARK BURNS Director KITTY CALLISTER Designer DANIELLA SICARI Sticks FIONA FINSBURY Sofia EDWARD ROBINSON Silas PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Anthony Gell School, Wirksworth Buxton Community School Chapel-en-le-Frith High School Hope Valley College New Mills School St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy, Glossop St Thomas More Catholic School, Buxton THANKS TO THE KOOMBU SYNDICATE AND: LG Harris Trust Derbyshire Music Hub Devonshire Educational Trust Andre Bernheim Charitable Trust D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Derbyshire County Council Action Grants Tesco Bags of Help

Oppression, uprising, euphoria and a new world order. In such uncertain times, never has it been more important to listen to the next generation and encourage them to raise their voices to be heard.

Based on The Secret Song, written by award-winning author Michael Williams, this African chamber opera features singers from the Festival Company and 200 young people from seven different secondary schools in Derbyshire and the High Peak. First performed by Cape Town Opera to communities throughout South Africa, The Orphans of Koombu combines opera, musical theatre and African harmonies in a work about oppression and freedom.

Three travellers, Sticks, Sophia and Silas set out on journey to the mysterious town of Koombu. They meet a group of young people digging holes, who run from them in terror.

Sticks discovers that the townsfolk are hiding a dark secret which threatens to destroy the town. The land responds to this betrayal of its youth by drying the rivers and springs.

Can the three travellers inspire the orphans and bring harmony and healing to an artificially fractured society?

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NEW VOICES

B U X T O N F E S T I VA L F O U N D AT I O N C O N C E R T CAPE TOWN OPERA & NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA A D R I A N K E L LY, CONDUCTOR FRIDAY 5 JULY 7.30PM–9.30PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £15–£65 (see p 76 for seating plan)

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To mark the opening of the Festival’s 40th Anniversary with a high energy popular programme, singers from the Buxton Festival Company combine with the visiting young artists from Cape Town Opera, as well as rising stars from the Royal Northern College of Music, for a celebratory concert. The Northern Chamber Orchestra will be in the pit, conducted by incoming Artistic Director, Adrian Kelly.

They will present a wonderful taster programme with tuneful excerpts from well-loved operas by world famous composers.

These will provide a marvellous introduction to anyone trying out opera for the first time, and of course make for a very pleasant evening for all our regulars who will be very familiar with them. We have chosen pieces from well-loved works

by Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Bizet and Johann Strauss II. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute are two of his most enduring masterpieces. We will hear scenes from the beginning of one work and the rousing conclusion of the latter. Bizet’s Carmen boasts perhaps more memorable tunes than any other in the repertoire, including the ‘Habanera’, and the ‘Toreador Song’. And finally, Strauss’s greatest operetta, Die Fledermaus, conjures up the decadent world of fin-desiècle Vienna.

Any surplus from this evening’s performance will be dedicated to help develop the Festival and ensure that it has the financial stability to be enjoyed by future generations.

The surplus will go to the Buxton Festival Foundation to grow its endowment fund which has been set up specifically for these purposes. So by coming tonight we are sure that you will have a great time and, even better, you will know that you are ensuring that future audiences will too!

O P E R A TA L K S

Join our creative teams for insights into the history, music and vision behind this year’s operas.

BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £2 EUGENE ONEGIN SAT 6 JULY 6PM–6.30PM ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD MON 8 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

EUGENE ONEGIN SUN 14 JULY 12.45PM– 1.15PM GEORGIANA MON 15 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE TUES 9 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

EUGENE ONEGIN TUES 16 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

EUGENE ONEGIN WED 10 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD WED 17 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD THURS 11 JULY 12.45PM– 1.15PM

LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE THURS 18 JULY 12.45PM– 1.15PM

GEORGIANA FRI 12 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

EUGENE ONEGIN FRI 19 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE SAT 13 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

GEORGIANA SAT 20 JULY 6PM–6.30PM

S O N G AT S I X

Join members of the Festival Chorus and our Young Artists Programme for 15 minutes of al fresco song in the Bandstand of the Pavilion Gardens.

SAT 6, SUN 7, MON 8, TUE 9, WED 10, THUR 11, SUN 14, MON 15, TUE 16, WED 17, THUR 18, FRI 19, SAT 20 JULY, 6PM

SCENES FROM AN OPERA

Hour-long re-imaginings of our Festival operas, brought to life by the members of the company covering the principal roles.

PALACE HOTEL £15 EUGENE ONEGIN MON 15 JULY 2PM–3PM

GEORGIANA WED 17 JULY 2PM–3PM

LUCIO PAPIRIO DITTATORE TUE 16 JULY 2PM-3PM

BIF BUSKERS

Music students from the RNCM, Chethams and Peak District Music Centres will be performing on the Opera House forecourt from 6.30pm to 6.50pm each day.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

We are delighted to celebrate our relationships with three great seats of learning – the Royal Northern College of Music, Chetham’s School of Music and the University of Derby – and to present recitals putting the rising stars of the future in the spotlight.

RNCM RECITALS

SARA LIBER SALLOUM, LUTE & VANESSA GUINADI, SOPRANO SAT 6 JULY 12PM – 1PM FESTIVO WINDS WED 10 JULY 12PM – 1PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £15

UNIVERSITY OF DERBY CHETHAM’S RECITAL FRI 12 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM

ELIAS ACKERLEY, PIANO

PAVILION CAFÉ £15 A late-night concert featuring young and upcoming talent from the University’s BA Pop Music programme.

MON 15 JULY 12PM – 1PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £15

F E S T I VA L M A S S E S

Always a popular part of the BIF calendar, Buxton Musical Society and the Buxton Madrigal Singers, under the direction of Michael Williams MBE, present three special services in the wonderful setting of St John’s Church.

BUXTON MADRIGAL SINGERS & BUXTON MUSICAL SOCIETY ORCHESTRA WITH SOLOISTS FROM THE FESTIVAL COMPANY SUN 7 JULY 10.45AM – 12PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH Mozart Missa Brevis in D, K194

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BUXTON MUSICAL SOCIETY CHORUS & ORCHESTRA WITH SOLOISTS FROM THE FESTIVAL COMPANY SUN 14 JULY 11AM – 12.30PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH Haydn Creation Mass

BUXTON MADRIGAL SINGERS SUN 21 JULY 11AM – 12.15PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH Palestrina Missa Brevis

CAPE TOWN OPERA AT H A D D O N H A L L

OUT OF AFRICA, INTO THE PEAK Young African voices will bring fresh magic to Derbyshire’s historic Haddon Hall in July. The medieval fortified manor house, home of Lord and Lady Edward Manners, will see the young stars of Cape Town Opera present two concerts which will bring traditional African culture to new audiences in a 900 year-old setting.

Six singers will be accompanied by piano for Out of Africa, a mixture of gospel, traditional South African folk music, jazz and some light opera in the Elizabethan Long Gallery, reputed to be one of the most beautiful rooms in England and blessed with perfect acoustics. Guests will be welcomed before the event with drinks in the terraced walled gardens which cascade down to the River Wye.

Grace Notes will see the singers perform a programme of sacred music from around the globe, in the candle-lit Norman chapel following a drinks reception in the Banqueting Hall.

Haddon Hall has ‘starred’ in many TV shows and Hollywood films, from the fantasy adventure The Princess Bride to three versions of Jane Eyre, including Franco Zeffirelli’s masterpiece.

OUT OF AFRICA SAT 6 JULY AT HADDON HALL

GRACE NOTES SUN 7 JULY AT HADDON HALL

Both performances begin at 6.30pm, but visitors are welcome to arrive at the Hall beforehand from 5.30pm to relax and enjoy the summer evening in the beautiful walled gardens, where drinks will be available for purchase.

Tickets for both these special events at Haddon Hall will be limited and visitors are encouraged to book early to secure their choice of: COMBINED CONCERT WITH DINNER IN THE HADDON RESTAURANT – £55 CONCERT ONLY – £35

*Please be aware that while the acoustics in the medieval Chapel are wonderful, in some seats visibility is restricted.

DINING

ALL BOOKINGS FOR PRE-CONCERT DINING PLEASE CONTACT CAROL RICHARDSON AT NEWLEAFCATERING@HADDONHALL.CO.UK OR BY TELEPHONE 01629 540363 19

IMOGEN COOPER PIANO

SAT 6 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Brahms 3 Intermezzi, Op 117 Lizst Gretchen from Faust Symphony Beethoven Bagatelles, Op 119 Brahms 7 Fantasien, Op 116 Imogen Cooper is internationally renowned for her virtuosity and lyricism. She has a widespread international career and has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Budapest Festival, NHK and London Symphony Orchestras. She received a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours in 2007 and was the recipient of an award from the Royal Philharmonic Society the following year. At the centre of her programme is the portrait of Faust’s beloved ‘Gretchen’ from Liszt’s Faust Symphony.

This is framed by three perfectly crafted sets of miniatures by two titans of the Romantic era: Beethoven’s early Bagatelles and two of Brahms’ latest cycles of Intermezzi for piano. This promises to be a masterful recital of by on the world’s most respected interpreters, and a fitting curtain-raiser for this year’s 40th anniversary concert series.

IMPROVISO

FEARFUL SYMMETRY Rebel Les Elémens Vivaldi Concerto in D major, RV 84 La Tarantella (improvised)

Castello Sonata Duodecima, libro II La Bergamasca (improvised) Bach Organ Trio Sonata No 2, BWV 526

Improviso is a dynamic young quartet, who enjoy exploring contemporaneous improvisation practices alongside the baroque chamber music they perform.

‘Fearful symmetry’ takes inspiration from William Blake’s tour-de-force poem The Tyger (1794) to explore how some composers attempted to represent the overwhelming power of the natural world. We encounter Rebel’s unforgettable depictions of the elements in chaos, a concerto by Vivaldi that conceals fire in its well-wrought symmetry, two improvised Italian folk dances that seduce us with a musical cure for the fearful tarantula’s bite, and finally an entirely different perspective on ‘fearful symmetry’ brought to us by JS Bach.

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SUNDAY 7 JULY 12PM – 1PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25

ZORADA TEMMINGH

IMPROVISED ORGAN A C C O M PA N I M E N T T O T H E 1 9 2 3 SILENT FILM OF THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME SUN 7 JULY 8.30PM – 10PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £20

Zorada Temmingh, one of South Africa’s foremost organists, provides her innovative soundtrack improvisation to a showing of the 1923 silent film of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a jewel of the silent movie era. Zorada creates an original leitmotiv for each character, developing and intertwining the themes as the characters appear in different situations – in a sense the music becomes a commentator of the film. The ranges of tone, colour, pitch and volume of the organ is stretched to its limits to portray the gripping emotion in the film.

PHILIP MOORE & H U W W AT K I N S TWO PIANOS

MONDAY 8 JULY 12PM – 1PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25 John Adams Hallelujah Junction Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Philip Moore studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with, among others, the Hallé, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Composer and pianist Huw Watkins was born in South Wales. He read music at King’s College Cambridge, studying composition with Robin Holloway and Alexander Goehr. Stravinsky described The Rite of Spring as ‘a musical-choreographic work, [representing] pagan Russia ... unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.’ He had already experimented with bitonality and irregular rhythm in his earlier ballets, Firebird and Petrushka, but in The Rite of Spring, to quote music critic Alex Ross, he took Russian folk melodies and ‘proceeded to pulverize them into motivic bits, pile them up in layers, and reassemble them in cubistic collages and montages’.

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B I F V O C A L R E C I TA L S MONDAY 8 JULY 12PM – 1PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £20 SUNDAY 14 JULY 12PM – 1PM PALACE HOTEL £20 The BIF Recital series offers an opportunity to take a journey through the musical traditions of some of our European neighbours. Members of the Buxton Chorus and the Young Artist Programme will present two lunchtime recitals exploring some jewels of the song and operatic repertoire.

For the first recital we travel to Italy and to cities like Naples, Florence and Venice, and hearing works by composers such as Monteverdi, Tosti and Puccini. In our second recital we travel to Austria where we take in the spectacular scenery, and visit the cafés of Vienna, hearing works by composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Lehár. Artistic Director Adrian Kelly will be your guide, introducing the singers and accompanying them, along with other members of the Festival’s music staff.

Following the concert, there will be an opportunity to meet the performers informally in the Festival Tea Garden outside St John’s Church.

C A S TA L I A N S T R I N G Q U A R T E T Haydn String Quartet in D minor, Op 76 No 2, Fifths Fanny Mendelssohn String Quartet Beethoven String Quartet in E minor, Op 59 No 2 (‘Rasumovsky No 2’)

MONDAY 8 JULY 3.30PM – 4.30PM

ST JOHN’S CHURCH Formed in 2011, the Castalian Quartet comes to Buxton hot on the heels of winning the prestigious inaugural Merito String Quartet Award & Valentin Erben £20 Prize. Haydn wrote this quartet in 1797 shortly after returning from his second trip to London, around the same time that he was working on The Creation.

Gender conventions of the time prevented Fanny Mendelssohn from pursuing a musical career. In this, her only quartet, her vivid imagination and gift for lyricism are in full evidence.

Beethoven’s Rasumovsky Quartets were commissioned in 1806 by Count Anton Rasumovsky, the Russian ambassador in Vienna. The third movement of this quartet features a Russian folk song which was later also quoted in works by Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov and Stravinsky.

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CAPE TOWN OPERA OUT OF AFRICA

The Cape Town singers bring highlights of their Out of Africa and Grace Notes concerts to the superb acoustic of St John’s Church. (See p 19)

MON 8 JULY 7.30PM – 9.30PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25

M AT I L D A L L O Y D & RICHARD GOWERS TRUMPET & ORGAN

TUESDAY 9 JULY 12PM – 1PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £20 Martini Toccata Viviani Sonata Prima Henri Tomasi Semaine Sainte à Cuzco Petr Eben Okna: Blue Window Telemann Three heroic marches

Albinoni Aria Alan Hovaness Prayer of Saint Gregory Jean Claude Damase Trois prières sans paroles Petr Eben Okna: Golden Window

Hailed as ‘remarkable’ by the Daily Telegraph, British trumpeter Matilda Lloyd is captivating audiences with her artistry and communication, her flawless technique and the unique character she brings to each and every work.

