Cheltenham Music Festival 2022

8-16 July 2022 Box Office 01242 850270 cheltenhamfestivals.com/music #CheltMusicFest

THANK YOU to our Partners and Supporters

helping to create a world in which everyone can explore and co-create culture.

Major Partners

Festival Partners

Trusts and Foundations The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation

Media Partners

In-Kind Partners

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The Thistle Trust

Individual Supporters The Aquarius Group Cheltenham Music Festival Society In Memory of Catrina & Richard Smith Cheltenham Music Festival Society In Memory of Roger Jones Michael and Angela Cronk In Memory of Peter Granville-Edmunds Elizabeth Jacobs Mary Mackenzie, Richard Walton & Friends Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam

Dame Patricia Routledge DBE Diana Woolley We would also like to thank our individual supporters who have chosen to remain anonymous.

WELCOME Need help deciding? See the full programme and plan your Festival with our handy guide on pages 34 and 35.

Rising Stars BBC New Generation Artists pages 16, 19, 21 and 23 Kanneh-Mason Duo page 6 Rush Hour Recitals pages 17, 19, 21 and 24

Welcome to the 2022 Cheltenham Music Festival, my first as the Head of Programming. I’m hugely excited to be joining you in Cheltenham and am indebted to my predecessor Camilla King, who has planned this year’s programme.

You will find plenty to delight and inspire this year, including several gems originally planned for the lost 2020 Festival.

We’re delighted to welcome back New English Ballet Theatre, take you on an irreverent romp through the highs and lows of opera in What’s So Great About Opera, and don’t miss our fantastic festival finale of Mahler’s 8th Symphony in Gloucester Cathedral.

We examine the nature of relationships in two new commissions: Laura Bowler’s Distance and Conor Mitchell’s Look Both Ways – composers whose work grapples with the issues of our time. You’re invited to take a classical route less ordinary as Anoushka Shankar is joined by the strings of the Britten Sinfonia, and our rule-breaking Classical Mixtape returns.

Something Different

As ever you can enjoy watching Festival favourites and discovering rising stars, with the Brodsky Quartet and Tenebrae, the Kanneh-Masons and the BBC’s New Generation Artists, and much, much more.

Music and Mindfulness page 8 What’s So Great About Opera page 9 New English Ballet Theatre page 13 Classical Mixtape page 15

I look forward to welcoming you to Cheltenham in July.

Classical Greats Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra page 7 Ingrid Fliter page 11 Brodsky Quartet page 14 Humanity & Liberty: Tenebrae at 20 page 18 London Mozart Players page 20

Michael Duffy Head of Programming Cheltenham Music Festival

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MUSIC FOR SCHOOLS

Concert For Schools and Music Explorers During the Festival, school children across Gloucestershire will visit Cheltenham Town Hall to enjoy Concert for Schools – a lively and interactive concert planned and presented by Musicate musicians on a mission to inspire, thrill, move and amaze young audiences. Alongside professional musicians, Gloucestershire Youth Chamber Orchestra will play a selection of captivating pieces, with a special guest on hand to provide musical guidance.

Relaxed Concert for Schools Our year-round and Festival school programmes engage thousands of children and young people from schools across Gloucestershire and beyond.

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Musicate

School Workshops

Musicate is going on sabbatical for a year while we reflect on the many strengths and key learnings from the past six years and reshape the programme.

The new design will feature more of the best bits, and continue to support teachers and early career musicians to deliver an enriched music curriculum with confidence.

Musicate alumni Emily Hopper and Will Crawford have created engaging and interactive workshops that are sure to inspire and and encourage primary school pupils to make and enjoy music. With inspirational music as the starting point, children will explore musical building blocks and delve into their imaginations to create and perform their own pieces.

For details on how to take part in Music for Schools, go to cheltenhamfestivals.com/music-for-schools

Cheltenham Festivals’ first ever Relaxed Concert for Schools is an adapted performance of our acclaimed Concert for Schools. The content and format have been specifically devised to welcome children, young people and their teachers from the SEND (Special Educational Need and Disability) sector. The concert offers the audience the opportunity to relax and respond naturally to the music and musicians, and performers will interact with the audience in new and different ways.

Spotlight is Cheltenham Festivals’ year-round talent development programme. It offers a wide range of opportunities for all ages to engage with music and provides an invaluable platform for up-and-coming artists, supporting performers throughout their career.

Returning for 2022, our Composer Academy will again bring a small number of outstanding, specially selected early-career composers to Cheltenham, giving them the chance to have their compositions workshopped, performed and recorded.