In 2014, Matilda was winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Brass Final, and in 2016 gave her BBC Proms solo debut, performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Philharmonic and Alpesh Chauhan. The following year, Matilda won the Eric Aubier International Trumpet Competition in Rouen, France, an achievement which leads her to an international concert debut in Spring 2019 with l’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen.

Richard Gowers gained recognition as an organist by becoming a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists aged 17 and winning first prize at the 2013 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition. From 2014–17 he held the distinguished position of organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, graduating with a starred first class degree in Music.

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PETER DONOHOE A R T I S T- I N - R E S I D E N C E

Buxton Artist-in-Residence for 2019, Peter Donohoe CBE gave his first public recital in Buxton. He made waves by securing the joint first prize at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has recorded extensively, winning the Gramophone Concerto Recording of the year in 1988 for his recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 2, and the Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor in 1993.

He has worked extensively with the CBSO and Sir Simon Rattle, a link which led to his appearance at Rattle’s inaugural concert as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by no fewer than seven UK universities.

In the first of his series of four concerts at this year’s Festival he offers an entirely Viennese programme, including classics by Mozart, Haydn and Schubert and a seminal work by the father of the Second Viennese School, Arnold Schoenberg.

For his second concert he is joined by violinist Alissa Margulis for two masterpieces of the French romantic repertoire.

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Alissa Margulis was born in Germany into a family of Russian musicians. She was a prize-winner at numerous international competitions and was awarded the Pro Europa Prize of the European Arts Foundation, which was presented to her by Daniel Barenboim.

Their programme includes César Franck’s everpopular Sonata in A Major, composed as a wedding gift to the 31-year-old violin virtuoso Eugen Ysaÿe in September 1886, when the first performance took place.

For the third concert, he and Alissa are joined

by Per Nyström. The Swedish cellist studied in Stockholm and London. He is a principal cellist of Camerata Nordica, one of Europe’s foremost chamber orchestras, and was awarded the ‘Litteris et artibus’ medal by the Swedish King for his work.

The programme begins with Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata, written in 1901, the year after immensely popular Second Piano Concerto.

The programme concludes with Tchaikovsky’s monumental Piano Trio, dedicated to the composer’s friend and mentor, the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein.

For his final recital Peter Donohoe presents an all-Russian programme, including music by the neglected genius Scriabin, Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata and Mussorgsky’s masterful Pictures at an exhibition written in memory of the composer’s close friend, the painter Viktor Hartmann.

Mussorgsky completed the score in just 20 days.

It is one of the great virtuoso works in the piano repertoire, and a fitting finale to Peter Donohoe’s residency in Buxton.

PETER DONOHOE PIANO WED 10 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Mozart Sonata in E flat major, K282 Schubert 4 Impromptus, Op 142 Haydn Sonata in C major, Hob 48 Schönberg Fünf Klavierstücke, Op 23 Schubert Sonata D664 in A major PETER DONOHOE & ALISSA MARGULIS PIANO & VIOLIN THURS 11 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Debussy Violin Sonata, L140 Franck Violin Sonata in A major

PETER DONOHOE, ALISSA MARGULIS & PER NYSTRÖM PIANO, VIOLIN & CELLO MON 15 JULY 3.30PM – 5.15PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Rachmaninov Sonata in G minor for cello and piano, Op 19 Tchaikovsky Trio in A minor, Op 50 PETER DONOHOE PIANO TUES 16 JULY 3.30PM – 5.15PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Scriabin Sonata No 2 Tchaikovsky Grand Sonata Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition

PETER DONOHOE OFFER Book for three or more of the Donohoe recitals and receive a 15% discount

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ALESSANDRO FISHER & A S H O K G U P TA TENOR & PIANO

TUES 9 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25 Schumann Liederkreis (Heine), Op 24 Michael Head Over the rim of the moon Reynaldo Hahn Venezia Alessandro Fisher won the First Prize at the 2016 Kathleen Ferrier Awards. He is a member of the BBC New Generation Artist Scheme and an Associate Artist of Classical Opera.

Ashok Gupta studied at Cambridge University, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is the recipient of the Chamber Music Prize in the Bonn International Beethoven Competition and the Accompanist’s Prize in the Kathleen Ferrier Competition. They present a programme of German, English and Venetian song, beginning with Schumann’s Liederkreis, a masterful setting of poems by Heine. Michael Head’s first published work Over the rim of the moon was written while he was working at an ammunition factory during the First World War. Finally they perform Reynaldo Hahn’s delightful set of six songs, Venezia, written both in French and in Venetian dialect.

B E T H A N L A N G F O R D & K E VA L S H A H MEZZO SOPRANO & PIANO Mozart An Chloe, Lied der trennung Haydn Arianna a Naxos Copland Five songs from ‘Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson’

Hall Two songs from ‘Through the THURS 11 JULY guarded gate’ 12PM – 1PM Crumb Two songs from ‘Three early ST JOHN’S songs’ CHURCH Dove I too beneath your moon £25 Bethan Langford and Keval Shah are at the forefront of a new generation of Lieder performers, and their programme at Buxton celebrates the life and times of Georgiana Cavendish, as well as reflecting on her legacy as a writer and feminist icon. Music by her contemporaries Mozart and Haydn, including the latter’s Arianna a Naxos, rubs shoulders with American and British songs setting texts by major female poets including Emily Dickinson, Edna St Vincent Millay and Sara Teasdale. This recital also includes the UK premiere of songs from ‘Through the Guarded Gate’, a 2018 cycle by Juliana Hall, setting texts by Margaret Widdemer on the subject of women’s suffrage.

SPECIAL OFFER Book tickets for Bethan Langford and Georgiana and get 15% off the price of both events.

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D I N N E R & MUSI CAL TH EAT R E IN THE DOME

THUR 11 JULY 7PM – 9PM

UNIVERSITY OF DERBY, BUXTON £25 We would like to invite you to join us for a sophisticated evening of fine dining with musical theatre and opera, set in the historic Devonshire Dome, one of the most dramatic spaces in Britain and the largest unsupported dome in Europe. Built in 1779 by the 5th Duke of Devonshire, this magnificent Grade II* listed building is now home to the University of Derby. Come and sample a high-end dining experience prepared by the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals while enjoying an evening of musical treats presented by the BIF Company.

BBC PHILHARMONIC

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN, CONDUCTOR, JENNIFER PIKE, VIOLIN THURS 11 JULY 7.30PM – 10.15PM

Patrick Hadley Kinder Scout Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Grieg Holberg Suite, Op 40 Ryan Wigglesworth A First Book of Inventions Mozart Symphony No 40 in G minor

OCTAGON PAVILION GARDENS £10, £20, £25, £35

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra visits Buxton for the first time in its history, presenting a programme which celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Festival. It is conducted by Joshua Weilerstein, Artistic Director of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Macclesfield-born soloist Jennifer Pike played The Lark Ascending at the service of commemoration for the 100th anniversary of the First World War at Westminster Abbey.

The programme opens with Patrick Hadley’s early tone-poem Kinder Scout. Its first performance took place at the Pavilion Gardens on 14 September 1922. Hadley wrote: ‘I vividly remembered that old BuxtonManchester coach road … the moment when the magical panorama opens across the Chapel Valley with Kinder Scout towering up in the far distance (you need a clear day).’

Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite Op 40 evokes the 18th-Century dances of the time of the great Norwegianborn humanist and playwright Ludvig Holberg.

Ryan Wigglesworth was born 1979 in Sheffield, was educated at Oxford University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A First Book of Inventions was first performed in 2010.

Mozart’s late Symphony No 40 in G minor is an emotionally charged masterpiece, and hints at how Mozart might have written had he survived into the 18th Century.

Supported by

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S O R AYA M A F I & A D R I A N K E L LY SOPRANO & PIANO – EAST MEETS WEST Schumann Lied der Suleika, Op 25 Schubert Suleika 1 D720, Suleika 2 D717 Hugo Wolf Goethe Lieder Bizet Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe, Op 21 No 4 Fauré Les roses d’Ispahan, Op 39 No 4 Saint-Saëns Mélodies persanes Charles Stanford An Irish Idyll in six miniatures

Britten Moore’s Irish melodies E J Moeran The Tinker’s Daughter, The Roving Dingle Boy Dunhill The Cloths of Heaven Bax I heard a piper piping Michael Head A piper

Soprano Soraya Mafi presents a recital of contrasting halves, celebrating poetry and FRI 12 JULY music inspired by her Iranian and Irish heritage. Fittingly she opens with settings by 12PM – 1PM Schumann, Schubert and Wolf of texts from Goethe’s West-Eastern Diwan, a collection PAVILION of poems inspired by the 14th-century Persian poet, Hafez. There follow three beautiful ARTS CENTRE examples of French late 19th-century exoticism by Bizet, Fauré and Saint-Saëns. The £25 second part of her recital focusses on the rich melodic tradition of the Emerald Isle, including works by Stanford, Moeran and Bax, as well as Britten’s haunting arrangement of ‘The last rose of summer’. She is accompanied by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Adrian Kelly.

L A VA G H E Z Z A L O T T E B E T T S - D E A N , M E Z Z O

SOPRANO

M O T H E R A N D C H I L D – M I C H A E L A N G E L O ’ S P I E TÀ

Biber Annunciation, from the Rosary Sonatas Merula Hor ch’è tempo di dormire, Fuge et veni dilecte mi Byrd Pavane and Galliard from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book

Purcell The blessed Virgin’s expostulation, Z 196 Marini Sonata ‘La Variata’, Op 8 Cima Sonata a violino e violone, ‘Concerti Ecclesiastici’ Donati O gloriosa Domina

FRI 12 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £30

La Vaghezza has quickly become one of the most sought after chamber ensembles in the European early music scene. The programme for this concert is inspired by a pivotal icon in Western culture and spirituality – the Virgin Mary. Michaelangelo’s Pietà is an unforgettable rendering of the Madonna – holding her dying son in her arms; this single infinite gesture of maternal love shows her bowing to destiny. It is through the words hidden behind her silence that the music of this programme is born, recreating this singular relationship between mother and son, full of love and suffering.

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J O N AT H A N R A D F O R D & ASHLEY FRIPP SAXOPHONE & PIANO MELODY MAKER Gershwin Three Preludes, Rhapsody in Blue Ring-Hager arr. Wiedoeft Danse Hongroise Savino/ Wiedoeft Dans L’Orient Shostakovich Waltz 2 from Jazz Suite No 2 Wiedoeft Llewellyn Walz, Valse Vanité Cheryl Frances-Hoad New work for saxophone and piano Weill Selection of Songs

SAT 13 JULY 12PM – 1PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25

Praised for his ‘exceptional musicianship and emotive playing’, saxophonist Jonathan Radford is the 2018 Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition Gold Medalist and first prize winner. He is currently a Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist with Making Music (PDGYA), a Park Lane Group Young Artist, a Tunnell Trust Artist and a Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme Artist. He is featured as a Rising Star in the August 2018 BBC Music Magazine.

British pianist Ashley Fripp won the ROSL Keyboard Prize in 2011 and has performed extensively as recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist throughout Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

ROYAL OVER-SEAS LEAGUE The Royal Over-Seas League is a not-for-profit members’ organisation dedicated to championing international friendship and understanding. We help artists and musicians across the Commonwealth connect, collaborate and create, while our members enjoy a luxury clubhouse with accommodation in St James’s, London and links to over 100 reciprocal clubs worldwide.

Through various competitions and scholarships, ROSL is devoted to the career development of talented young professional artists and musicians, offering performance and exhibition opportunities at its central London headquarters, and bringing their work to the attention of the professional arts community, the media, and the general public. www.rosl.org.uk

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After the recital, Clare will give a masterclass for local piano students at 4pm (Tickets: £10).

CLARE HAMMOND PIANO

SUN 14 JULY 2PM – 3.30PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Schumann Humoreske in B flat major, Op 20 Hywel Davies Elternszenen (World Premiere) Debussy Selection from Préludes Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Op 36 (1931 version) Acclaimed as a pianist of ‘amazing power and panache’ (The Telegraph), Clare Hammond is recognised for the virtuosity and authority of her performances and has developed a ‘reputation for brilliantly imaginative concert programmes’ (BBC Music Magazine). This programme takes us from the intimate affection and melancholy of Schumann’s Humoreske to the thundering virtuosity of Rachmaninov’s second sonata. In Debussy’s Preludes we are transported to a fireworks display by the Seine, a submerged Cathedral in Brittany, and the hills of sunny Anacapri, while Hywel Davies’ Elternszenen receives its world premiere. Inspired

by Schumann’s Kinderszenen, this series of miniatures is a reflection on parenthood.

A L I S TA I R M c G O W A N After the success of his piano album (released through Sony Classical) and his tour in 2018, Alistair McGowan is back with the show that brings together all his talents. Alongside tracks from the album, Alistair will play some other short classic piano pieces: from Gershwin to Grieg, Mompou to Mendelssohn, Satie to Schubert. Join Alistair as he talks a little about the history of each piece, the composer and his own connection to the music. Expect a lot of beautiful music (with the odd mistake!), some interesting stories and a sprinkling of his trademark impressions.

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SUN 14 JULY 7.30PM – 9.30PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20, £25, £35, £40

VOCES8 The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists.

Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance and education ethos. Keen musical collaborators, this season will see concerts with the Academy of Ancient Music, Manchester Camerata, the Edvard Grieg Kor, Hugo Ticciati, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, and with baroque violinist Rachel Podger.

SUN 14 JULY 8PM – 9.45PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25

S AV I T R I G R I E R & YUNDU WANG VIOLIN & PIANO

TUES 16 JULY 12PM – 1PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25 Ravel Violin Sonata No 2 in G Fauré Violin Sonata No 1 in A, Op 13 Savitri Grier read music at Christ Church, Oxford and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno. She has given recitals at festivals and venues across Europe including IMS Prussia Cove, the East Neuk Festival retreat and the Holland International Music Sessions.

American pianist Yundu Wang studied at the New England Conservatory and is currently finishing a doctorate at the Guildhall School of Music.

In 1895, Maurice Ravel was expelled from the Paris Conservatoire for neglecting his academic duties. He returned in 1898 and began to study composition with the well-known French composer Gabriel Fauré. Later in his career, Ravel was increasingly influenced by jazz – the second movement of his sonata is entitled ‘Blues’. Fauré’s Violin sonata No 1 in A major, completed in 1876, is dedicated to the violinist Paul Viardot – the violinist who premiered the sonata with Fauré himself at the piano.

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THE ENGL I SH C ONC E RT DIALOGUES OF THE SOUL – BACH C A N TATA S F O R S O P R A N O A N D B A S S TUES 16 JULY 3.30PM - 5PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £30

Bach Cantata 32 – Liebster Jesu mein Verlangen Telemann Water Music suite in C Major, TWV 55:C3 Bach Cantata 57 – Selig ist der Mann Bach Cantata 58 – Ach Gott, wie manches Herzelied While Bach’s large choral works are among the great pillars of Western art music, it is in his cantatas that we find him at his most adventurous. His dialogue cantatas – in which the soprano sings the role of the ‘Soul’ and the bass embodies ‘Jesus’ – draw upon a tradition dating to early Christian and medieval mysticism, their forms unfolding like miniature operas. Here, we see the drama in Bach’s music turns inwards, the emotional development taking place in the listener’s mind; what we lack in terms of stage paraphernalia, transforms into a profound experience that these dialogue cantatas capture with such searing intensity.

The English Concert, directed by their acclaimed guest principal conductor Kristian Bezuidenhout (pictured), bring the richness of Bach’s music to our festival together with Matthew Brook, one of the greatest Bach singers today, and young soprano Rachel Redmond, nominated in 2018 for the South Bank Sky Arts Opera Breakthrough award.

FRITH PIANO QUARTET

W I T H J O H N TAT T E R S D I L L , D O U B L E B A S S Hummel Quintet in E flat, Op 87 Schubert Piano Quintet in A major, D667 (The Trout)

WED 17 JULY 12PM – 1PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25

The Frith Piano Quartet was formed in 2000 by pianist Benjamin Frith, violinist Robert Heard, violist Louise Williams and cellist Richard Jenkinson. They have performed the complete piano quartets of Brahms, Dvořák, Fauré and Mozart. They are joined by double bassist John Tattersdill.

Early in July 1819, Schubert left the heat of Vienna for a walking tour of Upper Austria with his friend, the baritone Johann Michael Vogl. In Steyr, a small town in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, Vogl introduced Schubert to Sylvester Paumgartner, a wealthy amateur cellist and admirer of Schubert’s music, who asked him for a new piece that could be performed at his soirées, and stipulated that the instrumentation be the same as that of Hummel’s Grande Quintour, and that it should include a movement based on his favourite song, Schubert’s own Die Forelle (‘The Trout’). Schubert completed the work in mid-September of the same year.

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L A S E R E N I S S I M A VLADIMIR

W A LT H A M , C E L L O

I M A E S T R I I TA L I A N I

Vivaldi Concerto for violin, strings & continuo in E, RV 281; Concerto for strings WED 17 JULY & continuo in A, RV 158; ‘Concerto Madrigalesco’ for strings and continuo in D, 3.30PM – 5PM RV 129; Concerto for violin, strings & continuo in A, RV 353 ST JOHN’S Brescianello Overture con una Chiacona for strings & continuo in D; Concerto for CHURCH £30 violin, cello, strings & continuo in B flat La Serenissima, led from the violin by Adrian Chandler, is one of Europe’s most dynamic baroque groups.

In this programme they focus on concerti and overtures by two great Italian composers, contemporaries whose careers couldn’t have been more different: Vivaldi was rarely out of the international limelight; Bresicanello never found it. Brescianello’s output was relatively limited, whilst Vivaldi’s prolificacy was legendary, second only perhaps to that of Telemann. Yet despite their apparent differences, both composers produced concerti of the highest order, brimming with energy and virtuosity. Vivaldi’s powerful influence can be found in much of Brescianello’s music. Did Brescianello meet Vivaldi whilst working in Venice as a valet for the exiled Empress of Bavaria in the early 1710s? Vivaldi’s place in the pantheon of great composers is not in question, but Brescianello’s concerti and suites make a compelling case for his admittance to this select group.

Supported by

RODERICK WILLIAMS & IAIN BURNSIDE BARITONE & PIANO THURS 18 JULY 3PM – 4PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £30 Schubert Schwanengesang, D957 Roderick Williams and Iain Burnside conclude their threeyear project bringing the finest Schubert song cycles to Buxton. After sold-out performances of Die schöne Müllerin in 2017 and Winterreise in 2018, they conclude with Schwanengesang. The songs which make up this collection were all written towards the end Schubert’s life.

Schwanengesang was collated and published a few months after Schubert’s death by the publisher Tobias Haslinger, who also gave the work its title.

Roderick Williams won the Singer of the Year Award in the 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and was awarded the OBE for services to music in June 2017. Iain Burnside was for many years a presenter on BBC Radio 3, fronting the weekly song-orientated show Voices for which he won a Sony Radio Award.

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THURS 18 JULY 12PM – 1.15PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25 Haydn Quartet in B flat major, Op 76 No 4 (‘Sunrise’) Tchaikovsky Quartet No 1 in D major, Op 11 FRI 19 JULY 12PM – 1.15PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25 Schubert Quartettsatz in C minor, D703 Tchaikovsky Quartet No 2 in F major, Op 22 SAT 20 JULY 12PM – 1.15PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25 Wolf Italian Serenade in G major Tchaikovsky Quartet No 3 in E flat minor, Op 30

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VICTORIA STRING QUARTET TCHAIKOVSKY CYCLE

We are excited to welcome back one of the most popular ensembles at the 2018 Festival, for a series of three lunchtime concerts. The Victoria String Quartet unites four of the most experienced chamber musicians in the UK, who have performed together in different ensembles boasting an impressive pedigree, including The Chilingirian Quartet, The Sorrel Quartet and Psappha.

Violinist Benedict Holland writes: ‘The opportunity to play all three of these majestic Tchaikovsky string quartets in successive concerts has presented us with the pleasurable challenge of choosing three shorter works, contrasting and complementary, to programme alongside. With the sunny first quartet, we have paired Haydn’s Sunrise – in contrasting key but equally radiant of mood and spirit; the second and lesser-known, dramatic yet lyrical quartet appears alongside Schubert’s Quartettsatz, which although brief (at only 9 minutes) conveys similarly ambiguous mood. Finally, we offer the joyful, almost frivolous Italian Serenade by Wolf as a mischievous foil to the more brooding yet ultimately uplifting third quartet.’

SPECIAL OFFER Book all three Victoria String Quartet recitals at the same time and receive a 15% discount

TCHAIKOVSKY OFFER Book any Victoria String Quartet recital and a performance of Eugene Onegin and receive a 15% discount

E X C AT H E D R A C O N S O R T SUMMER MUSIC BY CANDLELIGHT JEFFREY SKIDMORE, CONDUCTOR

THURS 18 JULY 8.30PM – 9.45PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25

Following their sold out concert in 2018, we are delighted to welcome back Ex Cathedra with a programme of joyous music for a magical midsummer evening, performed by the glow of candles at dusk. This atmospheric sequence of words and music is inspired by four centuries of seasonal music – hidden gems, stunning new music and some well-known favourites – a concert that will send you home singing of summertime… ‘spine-tinglingly lovely … a breathtaking feat of pure ensemble singing’ – Birmingham Post This concert will be performed without interval and will end at approximately 9.45pm. Early booking is highly recommended.

G A R RY M A G E E & T I M L O L E BARITONE & PIANO

Vaughan Williams The Vagabond Ireland Sea Fever, When lights go rolling round the sky, The Soldier, April – piano solo Butterworth On the idle hill of summer, The lads in their hundreds Gurney In Flanders, The fields are full, I will go with my father a-ploughing

Armstrong Gibbs A Song of Shadows, Silver Michael Head Sweet Chance, A Green Cornfield Finzi In a Churchyard, Proud Songsters, Rollicum Rorum

FRI 19 JULY 3.30PM – 4.30PM ST JOHN’S CHURCH £25

Garry Magee has been one of the UK’s leading operatic baritones for over 20 years performing such memorable roles as Pelléas, Figaro and Don Giovanni. An artist of great sensitivity and power, this is a rare opportunity to hear him in a more intimate setting in a programme of English songs spanning the years surrounding the First World War. This selection of songs speaks to a sense of nostalgia and looks back at rural life on our shores 100 years ago. Whether it is the sense of a passing era in the Butterworth settings of Housman’s lyrics, the mysticism and fantasy of Walter De La Mare’s poetry and the music of Armstrong Gibbs, the rural idyll in the Michael Head songs or the deeply felt connection with Gloucestershire in the songs by Ivor Gurney, these songs evoke another age; a time of strong connection to the land and also of deeply felt loss when that is severed by war or other circumstances.

Garry is partnered by pianist and conductor Tim Lole.

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A GOOD REED? After a few years of welcome relief, the four exponents of woodwind lowlife who make up A Good Reed? return to convince us of the delights of the bassoon, and its lugubrious partner in crime, the contrabassoon. Expect a varied programme of artistry, musicianship, humour and pathos. Live in hope.

Their programme includes some irreverent arrangements, and more substantial original works – an atmospheric Ode to the Americas by Marzan Mozetich and an exciting set of variations on a Shostakovich theme by one of Britain’s leading bassoonists, Graham Sheen.

FRI 19 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25

C A R N I VA L O F T H E A N I M A L S

N O R T H E R N C H A M B E R O R C H E S T R A W I T H S A I N T- S A Ë N S ’ FA M I LY FAV O U R I T E With its humorous and delightful melodies, Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals is a perennial favourite amongst music-lovers young and old.

Now BIF’s Orchestra in Residence, Northern Chamber Orchestra presents this unique concert, aimed at young people and families of all ages.

Carnival of the Animals Schools Project in partnership with Buxton Festival Fringe.

Supported by

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SAT 20 JULY 3.30PM – 4.30PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 (ADULTS) £5 (CHILDREN) £37.50 (FAMILY – 2 ADULTS AND UP TO 3 CHILDREN)

BRODSKY QUARTET

W I T H L A U R A VA N D E R H E I J D E N , C E L L O

SUN 21 JULY 2PM – 3.30PM

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE Boccherini String Quintet in C, Op 30 No 6 Borodin String Quartet No 2 in D ÂŁ30 Schubert String Quintet in C, Op 163 Since its formation in 1972 the Brodsky Quartet has performed over 3000 concerts on the major stages of the world and released more than 60 recordings. A natural curiosity and insatiable desire to explore has propelled the group in many artistic directions and continues to ensure them not only a place at the very forefront of the international chamber music scene but also a rich and varied musical existence. Their energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide, while ongoing educational work provides a vehicle for passing on experience and staying in touch with the next generation.

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JAZZ, FOLK & WORLD MUSIC

LIZZIE BALL

SUN 7 JULY 3.30PM – 4.30PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £25 Lizzie Ball violin, vocals, creative producer Featuring James Pearson, piano, arranger Miloš Milivojević, accordion and the Classical Kicks Ensemble Together with long-time collaborators James Pearson and Miloš Milivojević, Lizzie explores a meticulously curated programme of iconic songs, performed in especially stripped down lushly orchestrated arrangements with the strings of the Classical Kicks Ensemble. A programme to sweep you away into the world of legends of songwriting, ranging from historic icons to contemporary stars, including Gershwin, Cole Porter, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Noel Gallagher, Emili Sandé and more.

Sponsored by

KABANTU Reinventing global sounds, throwing away the rulebook – Kabantu is a quintet from Manchester who unravel new marriages of music from around the globe to celebrate the space where different cultures collaborate. ‘Kabantu’ means ‘of the people’ – stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu – ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. This is autonomous music bridging countries and cultures, an egalitarian creative process to defy genre and embrace sheer joy in music from all over the globe. One of the triumphs of last year’s Spiegeltent season, Kabantu bring their joyful music to the Pavilion Café in 2019.

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TUES 9 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM PAVILION CAFÉ £25 (UNDER 35s: £15)

JASON SINGH & FRIENDS WED 10 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM PAVILION CAFÉ £25 (UNDER 35s: £15) One of the highlights of our 2018 Spiegeltent season, award-winning sound artist and beatboxer Jason Singh brings together a stellar line-up of electronic and acoustic collaborators including Yazz Ahmed (trumpet and flugelhorn), Sarathy Korwar (drums) and Arun Ghosh (clarinet) to the Pavilion Café to explore the realms of spiritual jazz, minimal electronica and virtuosic live performance.

CHRIS INGHAM QUARTET GETZ – A MUSICAL PORTRAIT

The ever-popular Chris Ingham returns to Buxton with a career-wide musical survey of the lyrical giant of jazz saxophone, Stan Getz. The Quartet features the woodwind star of the John Wilson Orchestra, Mark Crooks with Chris Ingham (piano/commentary), Arnie Somogyi (bass) and George Double (drums), and charts Getz’s career from Early Autumn (1949) to People Time (1991), taking in the swinging 1950s, the bossa nova years of the early 1960s and the fruitful, daring collaborations with pianists Chick Corea and Kenny Barron.

TUES 16 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM PAVILION CAFÉ £25 (UNDER 35s: £15)

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N AT I O N A L YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA WED 17 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM OCTAGON, PAVILION GARDENS £25 (UNDER 35s: £15) Under the direction of Mark Armstrong, NYJO returns to Buxton, this time with their full 24-piece orchestra, including two vocalists. Their programme The Great American Songbook features iconic numbers from composers including George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer, each a masterclass of melody, lyric-writing, harmony, arrangement and performance. It is no wonder these accessible but subtle songs maintain their appeal even eighty years after they first appeared. The band will present a selection of original arrangements made famous by artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as new arrangements made specially for NYJO. Instrumental, solo vocal and duet performances of songs like I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Old Black Magic and It’s De-lovely. These are interwoven with swinging jazz arrangements of Love for Sale, September in the Rain and many others for an entertaining evening of jazz and song.

THE JULIAN BLISS SEPTET

The Julian Bliss Septet brings the sound of swing, Latin, American and jazz music to audiences across the world. The members of the Septet, all exceptional solo musicians in their own right, transport listeners back to the heady days of classic swing and jazz through their entertaining, innately musical playing and dazzling shows of virtuosity.

For this very special concert, the Septet brings to life the stories and instantlyrecognizable sounds of Tin Pan Alley through music by Gershwin and his contemporaries. A suite of original arrangements for the group, including music from Porgy and Bess, Rhapsody in Blue and popular favourites I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You and Lady Be Good, ensure that the audiences of today continue to find these classics as entertaining, enjoyable and surprising as ever.

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THURS 18 JULY 7.30PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £20, £25, £35, £40

BELLA HARDY

THURS 18 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM

PAVILION Bella Hardy, BBC Award-winning songwriter and traditional music luminary, is CAFÉ one of the Peak District’s most famous and formidable daughters. A self-taught ‘fiddle singer’ from the village of Edale, Bella has explored and blurred musical £25 boundaries through nine solo records, from her mastery of tradition music and (UNDER 35s: £15) the stripped back strings and concertina of her debut album Night Visiting, to the electric guitar and drums in the self-penned humanist hymns and feminist battle cries of Hey Sammy, via the Derbyshire ballads of The Dark Peak & The White and ancient Chinese poetry of Eternal Spring.

Join us for this very special and intimate performance – be among the first to gain an insight into her retrospective collection, Postcards & Pocketbooks: The Best of Bella Hardy and hear the debut of brand new original material. Bella will be joined by BBC Folk Award-winning guitarist Sam Carter.

DOMINIC ALLDIS TRIO The Dominic Alldis Trio features pianist Dominic Alldis, double bass player Andrew Cleyndert and drummer Martin France. Following in the tradition of the hugely popular Jacques Loussier Trio, Dave Brubeck Quartet and Modern Jazz Quartet, the Trio brings a fresh and contemporary approach to famous themes from classical music and opera, with concerts appeal to both classical and jazz audiences who enjoy chamber music and appreciate the timeless art of improvisation.

SAT 20 JULY 9PM – 10.30PM PAVILION CAFÉ £25 (UNDER 35s: £15)

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Supported by

B O O K F E S T I VA L W E L C O M E

Having spent the last decade as a partner in two independent bookshops, I’ve tried to bring the same sense of curation to our book events for 2019. Independent bookshops and book festivals work best when they reflect the personality of their creators, audience and location. That doesn’t mean that this year’s programme is in any way self-indulgent but I hope that it is thoughtful and creative. Well-known authors sit alongside books and ideas that might get lost in the swirl of large publishing houses and the obvious festival circuit. The Literary Salons are my way of bringing new ideas and characters to our festival audience. Designed to be intimate, lush and rather special, they quietly introduce books and music in the bohemian setting of Edwardian Moorcroft House exactly as the great literary hostesses (and they were usually hostesses) did at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

The Festival this year plays with several themes.

The British Academy Perspectives events have a theme of Utopia/ Dystopia tackling such subjects as the future of the economy alongside the threats and benefits of robots and AI. Continuing this motif we host award-winning novelist John Lanchester with his new dystopian novel The Wall and Dorian Lynskey looking at Orwell’s 1984 in his new cultural evaluation The Ministry of Truth. If this seems too weighted towards the Dystopian we have two of my favourite writers, Melissa Harrison and Tim Pears, talking about their novels of rural life set either side of the First World War. Adrian Kelly, our Artistic Director, and I have worked together to programme music to complement our books programme.

Melissa and Tim’s event will be preceded by contemporaneous music from the likes of George Butterworth and Ivor Gurney. Also playing with the theme of the rural idyll I am delighted to welcome Richard King with his new book on landscape and music The Lark Ascending, followed by the BBC Philharmonic playing just that.

To remind our audience once again that BIF celebrates its 40th birthday this year – we have Ian Kershaw in conversation with Matthew Parris on 40 years of British politics, and David Cannadine and Christopher Ridgeway on 40 years of the British Country House.

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We have a whole day of events celebrating 20th century ‘Modernism’ starting with Gillian Moore and her new book on the first performance in 1913 of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and the myths that grew up around that performance.

Following a Modernist musical interlude Alan Powers joins us in the afternoon to discuss the Bauhaus and the contribution of its acolytes to art in Britain and America over the rest of the century. A walk to explore modernist Buxton follows.

We have two guest edits this year (yes, an idea pinched from Radio 4’s the Today programme).

I have asked Mark Cocker and Sarah Ward, both of whom have local links, to invite writers whose books they admire. Mark is one of our foremost naturalists and Sarah is a rising star of the crime genre. Both I know will discuss the literary idea of landscape in their events, while Julian Glover and Tristram Hunt will join us to discuss the future of our national parks. If this inspires you to get out doors then we have River Cottage forager John Wright to tell us what we might find on our country walks and how we might cook it.

VICTORIA DAWSON BOOK FESTIVAL ORGANISER

SAT 6 JULY 2PM – 3PM PALACE HOTEL £12

MAR K CO CKE R & F R I E N D S WITH JEAN MCNEIL & TESSA BOASE SAT 6 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 Mark Cocker is one of Britain’s foremost natural history writers whose books include Our Place: Can We Save British Nature Before It’s Too Late? and Claxton: Further Field Notes From A Small Planet. BIF has invited Mark to ‘guest edit’ this event, and he has chosen two authors whose work he admires. Jean McNeil, author of The Ice Diaries and Tessa Boase, author of Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather join Mark for an informal and lively debate about diversity in our countryside, climate change and the writer’s art.

Supported by

This would make a great companion event with Tom Service at the Literary Salon on conducting.

MARK WIGGL E SWORTH

The Silent Musician: Why conducting matters. Mark Wigglesworth has worked with over a hundred orchestras, collaborating with many of the world’s finest orchestral musicians, soloists, singers and directors in many of the world’s most spectacular venues.

In his first book The Silent Musician Mark explores questions such as ‘Do you really make any difference to the performance?’ Exploring the conductor’s relationship with both musicians and music, and the public and personal responsibilities they face, Mark Wigglesworth will discuss the features of his art: precision, charisma, intuition, diplomacy and passion.

LUCY WORSLEY

QUEEN VICTORIA – DAUGHTER, WIFE, MOTHER AND WIDOW SUN 7 JULY 7.30PM – 9.30PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £25 Queen Victoria: a little old lady, spherical in shape, dressed in black, perpetually grumpy. Right? Historian Lucy Worsley wants to make you think again. Meet a complex, contradictory woman, who had a traumatic childhood, who loved dancing, who suffered calamity and bereavement, before coming out the other side as an eccentric, powerful and really rather magnificent old lady. Lucy’s illustrated talk takes you into the life, the palaces, and the rich colourful age of this woman who ruled a quarter of the globe.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

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SARAH WARD & FRIENDS W I T H E L LY G R I F F I T H S & WILLIAM SHAW SUN 7 JULY 10AM – 11AM PALACE HOTEL £15 Sarah Ward is a Derbyshire-based crime writer whose detective DC Connie Childs solves crimes within the Peak National Park. Why are the best crime novels reliant on a defined sense of place almost as if ‘place’ is a character in itself? Sarah Ward ‘guests edits’ this event and has invited fellow crime writers Elly Griffiths (Norfolk) and William Shaw (Dungeness) to discuss landscape, crime and developing their fictional characters.

MON 8 JULY 10AM – 11AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12

GILLIAN MOORE

SUN 7 JULY 12PM – 1PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £15

AMANDA FOREMAN Georgiana – Duchess of Devonshire Amanda Foreman’s dazzling debut biography burst onto the literary scene in 1998 winning the Whitbread Prize.

Made into a film – The Duchess – with Keira Knightley, the book has continued to genuinely earn the title ‘bestseller’.

Amanda Foreman joins us from New York to discuss the life of Georgiana in a companion piece to our specially commissioned opera of the same name. Join Georgiana librettist Michael Williams for a lively and erudite discussion on this enigmatic and captivating Derbyshire and British icon.

12pm Rite of Spring piano duo.

See p 21

The Rite of Spring On 29 May 1913, at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, a new ballet by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, choreographed

by Vaslav Nijinsky, received its premiere. When the curtain rose on a cast of frenziedly stamping dancers, a near-riot ensued, ensuring the evening would enter the folklore of modernism. Artistic Director of the Southbank, Gillian Moore explores the cultural climate that created The Rite, tells the story of the music and ballet and considers its influence on classical composers, film scores, jazz and the likes of Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa and The Pet Shop Boys.

This event would be a great companion to Alan Powers on Bauhaus Goes West which follows.

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ALAN POWERS IN CON VERS AT I ON W I T H D R TAN YA HARROD

See also Alan Powers on Enid Marx and take part in his walk

MON 8 JULY 2PM – 3PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Bauhaus Goes West: Modern Art and Design in Britain and America Alan is a prolific writer, curator and former Chair of the Twentieth Century Society. Following the closure of the Bauhaus in 1933, many of its teachers and students found new opportunities in Britain and the US. Yet over time, the Bauhaus became a shorthand for Modernism’s failure. A century after the school’s founding, Alan offers a re-evaluation of the school’s values and legacy. This event is part of a day looking at ‘modernism’ across music, books and art.

ROBERT SKIDELSKY TUE 9 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Money and Government: A Challenge to Mainstream Economics Lord Skidelsky FBA is the preeminent biographer of Keynes.

Against the backdrop of punishing austerity agendas and the threat of financial collapse, Skidelsky contests the dominant view that money and government should play only a minor role in economic life and argues for a new way forward. By showing that much of economic theory is far from being the hard science it claims to be, the next generation of economists should be emboldened to break free and embrace Keynes’s ‘big idea’.

THE REVD FERGUS BUTLER-GALLIE TUE 9 JULY 4PM – 5PM PALACE HOTEL £12 A Field Guide to the English Clergy Subtitled A Compendium of Diverse Eccentrics, Pirates, Prelates and Adventurers; All Anglican, Some Even Practising, you just know you are in for a hoot with this afternoon event.

‘Judge not, lest ye be judged’ has guided the Anglican Church to exercise a certain tolerance towards some of its more wayward clergymen. This mischievous and highly entertaining book has been glowingly reviewed and deservedly become a bestseller. The Rev is a practising curate in the Church of England who once accidentally appeared on Only Connect …

TUE 9 JULY 2PM – 3PM PALACE HOTEL £12

DIARMAID MacCULLOCH

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell is one of the most famous – or notorious – figures in English history. Born in obscurity in Putney, he became a fixer for Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s. After Wolsey’s fall, Henry VIII promoted Cromwell to a series of ever-greater offices, and by the end of the 1530s he was effectively running the country for the King. Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch FBA is an award-winning writer and broadcaster and Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. His book Thomas Cromwell has garnered glittering reviews.

BIF PODCAST

WITH DIARMAID MACCULLOCH & PETER MOORE WED 10 JULY 9AM – 10AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 History Today presents If you could travel back through time, where would you go? What would you do? Who would you like to watch?

What would you like to find out? Join the historian Peter Moore, host of History Today’s new Travels Through Time podcast, in this special live recording as he poses these tantalising questions to Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch of the University of Oxford.

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This event is the perfect companion for David Cannadine on the English Country House

IAN KERSHAW IN C O N VE RSATION W I TH MATTHEW PARRIS

WED 10 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Roller-Coaster: Europe 1950–2017 It’s 40 years since Buxton festival began – in a year which also saw Margaret Thatcher elected and new Derbyshire MP Matthew Parris join the House of Commons. Join one of Britain’s most distinguished historians, Sir Ian Kershaw FBA, author of Roller Coaster: Europe 1950–2017 and political writer, broadcaster, and former politician Matthew Parris. Two of our most erudite commentators debate what it means to be European? How has history changed Britain?

And what happens next?

PALACE HOTEL £12

ROBIN H A N B U R YTENISON The Great Explorers Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE is a greatly respected author, film maker, conservationist and campaigner – an explorer with a conscience. But what inspires explorers to push back the boundaries of the world? Why do they risk their lives in unforgiving conditions far from home? How do they survive at the limits of human endurance? Who are the great pioneers of land, sea and space? And where next? Robin will explore these questions through the writing of 40 fellow travellers from the likes of da Gama, Garnier, Gertrude Bell and Gagarin.

MAX ADAMS

THUR 11 JULY 2PM – 3PM

THUR 11 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM

PALACE HOTEL £12

I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H S A R A H W A R D PALACE HOTEL £12

Unquiet Women: From the Dusk of the Roman Empire to the Dawn of the Enlightenment. Wynflaed was an AngloSaxon noblewoman who owned male slaves and badger-skin gowns; Egeria a Gaulish nun who toured the Holy Land; Gudrid an Icelandic explorer and the first woman to give birth to a European child on American soil; Mary Astell a philosopher who out-thought John Locke. Archaeologist, woodsman and biographer, Max Adams will bring to life the forgotten experiences of some of the most extraordinary women in history to overturn the idea that the women of this period were either queens, nuns or invisible.

This event would make a great companion to Melvyn Bragg on Heloise and Abelard.

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WED 10 JULY 4PM – 5PM

DORIAN LY N S K E Y

This would make an excellent companion to John Lanchester on his new dystopian novel The Wall, Gillian Moore on The Rite of Spring or any of our Perspective events.

The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of Orwell’s 1984 1984 isn’t just a novel; it’s a key to understanding the modern world.

Big Brother, the Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, 2+2=5 – Orwell’s final masterpiece gains potency and influence with every year.

Dorian Lynskey is a writer, author and columnist. His new book examines 1984 and its roots in the utopian and dystopian literature that preceded it; Orwell’s personal experiences in wartime Britain; and the political and cultural phenomena that the novel ignited.

AN AUDIENCE WITH

K AT E H U M B L E THURS 11 JULY 7.30PM – 9.30PM BUXTON OPERA HOUSE £25 Join Kate for a fascinating talk about her latest book, Thinking on my Feet, as well as her life working with wildlife, the far-flung places that this has taken her to and the inspiring people she has met on her travels. There’s also a unique chance to go ‘behind the camera’ as Kate describes how the programmes are made along with some lovely anecdotes about the filming.

The second series of Kate’s popular BBC programme Back to the Land attracted great audiences and was the latest in a long line of programmes Kate has presented for the BBC including Springwatch and Autumnwatch, Wild Shepherdess, Yellowstone: Wildest Winter to Blazing Summer, Curious Creatures and Extreme Wives with Kate Humble.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions Sponsored by

R ICH A RD KING THURS 11 JULY 4PM – 5PM

7.30pm BBC Philharmonic.

See p 27

PALACE HOTEL £12 The Lark Ascending Richard King is one of our most celebrated music critics. The Lark Ascending is a lyrical exploration of how Britain’s history and identity has been shaped by the mysterious relationship between music and nature. From Vaughan Williams to Brian Eno, the sinking of the Titanic to Greenham Common, Richard dissects the mythical concept of Englishness underlying the bucolic fantasy of an English Holy Land, and celebrates the countryside as a living, working, and occasionally rancorous environment.

This would make a great companion event to Melissa Harrison and Tim Pears

P E TER H E NNE SSY I N C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH FELICITY GOODEY FRI 12 JULY 10AM – 11AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Lord Peter Hennessy FBA is Britain’s finest constitutional historian. A regular presenter on BBC Radio Four, Peter cofounded the Institute of Contemporary British History and was made an independent cross bench peer in 2010.

At a time of great political upheaval for the UK, Lord Hennessy has found himself more than ever in demand for his sane judgement on constitutional precedent, fall-out, fallacy and our future. Join Peter, in conversation with Chair of the BIF Board, Felicity Goodey for discussion of his significant career and tempered contribution.

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TRISTRAM HUNT & JULIAN GLOVER

This event would make an excellent companion to Dr Ruth Larsen on women and politics in Georgian England.

FRI 12 JULY 4PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 Our National Parks It’s 70 years since campaigners won the battle to create our National Parks. New laws sought to protect places such as the Peak District and encourage access to the hills for all. But is there a new battle ahead to preserve beauty, stop the decline of nature and give farming and local people a secure future?

Historian Dr Tristram Hunt joins journalist Julian Glover, who is chair of the Government’s review into our protected landscapes, to discuss what has been achieved – and what more needs to be done.

SAT 13 JULY 10AM – 11AM PALACE HOTEL £12

JACQUELINE RIDING

Peterloo: The Story of the Manchester Massacre Manchester, August 1819: 60,000 people had gathered in the cause of parliamentary reform. To those defending the status quo, the vote was not a universal right, but a privilege of wealth and land-ownership. To radical reformers the fundamental overhaul of a corrupt system was long overdue. What happened next has arguably been lost to British history.

Jacqueline Riding is an author, museums consultant and historical advisor on feature films including Mike Leigh’s Peterloo. Join Jacqueline just a month ahead of this important bicentenary of British Democracy.

Sponsored by

M A X HA S T IN GS SAT 13 JULY 2PM – 3PM

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945–1975 Sir Max Hastings has vivid personal memories of the Vietnam campaign, first of reporting in 1967–68 from the US, where he encountered many of the war’s decision-makers, then of successive assignments in Indochina for newspapers and the BBC; he escaped in a helicopter out of the US Saigon embassy compound during the 1975 final evacuation. Max is the author of 26 books which alongside his journalism have won numerous prizes. Max describes his book on Vietnam as ‘the one that has perhaps struck the deepest chord in my own experience and emotions. Though I am not an American, that war was etched into my life and memories, part of a generational trauma.’

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VENKI RAMAKRISHNAN SAT 13 JULY 4PM – 5PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome Everyone knows the term DNA. Mention the ribosome on the other hand, and you will usually be met with blank faces, even from scientists. And yet, without ribosomes nothing lives. Offering a fascinating insight into what it is like to work at the cutting edge of modern science, Nobel Prize-winner Sir Venki Ramakrishnan will tell the story of his quest to determine the structure of the ribosome, and so resolve an ancient mystery at the heart of life itself.

TOM SERVICE SUN 14 JULY 10AM – 11AM

This event would complement Mark Wigglesworth on the role of the conductor.

PALACE HOTEL £12 Thomas Adès: Full of Noises Thomas Adès is feted from Los Angeles to London as the musician who has done more than any other living composer to connect contemporary music with wider audiences. Yet this celebrated composer, conductor and pianist is notoriously secretive about his creative process. Tom Service is a writer who has enjoyed the closest relationship with Adès and, in a series of provocative and challenging interviews, has got to the heart of Adès’ music and influences. Tom Service presents Radio 3’s flagship Music Matters and writes on music for The Guardian.

SO PHIE THÉ R È S E AMB LE R MON 15 JULY 4PM – 5PM

MON 15 JULY 10AM – 11AM PALACE HOTEL £12

JENNY WALDMAN

14–18 NOW: Five Years of Extraordinary Art Experiences Spread over five years, 14–18 NOW was a programme of extraordinary arts experiences linking people to the First World War and included painting, photography, sculpture, poetry, theatre, dance, installation, film and other performance pieces. It was one of the largest public art commissions ever, and led to the creation of over 325 artworks, which have been seen by more than 30 million people. It featured artists included Gillian Wearing, Rachel Whiteread, Jeremy Deller, Peter Jackson and Danny Boyle. Jenny Waldman is Director of the 14–18 NOW arts programme.

Joseph Apartment 3 The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AZ T: 07855 134362 www.josephapartment-thesquare.co.uk

PALACE HOTEL £12 Song of Simon De Montfort: England’s First Revolutionary and the Death of Chivalry Heir to a great warrior, devoted husband and father, fearless crusader knight and charismatic leader, in 1258 Simon de Montfort, frustrated by the King’s refusal to take the advice of his nobles and the increasing injustice meted out to his subjects, marched on Henry III’s hall at Westminster and seized the reins of power. Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler is a historian of medieval Europe and the Crusades at Lancaster University who has appeared on the BBC and Channel 4.

Part of a historic former Georgian lodging house A desirable, extremely spacious, first floor apartment Set within a Grade II listed landmark of Buxton.

The Square, in keeping with the design of the Crescent has a colonnade around the perimeter and stands impressively opposite the Opera House and the Pavilion Gardens.

8 large windows to the front Superb views of the Devonshire Dome.

Sleeps 6/8. 2 bathrooms. 3 toilets.

Parking permit included.

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SIMON WINDER TUES 16 JULY 10AM – 11AM PALACE HOTEL £12 Lotharingia: A Personal History of Europe’s Western Borderlands Simon Winder is the author of the bestselling books Germania and Danubia. In AD843 the three surviving grandsons of the great emperor Charlemagne met at Verdun. After years of bitter squabbles over who would inherit the family land, they finally decided to divide the territory and go their separate ways. In a moment of staggering significance, one grandson inherited France, another Germany, and the third received the piece in between, Lotharingia. Simon joins us to discuss his hilarious and informative personal exploration of this other place.

PALACE HOTEL £12

A N N A PA S T E R N A K ‘Untitled’ – Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor Described as ‘the first positive biography of Wallis’ – Anna Pasternak looks deep into the life and legacy of one of the most misjudged women in British Royal History, seeking to understand an unusual and complex woman, and the untenable situation she became embroiled in. Anna Pasternak’s great-grandfather was Leonid, the impressionist painter and her great uncle was Boris, the Nobel Prizewinning novelist. Author of a number of bestselling books, Anna has had unprecedented access to Wallis’s inner circle and may have finally given Wallis her authentic voice.

CHRI ST O P HE R S OME RV IL L E

ANNA BEER

WED 17 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Ships of Heaven Christopher Somerville is the walking correspondent for The Times. With over 36 books to his name he is one of Britain’s most respected travel writers.

Setting out to explore Britain’s great cathedrals, Christopher uncovered stories of the monarchs and bishops who ordered the building of these massive but unstable structures, the masons whose genius brought them into being, the peasant labourers who erected (and died on) the scaffolding.

We learn of the towns that grew up in their shadows, the impact of the Black Death, the Reformation and more.

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TUES 16 JULY 3.30PM – 4.30PM

This would make a great companion event with Diamaid MacCulloch on Thomas Cromwell

THURS 18 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM Patriot or Traitor: The Life and Death of Sir Walter Ralegh Ralegh was an adventurer, a poet and a writer. His heroism, social quick-wittedness and charm propelled him to become one of the most successful in the Tudor court. So how could a man once considered Queen Elizabeth’s favourite find himself consigned to the Tower by her successor? Dr Anna Beer seeks to uncover the truth about this problematic national hero who in his own lifetime polarised opinion, and whose legacy remains profoundly controversial to this day.

MARTIN MOORE THURS 18 JULY 2PM – 3PM PALACE HOTEL £12 Democracy Hacked Dr Martin Moore is director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Policy Institute at King’s College London. He was previously founding director of the Media Standards Trust (2006–15) where he directed the Election Unspun project and wrote extensively on the news media and public policy. Martin discusses active measures, data mining, psy-ops, mercenaries, microtargeting, the alt-right, plutocrats, the collapse of local news, Silicon Valley, Trump, trolling, surveillance – and you.

MELIS S A H A RR IS O N & TI M P E A RS

FRI 19 JULY 10.30AM – 11.30AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12

NICK ROBINSON

I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H FELICITY GOODEY Nick Robinson is one of the most recognisable and trusted voices on British radio. Currently a presenter on the Today programme and formerly Political Editor for the BBC, Nick is a Macclesfield lad and a famously passionate football supporter. With British politics in turmoil and with an agenda often informed by the hour, who better to tell us about the inside story of our current constitutional crisis within a career that has covered general election campaigns, coalition government, the referendum on Scottish independence and much more.

This would make a great companion event to Richard King on ‘The Lark Ascending’

FRI 19 JULY 2PM – 3PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 All Among the Barley & The West Country Trilogy Melissa Harrison and Tim Pears are two of our finest novelists. Melissa Harrison is a nature writer, critic and columnist. Her novel All Among the Barley received universal critical acclaim. Tim Pears has written nine awardwinning novels and The Redeemed is the final part of his West Country Trilogy. Both authors write dazzlingly about rural England on either side of the devastating First World War. This event celebrates landscape and Englishness, and the idea of the rural idyll.

3.30pm Garry Magee & Tim Lole.

See p 35 51

This would make a great companion event with Max Adams on Unquiet Women

FRI 19 JULY 4PM – 5PM PALACE HOTEL £12

D AV I D CANNADINE

I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H D R C H R I S T O P H E R R I D G W AY The Country House: Past, Present, Future From Brideshead to Downton Abbey, the country house is a subject of fantasy and curiosity, a rich resource to explore the history of great architecture, decoration and the lives of landowners and staff. Looking at houses such as Chatsworth, Knole, Blenheim and Chartwell, Sir David Cannadine, acclaimed historian and President of the British Academy, offers a particular insight into the last 40 years of the country house in conversation with Dr Christopher Ridgway, curator of Castle Howard since 1984.

M E LV Y N B R A G G SAT 20 JULY 10AM – 11AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 Love Without End: A Story of Heloise and Abelard Lord Bragg is one of our best-known and most respected broadcasters. Love Without End is his new novel about one of the most remarkable love stories in history – the passionate, enduring romance between two of the greatest scholars of the 12th century – and its resonance in the 21st century. Heloise is a reputed to be the cleverest woman in France and arrives in Paris bent on entering into its masculine world of learning. Thwarted, she is astonished when the brilliant, radical philosopher, Peter Abelard, consents to be her tutor.

JANE GLOVER

SAT 20 JULY 4PM – 5PM

SAT 20 JULY 2PM – 3PM

JOHN LANCHESTER

PALACE HOTEL £12 Handel in London 1712 and a young German composer follows his princely master to London. He will remain there for the rest of his life. That master becomes King George II and the composer was George Frideric Handel. Jane Glover has conducted Handel’s work in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world. Jane draws on her profound understanding of music and musicians to tell Handel’s story – a story of 18thcentury courts and cabals, theatrical rivalries and some of the most remarkable music ever written.

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PALACE HOTEL £12

The Wall Author John Lanchester is the awardwinning novelist of Fragrant Harbour, The Debt to Pleasure, Capital and a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the New Yorker.

The Wall is a mystery story, a love story, a war story, and a story about a voyage.

This dark, thrilling and hypnotic new dystopian novel is about why the young are right to hate the old. And about a broken world you will recognise as your own – and about what might be found when all is lost.

DAVID MELLOR Design Museum, Café and Country Shop

Come to the David Mellor Country shop for the best of modern tableware and kitchenware, including the world famous David Mellor cutlery. Visit the Design Museum showing the full historic collection of Mellor designs from tea spoons to traffic lights, and try our café serving lovely local food.

The Round Building, Hathersage,

Derbyshire S32 1BA

Telephone 01433 650220 Open Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm davidmellordesign.co.uk

Buxton festival ad.indd 1

18/1/19 10:18:20

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UNIVERSITY OF DERBY

Buxton International Festival and University of Derby are proud to announce a new partnership which will bridge the gap between academia and the creative arts industry.

Supporting the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector. This partnership provides unique opportunities for student engagement and focuses on research and intellectual enquiry currently in progress at the University of Derby.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: ‘We are delighted to once again sponsor Buxton International Festival, which is recognised nationally and internationally as one of the UK’s leading arts festivals. We are committed to supporting our partners in Buxton, who provide such a valuable resource for the local community as well as creating significant impact much further afield.

‘Our partnership with the Festival will provide unique and valuable opportunities for the University, not only for research in the creative arts, but also for our students to take part in new experiences and build new networks within the sector.’

DR RUTH LARSEN DUCHESSES, RADICALS AND RIOTERS: WOMEN AND POLITICS IN GEORGIAN ENGLAND FRI 12 JULY 2PM – 3PM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £12 To celebrate the partnership between BIF and the University of Derby our ‘spotlight’ is turned on an important piece of research from a Derby academic. Focusing primarily on the political life of Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire, Ruth’s talk will explore the different ways in which women contributed to political debate in the Age of Enlightenment. From writing politic tracts, to hosting salons, to taking part in food riots, to canvassing for votes in elections, women’s voices were heard, and were part of the political conversations of the 18th century.

This would make a great companion event to our opera Georgiana, Jacqueline Riding on Peterloo, or any of our literary salons.

DON’T MISS Don’t miss the University’s ‘In the Spotlight’ concert on Fri 12 July (see p 18) Don’t miss our fabulous evening of Dinner and Musical Theatre in the Dome on Thursday 11 July (see p 27) 54

G E O R G I A N D I S C O V E RY

MILL SONGS & GEORGIAN CHAMBER MUSIC SUN 7 JULY 6PM – 7PM PUMP ROOM £15 As we fast approach the much anticipated opening of the Crescent, BIF and The Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust are delighted to present a trio of events exploring the Georgian period.

DR PETER COLLINGE WED 10 JULY 6PM – 7PM PUMP ROOM £12 Genteel hands and rebel queens in Georgian business Georgian women are too often dismissed as Austen-like heroines in search of marriage and a good fortune, or downtrodden millworkers. Through the stories of two successful Georgian businesswomen – Ellen Morewood, a colliery owner and ironstone extractor and Barbara Ford, a maltster with close family connections to Buxton’s hotels and inns – and their business interests, financial dealings, court appearances, role-reversals, and private affairs, Dr Peter Collinge reveals a different perspective.

For this unique fusion of books and music, join Philip Park of the Arkwright Society for a discussion on mill song and its significant but often uncelebrated contribution to working-class Georgian England. For the second half of this event, Conrad Marshall (flute) and Lauren Scott (harp) present a recital of music with a Georgian theme, to include works by Mozart and Spohr.

THURS 11 JULY 6PM – 7PM PUMP ROOM £12

DR GILLIAN WILLIAMSON

The Georgian landlady The English comic postcard tradition of the fearsome seaside landlady has its roots well before the 20th century.

Lodging was a widespread practice in Georgian towns and cities, and lodgers spanning the social spectrum formed an important part of the seasonallyshifting population and economy of university and resort towns such as Buxton. Social and cultural historian Dr Gillian Williamson uses diaries, court cases and other records to look at the role and reputation of the landlady in the 18th century.

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PERSPECTIVES

UTOPIA OR DYSTOPIA – IMAGINING FUTURES In this new age of uncertainty, we are continuously bombarded with nightmarish visions of how our futures might unfold. From collapsing economies to repressive regimes, these dark reflections of society often blur the line between reality and imagination. But is the future really that bleak, or can utopian thinking offer a better way forward? Perspectives brings together Britain’s foremost thinkers and commentators to explore hopes and fears in a changing world.

O R G A N I S E D I N PA R T N E R S H I P W I T H T H E B R I T I S H A C A D E M Y The British Academy is the voice of the humanities and social sciences. The Academy is an independent fellowship of world-leading scholars and researchers; a funding body for research, nationally and internationally; and a forum for debate and engagement. For more information, please visit www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk. Follow the British Academy on Twitter @BritishAcademy_

IS DIGITALISATION THE FUTURE OF KILLING CLASSICAL MUSIC? T H E E C O N O M Y SAT 6 JULY 9AM – 10AM

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 With Mark Wigglesworth and Adrian Kelly Can opera survive the digital age? The availability of livestreamed and on-demand opera has exploded in recent years. Yet while streamed productions succeed in reaching larger audiences, concerns about how opera is created and consumed continue to grow. Can a cinematic experience really replicate the magic of a live show? And are the big opera houses ultimately stealing audiences, who might otherwise support regional and touring productions in their local areas? Join the debate, as we explore the impact opera’s digital journey is having on the artform.

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TUES 9 JULY 9AM –10AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 With Robert Skidelsky & Frances Cairncross The collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 unleashed the worst global downturn since the Great Depression of 1929. With the effects still reverberating, and the threat of a new financial crisis on the horizon, is it fair to say that the lessons from Lehman have not been learned? If so, what must governments, policymakers and economists do to avoid future catastrophes? In this Perspectives, we ask eminent economists Lord Skidelsky and Dame Frances Cairncross to consider past mistakes and future challenges.

ARE GEND E R STE RE OTYPE S D AMAGING OUR C H IL D RE N? WED 17 JULY 9AM – 10AM

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15

B REX IT BRITA I N : WHAT N E XT ?

THURS 11 JULY 9AM –10AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 With Peter Hennessy, Vernon Bogdanor and Isabel Hardman While 2019 is due to mark the end of the formal Brexit negotiation period and the UK’s departure from the European Union, much uncertainty remains about Britain’s future and relationship with Europe. With many fearing that the UK will be significantly worse off after Brexit, we ask leading experts Vernon Bogdanor, Peter Hennessy and Spectator Assistant Editor Isabel Hardman to examine the current situation and likely future impact of Brexit on financial stability, foreign policy and security.

SCIENCE AND AI THURS 18 JULY 9AM –10AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 With Kate Devlin & Luke Dormehl Should we fear robot relationships? Companion robots that are increasingly human-like in appearance and actions are a growing focus of the robotics industry. From sophisticated machines we can chat to, through to lifelike sex robots, these creations have the potential to change how humans socialise, date or even fall in love. But do we really want – or need – artificial companionship? This Perspectives, featuring writer and computer scientist Kate Devlin, delves into the pros and cons of human-robot relationships.

With Gina Rippon and Dr Ruby Oates Pink or blue? Barbie or Lego? Nurse or firefighter? Children are bombarded with gender stereotypes on a daily basis. But what impact do these messages have on our thoughts, decisions and behaviours? And how will they shape our futures – from what we choose to study, through to our career choices and salary expectations? In this Perspectives, leading neuroscientist Gina Rippon joins early childhood expert Ruby Oates, from the University of Derby, to discuss whether gender stereotypes are damaging or if the current push for gender neutral parenting has gone too far.

THE FUTURE OF OUR POLITICAL PA R T I E S FRI 19 JULY 9AM –10AM PAVILION ARTS CENTRE £15 With Nick Robinson & Martin Moore The shock referendum results of 2016 marked the start of one of the most turbulent periods in modern-day British politics. From David Cameron’s resignation to the ongoing Brexit saga, it is clear that the last three years have irrevocably reshaped the UK’s political landscape. But what must the main parties do to adapt and survive in such a difficult climate? Academic and author Martin Moore joins journalist and broadcaster Nick Robinson to discuss the future of our political parties.

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T H E L I T E R A RY SALON

MOORCROFT HOUSE, LISMORE ROAD, BUXTON £20 (includes a refreshing Kuro Gin aperitif) The Literary Salon has always been a gathering place for writers, under the direction of an inspiring host, to amuse and entertain but also to launch ideas.

BIF reimagines the Literary Salon within the beautiful and artistic setting of the Edwardian Moorcroft House. Complete with charming hostess and musical accompaniment, the literary salon is a must for the discerning arts lover. Intimate and unusual, these events should be a talking point for many festivals to come.

KURO is an award-winning, Japanese-inspired gin range consisting of a premium London Dry Gin, Cherry Blossom Gin and Soft Peach Gin. Distilled on a 300l copper still in the UK, KURO launched in 2017 with luxury retail listings that include Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

BIF is delighted KURO is joining us this year as our drinks sponsor.

ALAN POWERS

PETER MOORE

Alan Powers on Enid Marx Enid Marx (1902–98) was a leading artist and designer who played an important role in British cultural life in the mid-Twentieth Century. Associated with Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden in the ‘outbreak of talent’ at the Royal College of Art in the 1920s, she excelled as a creator of hand-blocked fabrics before branching into industrial woven patterns for London Underground and the wartime Utility Furniture Scheme. Alan Powers is the acknowledged expert on both Ravilious and 20th century architecture and design.

Samuel Johnson and the Art of Happiness For Samuel Johnson happiness was ‘the only thing of real value in existence’. Yet for the great writer, critic and lexicographer this most simple of aspirations proved frustratingly difficult to obtain. In his Salon session the historian Peter Moore looks back to the life and career of one of the towering figures in English literature, asking why happiness was so prized by Enlightenment thinkers of the mid-18th century and how Johnson attempted to find it.

TUES 9 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

A musical exemplar of the modernist era

WED 10 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

Mark Tatlow on eighteenth century music that ‘touched and dissolved’ the audience

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This would make a great companion event to Mark Wigglesworth on ‘The Silent Musician’ or Jane Glover

AD RI A N KE LLY & MI CH A E L WILL IA M S FRI 12 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

Prima la musica, dopo le parole?

The great question at the centre of Strauss’s last opera Capriccio asks us to consider which is of greater importance – the words or the music.

Without words there would be no reason for a song; without music lyrics die an unsung death. Unwrap this conundrum with Adrian Kelly, conductor for Eugene Onegin and Michael Williams, lyricist for Georgiana as they discuss, debate, divulge a little about the process of creating operas and music theatre.

Adrian Kelly on piano with BIF singers

T O M S E R VIC E SAT 13 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

Music as Alchemy The mute choreography of great conductors has fascinated and frustrated musicians and music-lovers for centuries. Tom Service looks inside the rehearsal rooms of some of the most inspirational orchestral partnerships in the world. He looks at how orchestras can be inspired to the heights of expressive possibility by their maestros, or flabbergasted that someone who doesn’t even make a sound should be elevated to demi-god-like status by the public. Expect gossip and intrigue, human and musical stories.

Exploration of a conductor’s technique with live accompaniment

ANNA BEER

NAOKO ABE

Sounds and Sweet Airs: Forgotten Women of Classical Music Since the birth of classical music, women who dared compose have faced a bitter struggle to be heard.

In spite of this, female composers continued to create, inspire and challenge. Yet even today so much of their work languishes unheard.

Anna Beer will reveal the highs and lows experienced by eight composers across the centuries, from Renaissance Florence to twentieth-century London, restoring to their rightful place exceptional women whom history has forgotten.

Cherry Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved the Blossoms For Japan Naoko Abe is a Japanese journalist living in London. She was the first political writer to cover the prime minister’s office, the foreign ministry and the defence ministry at one of Japan’s largest newspapers. Cherry Ingram is a portrait of an unknown Englishman and amateur botanist whose legacy can be seen all around us. A story of Britain and Japan in the 20th century and how a delicate blossom was threatened by a warlike ideology.

WED 17 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

FRI 19 JULY 7.30PM – 9PM

Performance by a Japanese instrumentalist

Adrian Kelly and Berrak Dyer play piano works by Fanny Mendelssohn

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F E S T I VA L W A L K S

I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H D I S C O V E R B U X T O N – PEAK DISTRICT GUIDED TOURS

HOW BUXTON HELPED BUILD THE 20TH C E N T U RY MON 8 JULY 4PM – 5.30PM FESTIVAL TEA GARDEN, ST JOHN’S CHURCH £10 Romans, Georgians and Victorians shaped Buxton, but the town itself played a major role in architecture worldwide in the 20th century. This walk features homes designed by Richard Parker and Raymond Unwin who began their careers here before championing garden cities, town planning and helping President Franklin D Roosevelt with his ‘New Deal’. Led by art historian Alan Powers after his Book Series talk, with help from John Bishop, an architect who teaches young people to understand their environment.

THE MAN BEHIND THE VICTORIAN SPLENDOUR THURS 11 AND TUES 16 JULY 12PM – 1.30PM FESTIVAL TEA GARDEN, ST JOHN’S CHURCH £10 Buxton saved Robert Rippon Duke’s life: in return the architect and builder created much of the town’s Victorian splendour. This walk takes you on a trip through his life, times and works, which include the magnificent and recently restored Octagon in the Pavilion Gardens; the Palace Hotel and the awe-inspiring Dome which capped the exercise yard at the Duke of Devonshire’s stables to create what is now the University of Derby’s Buxton campus.

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RAISING THE C U R TA I N O N BUXTON’S GHOST T H E AT R E S TUES 9 & FRI 19 JULY 12PM – 1.30PM FESTIVAL TEA GARDEN, ST JOHN’S CHURCH £10 It took a long time before Buxton got a theatre as imposing as its Opera House. The first in the town was ‘a mean, dirty thatched house’ according to one eyewitness, and there were quite a few more built and then demolished as the town developed.

But along the way, performers on their various stages have included Paganini — a violinist so talented he was thought to be possessed by the Devil. This walk will take you behind the scenes of history in a drama which continues to this day.

FRI 12 AND THURS 18 JULY 12PM – 1.30PM FESTIVAL TEA GARDEN, ST JOHN’S CHURCH £10

BUXTON ON THE HOME FRONT

Buxton sent many men to the Front in the First World War — but even more came back. The town became a recuperation centre for Commonwealth servicemen who had been wounded, especially Canadians, who rested in the big old hotels such as The Empire, which was demolished between the wars. This walk will tell their story, including how one nurse at the hospital – Vera Brittain – used her experiences to write the best-selling Testament of Youth.

TUE 16 JULY 3.30PM – 5PM & WED 17 JULY 10AM – 11.30AM FESTIVAL TEA GARDEN, ST JOHN’S CHURCH £10 Picking up something to eat doesn’t involve shopping for John Wright, who has made a career from foraging by writing books and making TV programmes about the art of living off our hedgerows, woodlands and seashores. John, who often works with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of TV’s River Cottage fame, will leading two walks on urban foraging.

C OOKERY DEMONSTR ATI O NS

PICKING UP IDEAS ON FORAGING

FRI 12 JULY 2PM – 3PM DEVONSHIRE DOME £12

SALIHA MAHMOOD AHMED

Khanza: A Treasure Trove of Modern Mughal Recipes After taking the Masterchef crown in 2017 with her Indian fusion food which quickly won over the judges, Saliha has produced Khanza, her debut cook book. Steeped in the rich culinary heritage of the region and inspired by her own travels in modern day India and Pakistan, Saliha will make and discuss her Indo-Persian fusion food – a contemporary take on the food of the Mughal Empire – and discuss the stories from the Mughal Empire that inspire the recipes.

MAX FISCHER WED 10 JULY 2PM – 3PM DEVONSHIRE DOME £12 Max Fischer is a Michelin-starred chef who has cooked for Prince Charles, Margaret Thatcher and President Nixon. His career took him to some of the most prestigious kitchens in Europe before he settled in Derbyshire where he and his wife Susan created a country house restaurant with rooms at their home, Baslow Hall. They earned their first Michelin Star there in 1994, and have retained it ever since.

JOHN WRIGHT WED 17 JULY 2PM – 3PM DEVONSHIRE DOME £12 The Forager’s Calendar John Wright is Britain’s best-loved forager and a regular on River Cottage. From dandelions in spring to sloe berries in autumn, via wild garlic, samphire, chanterelles and even grasshoppers, our countryside is full of edible delights in any season. John discusses where, how to identify them, and how to store, use and cook them.

You’ll learn the stories behind the Latin names, the best way to tap a birch tree, and how to fry an ant, make rosehip syrup and cook a hop omelette.

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FRIENDS OF B U X T O N F E S T I VA L The Friends are the lifeblood of the Festival. Friends account for the major part of Festival audiences.

Through our membership subscriptions and other fundraising we annually contribute some 15% to the Festival budget. We offer a welcoming community both around the Festival itself and throughout the year. You will often hear it said: ‘Without the Friends, there would be no Festival’.

A Friends organisation was created very soon after the Festival itself in December 1980, originally under the name of the Buxton Festival Society. (We’ll be telling more of our story next year!) Although not yet quite 40 ourselves, we shall be joining in fully with this year’s Fortieth Festival Anniversary celebrations.

To highlight the importance of the Friends, each Festival Wednesday will be a ‘Friends Day’. The Friends will be supporting all the events on these two Wednesdays and organising opportunities for Friends to socialise throughout the day. We shall

be celebrating the invaluable contribution made by the Friends; and appealing to everyone who is not yet a Friend to join us.

This is the perfect time of year to become a Friend – so that you can benefit from priority booking. So please subscribe now and join us in this summer’s celebrations. To the many of you who are already Friends – we cannot thank you enough.

DAVID BRINDLEY CHAIRMAN For details of all levels of Friends membership, see the Friends pages of the BIF website.

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FRIENDS’ EVENTS GEORGIANA RETURNS TO CHATSWORTH

FRIENDS DAYS

SAT 6 APRIL 5.30PM

WED 10 JULY

CHATSWORTH HOUSE

WED 17 JULY

£80

The Friends of Buxton Festival will be on hand at all events on these days, so why not come along and say hello!

History comes full circle on 6 April when Georgiana returns to her home, Chatsworth House. Festival Chief Executive Michael Williams will host an afternoon of music from the 2019 world premiere of our specially commissioned opera Georgiana in the stately home’s very own Georgian theatre.

10 July Friends Day sponsored by

OPERA STUDY DAY

FRIENDS’ DINNER

TUES 21 MAY 10.30AM – 4.30PM

SUN 14 JULY 5PM – 7PM

LEE WOOD HOTEL

OLD HALL HOTEL

£45 (INCLUDING LUNCH)

£35

Join the creative talents behind this year’s operas for a fascinating look at the histories of these pieces, and their vision for the productions.

Meet up with fellow Friends of Buxton Festival for a slap-up meal at the Old Hall Hotel – the perfect chance to renew old acquaintances and discuss this year’s Festival.

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SUN 7 JULY, FRI 12 JULY, MON 15 JULY, SAT 20 JULY 5.15PM £35 WHY NOT COMBINE YOUR VISIT TO OUR NEW OPERA GEORGIANA WITH A GEORGIAN DINNER EXPERIENCE AT THE OLD HALL HOTEL?

Smoked Haddock Chowder Soup of Artichoke and Chestnut

Roasted Joint of Pork with Crackling and Apple Sauce Roasted Venison, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Potato, English Root Vegetables Mackerel, Mint and Fennel Salad Herb-Baked Salmon

English Strawberry Trifle, Brandy Cream British Cheese, Biscuits, Celery and Grapes Fruit Platter

To book, please phone the Old Hall Hotel on 01298 22841 or email reception@oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk Dine like the Georgians and share a table with friends and acquaintances existing and new.

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Let us

inspire

you...

Head to one of our visitor centres in Bakewell, Castleton, Edale and the Derwent Valley to start your discovery of the UK’s original National Park.

OPENING G...

THIS SPRIN

peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting

and Our new café n hub io at rm visitor info the on e at Millers Dal new a d an l, ai Monsal Tr the in y cilit cycle hire fa y lle Va ld Manifo

OPEN CALL FOR PERFORMERS WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY Join the LEVEL Performance Group Relaxed Auditions 14 May 2018, 10 – 4pm Free to attend Do you love to perform?

Are you aged 18+?

Do you want to find out more about LEVEL and the opportunities it could provide?

E imogen@levelcentre.com T 01629 734848

www.levelcentre.com 65

A BIG THANK YOU

To all our individual donors and Trusts and Foundations who currently support the Festival by developing new operas and enabling professional development for young artists and outreach work in the local community.

L G Harris Trust

THE BINGHAM TRUST

HALL BANK TRUST

THE SAINER CHARITY

DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

THE STONEHOUSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

ANDRE BERNHEIM CHARITABLE TRUST ACTION GRANTS

THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION

The Cheshire Cheese is the perfect destination for a great pint and some delicious home cooking during your visit to Buxton. Food is served daily including pub classics, specials and our Sunday lunch isn’t to be missed! We have a large beer garden for when the weather is being kind, weekly live music, a Sunday quiz AND we are dog friendly too. There’s something for everyone!

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THE CHESHIRE CHEESE. 37 - 39 HIGH STREET, BUXTON, DERBYSHIRE SK17 6HA T: 01298 212453 • E: cheshirecheese@titanicbrewery.co.uk • W: www.titanicbrewery.co.uk

OUTREACH

THE ORPHANS OF KOOMBU SCHOOL SESSIONS

In 2019, we’re truly embedding BIF into the heart of our community.

From huge projects that are bringing together students from across Derbyshire to small acts with a big impact, we want BIF to take the joy of music to everyone.

Here’s just a taste of what we’re doing to make 2019 our most accessible year yet.

TA K I N G B I F O N T O U R

We’re hitting the road in February and March with the BIF Roadshow to bring just a little flavour of BIF to a town near you.

We’re taking over town halls, arts centres and interesting spaces to bring a selection of our young singers and musicians to communities that don’t have a history of opera. Our aim is to take the beauty and the drama of our performances to as many people in local communities as possible.

SEE WEBSITE FOR WHERE WE’RE GOING!

BIF BUSKERS

We have a long and colourful history supporting young musicians through the Festival. And this year, we want to give them the space to put on their own show. Supported by the Festival, BIF Buskers will include a selection of our young musicians who will play outside the beautiful Buxton Opera House before our matinee and evening performances.

In true busker-style, they’ll have their cases open to the passing public.

From March to May, we’re taking our creative team of a director, conductor, repetiteurs, professional singers and musicians to seven secondary schools across Derbyshire. Our aim? To teach 30 KS3 students per school an African Chamber Opera over seven interactive workshops. But this is more than just learning.

We want to build confidence in our students, showing them how they can start a career in the arts and bringing out the performer in them. These sessions will culminate in a staged performance at each of our schools then on to a debut during BIF 2019 (find out more about this on page xx).

LIVE MUSIC NOW!

We’re very proud to announce the return of our yearly concert for children with special needs. An absolutely delightful event, we’ll invite a selection of specially trained musicians to play for a room full of children from different special schools around the area and further afield.

MORE ARTS AWARD

We’re continuing our proud legacy of delivering Arts Award to children around Buxton. With our Discover programme already in place, 2019 will see us expand to delivering Explore to junior schools and Bronze levels to a select number of students who are involved with the Koombu project.

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W H E R E T O S TAY

OLD HALL HOTEL The Square, Buxton, SK17 6TQ 01298 22841 reception@oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk | www.oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk Situated across the square from the Edwardian Opera House – the ideal base for your festival visit. We have 38 individually decorated bedrooms all with en suite and free wi fi. With a range of rooms from Single bedrooms to Four Poster bedrooms and the choice of a Restaurant and Wine Bar in the heart of this beautiful town of Buxton. Bed and breakfast rates and dinner bed and breakfast rates are available.

B&B @ NO.6 THE SQUARE 6 The Square, Buxton, SK17 6AZ 01298 213541 louise@no6tearooms.co.uk | www.no6tearooms.co.uk Perfectly located for your Festival stay opposite Buxton Opera House.

Four spacious and luxurious en-suite double rooms on 2nd and 3rd floor with access to sitting room on 1st floor.

A L I S O N PA R K H O T E L 3 Temple Road, Buxton SK17 9BA 01298 22473 bookings@alison-park-hotel.co.uk A family-run, Edwardian building in Buxton, Alison Park is situated in its own mature gardens. A 5-minute walk from Pavilion Gardens and the Opera House, it offers individually designed bedrooms and a restaurant.

BIGGIN HALL Biggin-by-Hartington, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 0DH 01298 84451 enquiries@bigginhall.co.uk | www.bigginhall.co.uk Biggin Hall Hotel in Derbyshire is a 21 bedroom Country House Hotel offering exceptional year-round accommodation in the heart of the Peak District. Biggin Hall is a characterful historic house of 17th century origin, centrally situated in the Peak District National Park in peaceful open countryside, standing at 1,000 feet above sea level.

COMPTON GUEST HOUSE 4 Compton Road, Buxton SK17 9DN 07484 200 254 www.bnbbuxton.co.uk Beautiful Victorian guest house with all its original features. We are a family business that is trying to create a warm homely feeling on a warmly low price, with a continental breakfast included. We are in the heart of Buxton within close walking distance of the Opera House and other attractions. We have a large patio area where you can sit and relax.

9 G R E E N L A N E B E D & B R E A K FA S T 9 Green Lane, Buxton SK17 9DP 01298 73731 book@9greenlane.co.uk Our late-Victorian bed and breakfast is a few minutes’ walk from Buxton Opera House. All rooms are en-suite and we have ample parking. Some rooms available on the ground floor. 12 miles from Chatsworth House.

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G R E N D O N B E D & B R E A K FA S T Bishops Lane, Buxton SK17 6UN 01298 436259 stay@grendonbnb.co.uk Grendon, a stunning Edwardian property, situated on a quiet road within walking distance of Buxton town centre. With recently refurbished bedrooms and en suite bathrooms, we offer luxury B&B for those looking for high class accommodation with a homely, personal touch.

QUEEN’S HEAD HOTEL & PUBLIC HOUSE High Street, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6EU 01298 23841 www.queensbuxton.co.uk The Queen’s Head Hotel offers bed and breakfast in our newly built accommodation rooms and also in a converted stable block, both situated at the rear of our premises. All twelve of our rooms have central heating, en-suite bathrooms, tea/coffee making facilities and Sky’s ‘in-room’ television service.

Larger groups requiring accommodation are welcome but it’s best to call with your requirements.

ROSELEIGH GUEST HOUSE 19 Broad Walk, Buxton SK17 6JR 01298 24904 enquiries@roseleighhotel.co.uk | www.roseleighhotel.co.uk Only a five minute scenic walk from the Buxton Opera House, located on Broadwalk this Victorian 14-bedroom, family run, non-smoking guest-house built in 1871 overlooks the Pavilion Gardens and ornamental lake of which the superb landscaping was developed between 1861 and the early 1870s. Free residents’ parking for up to 10 cars. Please visit our website for a comprehensive virtual tour. Bed & Breakfast from £40 per person based on two people sharing en suite double/twin rooms.

W H E E L D O N T R E E S FA R M Earl Sterndale, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 0AA 01298 83219 stay@wheeldontreesfarm.co.uk | www.wheeldontreesfarm.co.uk Nine award winning self-catering holiday cottages in Derbyshire, in a spectacular location close to Buxton and Bakewell.

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W H E R E T O E AT

OLD HALL HOTEL Old Hall Hotel The Square, Buxton SK17 6BD 01298 22841 info@oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk www.oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk Old Hall Hotel, Restaurant and Wine Bar across the square from the Opera House – the perfect and very popular venue for pre- and postopera meals. Restaurant open from 12pm–2pm and then 5.15pm–11pm.

Wine Bar open all day from 10am. Advanced bookings are advisable.

NO 6 THE SQUARE TEAROOMS 6 The Square, Buxton SK17 6AZ 01298 213541 louise@no6tearooms.co.uk www.no6tearooms.co.uk Traditional English tearooms situated opposite the Opera House. Special Festival fare pre-opera with Champagne. Booking advisable. Open 10am–7pm. Festival fare available 5.30–7pm.

53 DEGREES NORTH 8a Hall Bank, Buxton SK17 6EW fiftythreedegrees@outlook.com Alpine charm in the heart of Buxton! Our stylish, quirky bar has a roaring fire, Cask Marque ales, well-chosen wine list and huge gin menu. Kitchen open daily serving an eclectic mix of European classics and ski lodge favourites.

THE CHESHIRE CHEESE 37–39 High Street, Buxton SK17 6HA 01298 212453 cheshirecheese@titanicbrewery.co.uk www.titanicbrewery.co.uk The perfect destination for a great pint and delicious home cooking.

Food is served daily including pub classics, specials and our Sunday lunch is not to be missed! Large beer garden, weekly live music, Sunday quiz, dog friendly – there is something for everyone!

COLUMBINE 7 Hall Bank, Buxton SK17 6EW 01298 78752 www.columbinerestaurant.co.uk We are a small independent restaurant, 3 minutes’ walk from Buxton’s Opera House, serving modern British food, cooked to order. We are open for both pre and post theatre suppers by prior reservation.

THE DUKE 123 St Johns Rd, Buxton SK17 6UR 01298 78781 info@thedukebuxton.com A great village pub in the beautiful Peak District! Cask Marque ales, homemade pub favourites including our famous Sunday roasts and fantastic handmade pies; great beer garden, a warm welcome and great service! Kids, dogs and muddy boots all welcome!

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E V E RY T H I N G R O S Y I N T E R I O R S – V I N TA G E T E A R O O M S 4– 8 Hardwick Street, Buxton SK17 6DH 01298 78778 Delightful Vintage Tea Rooms offering a selection of sandwiches, toasties, paninis, Derbyshire oatcakes and locally baked cakes including Buxton cake. Good dogs welcome. Gifts and accessories available at Everything Rosy.

MARIANNE’S KITCHEN AND DESSERT BAR 82 Spring Gardens, Buxton SK17 6BZ 01298 212629 info@marianneskitchen.co.uk Marianne’s Kitchen strives to provide the best desserts with the team constantly developing new ideas and recipes. We offer a wide variety from desserts such as waffles and cakes, milkshakes and smoothies, ice creams, panini and even some gifts.

OLD SUN INN 33 High Street, Buxton SK17 6HA 01298 937986 oldsunnbuxton@outlook.com A traditional country pub on the High St! Six cask ales, quality lagers, great wine list, huge gin selection, roaring fires and a large beer garden. Kitchen open daily serving great British pub classics. Dogs, children and muddy boots welcome!

THE PAVILION CAFÉ Pavilion Gardens, Buxton SK17 6BE 01298 23114 paviliongarden@highpeak.gov.uk www.paviliongardens.co.uk The Pavilion Cafe Buxton is a warm, welcoming and spacious cafe overlooking the picturesque award winning landscaped gardens. Our team are hard at work all day with breakfast served with a smile from 9.30am until 11.30am, then continuing with main meals right through to afternoon teas served from 2.30pm.

During the summer festival season our cafe also opens for pre-show meals between 5pm and 7pm but it is advisable to book in advance as these are highly popular.

F E S T I VA L C I R C L E Find out more about how you can be part of the Festival family and join the Festival Circle, a network of business support across the region. Members can take advantage of opportunities to promote their businesses through our website and publications and attend events.

Join BIF as we become the driving force for the celebration and development of opera, music and books in Derbyshire, placing culture and the arts at the heart of civic life.

To join contact lucy.marsden@buxtonfestival.co.uk

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WHERE TO VISIT

BAKEWELL OLD HOUSE MUSEUM Cunningham Place, Bakewell DE45 1DD 01629 813642 bakewellmuseum@gmail.com So much to explore in this Tudor building, tucked away behind Bakewell Church. An eclectic collection of artefacts in large beamed rooms. 1920s gowns in our textile exhibition. Hands-on activities, award-winning trails, family-friendly building. Open 11am – 4pm daily.

B U X T O N M U S E U M A N D A RT G A L L E RY Terrace Road, Buxton SK17 6DA 01629 533540 Buxton.museum@derbyshire.gov.uk www.derbyshire.gov.uk/buxtonmuseum Explore the geology and archaeology of the Peak District in the recently redisplayed Wonders of the Peak gallery. Anticipating the opening of the Crescent, enjoy paintings in the museum’s own collections revealing this iconic building. The annual Derbyshire Open Art Exhibition showcases what is special about Derbyshire includes works for sale.

T H E B U X T O N S PA P R I Z E 2 0 1 9 The Green Man Gallery, Hardwick Square South, Buxton Spa SK17 6PY www.BuxtonSpaPrize.co.uk An exhibition of artwork inspired by the beautiful town of Buxton and created partly on location. View a huge range of work in a variety of styles including all the pieces by our prize-winning artists.

Picture: Market Day by Janet Mayled D AV I D M E L L O R The Round Building, Hathersage S32 1BA 01433 650220 www.davidmellordesign.co.uk Modern design in the Peak District National Park. Visit the famous David Mellor Cutlery Factory, Design Museum, Café and Shop for the best in modern tableware and kitchenware. The free museum shows Mellor’s historic designs, from teaspoons to traffic lights.

T H E G A L L E RY 12 High Street, New Mills SK22 4AL 01663 309039 www.facebook.com/newmillsgallery Original and Handcrafted Art, Jewellery, Sculpture, Ceramics Textiles, Gifts, Cards. Artist-led Gallery selling original work for all budgets.

Browsers welcome.

T H E G R E E N M A N G A L L E RY Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Square South, Buxton SK17 6PY Tel: 01298 937375 hello@thegreenmangallery.com www.thegreenmangallery.com Vibrant independent gallery and arts centre, managed by artists.

Extensive exhibitions of contemporary art and craft from the region including paintings, prints, mixed media, photography, textiles, ceramics and jewellery at affordable prices, plus performances and workshops.

Open every day in July.

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I S L A F I N E A R T, C A R D S & G I F T S 4b The Colonnade, Buxton SK17 6AL 01298 938492 isla@isladirect.co.uk Isla is an art gallery and gift shop in central Buxton with a rolling programme of exhibitions by local artists as well as a carefully curated selection of beautifully designed gifts and cards. For anyone interested in the arts, we have gifts with music and literary themes, alongside decorative objects for the home. We also have a wide selection of fine art and humour cards. Please do call in for a browse and a chat.

T H E PAV I L I O N G A R D E N S St John’s Road, Buxton, SK17 6BE 01298 23114 www.paviliongardens.co.uk Discover a day at the gardens to see excellent café and coffee bar. Fairs and events take place all the year round under cover – including Farmers Markets & Fine Food Fairs, Arts, Crafts, Jewellery & Designer Fairs as well as Plant & Garden Fairs. Pre-theatre dinning available throughout the Festival.

P O O L E ’ S C AV E R N & B U X T O N C O U N T R Y PA R K Green Lane, Buxton, SK17 9DH 01298 26978 info@poolescavern.co.uk www.poolescavern.co.uk www.buxtoncivicassociation.org.uk Buxton Civic Association’s objective is to promote the preservation of the historical and environmental heritage of Buxton and its surroundings for the public benefit. The general aim is to help maintain and improve Buxton and its surrounding area as a wonderful place to live and visit. We are the proud owners of Poole’s Cavern and Country Park and 160 acres of beautiful woodland in and around the town. You can visit Poole’s Cavern today with our expert guides and journey though the beautifully illuminated chambers to discover for yourself the magnificent underground scenery of the Peak District.

THE WONDER OF THE PEAK 01298 79648 info@discoverbuxton.co.uk www.discoverbuxton.co.uk Discover Buxton provides a journey through time into the history, people and landmarks of Buxton, aboard the phantasmagorical Victorian tram The Wonder of the Peak. Our guided tours leave hourly from outside the Opera House.

G L A S S T E C H E U R O P E LT D www.glasstecheurope.com Bespoke Glass and Antique Mirrors for the Commercial, Domestic and Leisure Industries VA R D E L L S Alexander House, Staden Lane Business Park, Buxton, SK17 9RZ 01298 767600 hello@vardells.co.uk www.vardells.co.uk Established in 1981, Vardells are an experienced business solutions supply chain technology provider to leading brands such as Bargain Booze, Smyths Toys and Yours Clothing. Our end-to-end solutions, spanning Point of Sale, Retail Management through to Warehouse Management, save time, improve accuracy and help clients increase margins.

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www.tramway.co.uk

FREE RETURN WITHIN 12 MONTHS WITH FULL PRICED TICKETS*

A great day out for all the family

• Exhibitions • Woodland walk • Sculpture trail • Indoor and outdoor playgrounds • Family activities • Cafe • Refreshments • Shops SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAMME SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS

Come along and be transported back in time with our authentic village street. Experience the gentle rumble of trams passing by while you soak up the atmosphere. Whatever the weather, enjoy a fabulous day out packed with excitement, adventure, unlimited electric tram rides and a little learning along the way.

Crich Tramway Village, Crich, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5DP Tel: 01773 854 321 Email: enquiry@tramway.co.uk

* excludes the World War II / 1940s events. Please see website for full details.

www.facebook.com/ CrichTramwayVillage

@CrichTramway

LOCATED NEAR MATLOCK AND ONLY 8 MILES FROM M1 JUNCTION 28

SMALL SHIPS – BIG EXPERIENCES WITH NOBLE

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CALEDONIA

Call us today on 020 7752 0000 for your copy of our new brochure.

Alternatively view or request online at www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

SMALL SHIPS - BIG EXPERIENCES

£2

Entry

Great Dome Art and Design Fair

• Original Artwork • Unique Gifts 19th July - 21st July 2019 Fri - 6.30pm - 8.30pm • Live Music • Free Talks and Demos Sat - 10am - 5pm • Artists’ Postcard Raffle Sun - 10am - 4.30pm New for

2019

Visitors are invited to

‘Paint the Fair’ with folk artist Sue Prince

Devonshire Dome, Buxton Derbyshire SK17 6RY

peakdistrictartisans.co.uk

Visit Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills and start of your journey exploring the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site.

42 High Street, Buxton SK17 6HB SECONDHAND BOOKS & BOOKBINDING Mon–Sat 9.30 to 5.00 Sun 12.00 to 4.00

www.cromfordmills.org.uk

VISITOR CENTRE | TOURS | SHOPS| CAFE | EVENTS

Telephone: 01298 73100

scrivbooks@hotmail.co.uk www.scrivenersbooks.co.uk In the Guardian’s 10 Best Bookshops

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S E AT I N G P L A N S

BUXTON OPERA HOUSE

Eugene Onegin, Georgiana, Lucio Papirio Dittatore

Orpheus in the Underworld

New Voices

Stalls A–N (except as below)

£53

£53

£50

Stalls D–H (seats 10–23)

£64

£64

£60

Stalls O–Q

£36

£36

£25

Dress Circle (except as below)

£73

£62

£50

Dress Circle (centre)

£78

£68

£65

Dress Circle (boxes)

£73

£62

£40

Upper Circle

£52

£52

£50

Upper Circle (side seats)

£20

£20

£20

Gallery

£25

£25

£15

PAVILION ARTS CENTRE

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B O O K I N G I N F O R M AT I O N

BOOKING OPENS FROM 1 APRIL BOX OFFICE 01298 72190 BUXTON OPERA HOUSE, WATER STREET, BUXTON SK17 6XN BOX OFFICE OPENING Monday–Saturday: 10am–8pm Sunday: Closed. If there is a performance at the Opera House 4pm–8pm D U R I N G T H E F E S T I VA L Monday–Saturday: 10am–8pm Sunday: 12pm–8pm, or 10am if there is a performance in the Opera House.

AVA I L A B I L I T Y AT V E N U E S Tickets for venues other than the Opera House can be bought on the door half an hour before each event, unless sold out.

REFUNDS Tickets can neither be refunded nor exchanged. Box Office will try to resell tickets for sold-out events – a £1.50 administration fee will be charged.

All tickets purchased online or through the Box Office are subject to these booking terms and conditions.

GIFT VOUCHERS BIF Gift Vouchers make the perfect gift for a Festival-lover. Order them now from our website or by phoning 01298 70395.

SPECIAL OFFERS

TCHAIKOVSKY OFFER Book any Victoria String Quartet recital and a performance of Eugene Onegin and receive a 15% discount GEORGIANA OFFER Book tickets for Bethan Langford and Georgiana and get 15% off the price of both events.

VICTORIA STRING QUARTET OFFER Book all three Victoria String Quartet recitals at the same time and receive a 15% discount PETER DONOHOE OFFER Book for three or more of the Peter Donohoe recitals and receive a 15% discount

ST JOHN’S CHURCH

OCTAGON

Stage 1

5

3

2

6 4

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A C C E S S I N F O R M AT I O N

BUXTON OPERA HOUSE The Opera House is an Edwardian building and only partially accessible to wheelchair users. The wheelchair entrance is 72cm at its narrowest point. There are three wheelchair spaces in the Stalls at ground floor level, and a specially adapted toilet. Unfortunately the Stalls bar is not accessible by wheelchair, but a member of staff will gladly bring refreshments to your seat.

The Opera House Foyer and Box Office counter are not wheelchair accessible, but there is now wheelchair access to the side Box Office door (in Water St), with an intercom system to alert staff. The Dress Circle and Upper Circle levels are not wheelchair accessible and can only be reached by climbing the stairs. The building is not accessible by motorised scooter.

PAV I L I O N A R T S C E N T R E All parts of the Pavilion Arts Centre (and both St John’s Road entrances) are accessible by wheelchair, apart from the balcony.

ST JOHN’S CHURCH The main church is accessible to all, but the balcony is not available to those with mobility issues.

C O M PA N I O N T I C K E T S In all venues your safety is paramount. In an emergency, if you would have difficulty making your way out of the building on your own, we strongly advise that you bring a companion.

HELP WITH HEARING There is a passive infra-red (PIR) system in both the Opera House and Pavilion Arts Centre for people with hearing impairments. This works through a special headset rather than your hearing aid, and is available from the theatre. Please reserve one when you book your tickets (a £10 cash deposit on the day is required). There is also an induction loop system at both Box Offices.

I N F O R M AT I O N Opera Running Times As our Festival Opera productions are created specifically for each Festival, we are unable to provide finish times of the operas at the time of going to press.

I HAR DW HARDW IC

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K( PE DE

Ashwood Park

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BAKEWELL R

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Police Station

M A

BATH ROAD AD RO LE DA LO ND ON RO AD

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ET RK

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Market Place

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A6 to MANCHESTER, GLOSSOP, HAYFIELD, CHINLEY & NEW MILLS

Coach Park

Town Hall

IG H

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TREET ES

ST.

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Pavilion Gardens

ST

W AT ER

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The Slopes

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Old Hall Hotel

TH E S Q U

Opera House

Pavilion Arts Centre

N RA AD U

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WEST ROAD

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Pump Room

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SR N’ JO H

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The Crescent

AR

ST.

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St John’s Church

O ATI ST

LD

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Old Clubhouse

K PAR

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Devonshire Dome

Cricket Ground

A55 to LEEK & MACCLESFIELD

Palace Hotel

Buxton Station

STREET

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PARK R

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The Lee Wood Hotel

OAD

A5004 to STOCKPORT & WHALEY BRIDGE

A515 to ASHBOURNE

A6 to BAKEWELL, TIDESWELL & MATLOCK

HOW TO GET HERE

HOW TO GET TO BUXTON Please call the Buxton Tourist Information Centre (Tel: 01298 25106) or Festival Office if you need advice on your travel plans.

BY CAR Buxton is approximately an hour’s drive from the M1, M6, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby.

Visit www.theaa.com for route planning.

C A R PA R K I N G There are 1001 car park spaces in Buxton including: Buxton Opera House: Pay and display parking for 50 cars, including 2 spaces for the disabled Pavilion Gardens: Parking for 262 cars including 15 spaces for the disabled Please allow extra time if travelling by car on Carnival Day (13 July).

BY RAIL Regular inter-city trains from Euston to Macclesfield take less than 2 hours, with a 20 min taxi ride to Buxton – www.virgintrains.co.uk Intercity trains also go to Stockport and Manchester with connecting services to Buxton – www.nationalrail.co.uk Northern Rail provides direct services to Buxton from Manchester, Preston, Blackpool and Hazel Grove – www.northernrail.co.uk

DITCH THE CAR, T R AV E L W I T H V I R G I N T R A I N S In association with our travel partner, Virgin Trains, look out for great deals on tickets from London to Macclesfield, then hop on a bus or take a taxi to Buxton.

Travel greener, save the parking stress, and enjoy a tea or two as you cruise from London to Buxton in less than 2 hours. All aboard for BIF 2019!

BY BUS Direct buses to Buxton operate from Chesterfield, Derby, Glossop, Huddersfield, Macclesfield, Sheffield, Stockport and Stoke.

For more information visit www.derbysbus.info, or www.traveline.info Traveline Tel: 0871 200 22 33 National Express Tel: 08717 81 81 78

BY AIR Regular national and international flights to Manchester and Nottingham East Midlands airports.

Manchester Airport is approx. 50 minutes away by taxi/car 79

e k l e i r e Get th a pair of s r o s s i c s y t safe (sharpish)

LONDON to MACCLESFIELD : 1hr 41m ins

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JOURNEY TIME SHOWN REPRESENTS A TYPICAL MONDAY-FRIDAY JOURNEY