Composium 2022 will bring some of the most influential people from the classical music industry together, to encourage a crossgenerational discussion and include audiences from all stages of their music career, the Festival is offering discounted tickets to music students.

Kindly supported by The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation and The Thistle Trust

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FRIDAY 8 JULY 11.15am-12.30pm

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Kanneh-Mason Duo Pittville Pump Room £18 £26 £30 Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello Isata Kanneh-Mason piano Benjamin Britten Cello Sonata, Op. 65 (22’) Frank Bridge Spring Song, H. 104, No. 2 (3’) Frank Bridge Mélodie for Cello and Piano in C-sharp minor, H. 99 (5’) Frank Bridge Scherzo, H. 19a (4’) Dmitri Shostakovich Sonata in D minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 40 (25’) Sheku and Isata, the charismatic siblings from the talented Kanneh-Mason family, open our 2022 Festival with a wonderfully colourful and characterful programme by Britten and the composers who inspired him.

Isata Kanneh-Mason is the recipient of the 2021 Leonard Bernstein Award, while Sheku shot to fame as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year and became a household name after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Kindly supported by Diana Woolley

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FRIDAY 8 JULY 7.30-9.30pm

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Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Cheltenham Town Hall £10 £20 £28 £38 £48 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko conductor Sergei Dogadin violin Anatoly Lyadov Baba-Yaga, Op. 56 (3’) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (33’) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35 (47’) Folklore and fairy-tale wonders frame the programme for our opening orchestral concert, starting with Lyadov’s spooky evocation of the witch Baba Yaga and ending with the lush, exotic delights of the Arabian Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Sergei Dogadin, winner of the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition, brings his award-winning interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto for his debut performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under its Conductor Laureate Vasily Petrenko. For many, the definitive violin concerto, Tchaikovsky’s passionate work is filled with gorgeous melodies and brilliant virtuosity.

*ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILIHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

5.30–6.15pm

Festival Evensong

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Cheltenham College Chapel Free no ticket required Cheltenham College Chapel Choir David McKee director Introit: Ralph Vaughan Williams O Taste and See Responses: Bernard Rose Psalm: 8th Evening Canticles: Herbert Howells Gloucester Service Anthem: Ralph Vaughan Williams Lord Thou Hast Been Our Refuge Te Deum: Ralph Vaughan Williams Morning Service in G

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SATURDAY 9 JULY 9-10.30am

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Music and Mindfulness Cheltenham Town Hall, Drawing Room £8 Musician Will Crawford founded quietnote to shine a unique light on the practice of meditation and mindfulness through the power of music. Will explores the connection of our body, mind and breath through guided breathing exercises to help aid relaxation, manage stress, and calm busy minds. This session will help you develop a stronger understanding of your wellbeing, health, and happiness, with a strong focus on the connection to our breath and body through the use of specially composed and recorded music and guided movement.

11.15am-12.30pm

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Gould Piano Trio Pittville Pump Room £16 £23 £28 Gould Piano Trio Gabriel Fauré Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120 (20’) Andrew Chen New work (world premiere) (5’) Ludwig van Beethoven Variations in G major, Op.121a ‘Kakadu’ (17’) Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 92 (33’) The Gould Piano Trio, praised for their ‘musical fire’, have remained at the forefront of the international chamber music scene for a quarter of a century. Fauré’s only Piano Trio is a work of sublime simplicity, written near the end of the composer’s life and containing some of the most beautiful moments in French chamber music. Followed by Beethoven’s light-hearted ‘Kakadu’ Variations and the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece by Royal Philharmonic Society Composer for 2021 and ABRSM Composer Mentee Andrew Chen, the concert closes with Saint-Saëns’ passionate Trio No 2.

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Kindly supported by Elizabeth Jacobs

SATURDAY 9 JULY 2-4pm

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What’s So Great About Opera?

The Daffodil £36 Ticket includes a champagne afternoon tea Hillary Summers contralto Andrew West piano Programme to include: An introduction to Baroque Opera I’m a Puccini Heroine addict Thoroughly Modern Hilly Dido’s Lament (Purcell), Carmen’s Seguidillia (Bizet), and culminating in the acclaimed Summers/West Productions’ – The Essential Magic Flute a one woman, 25 minute reduction of Mozart’s masterpiece.

Hilary Summers, a ridiculously tall Welsh contralto and Grammy Award winner, joins Andrew West, a slightly shorter, fabulous English pianist, for a hilarious romp through the highs and lows of opera. With songs and lyrics especially composed by the duo, alongside beloved arias of the operatic canon, the sublime and the ridiculous aspects of opera come under scrutiny, but leave the audience to decide – what IS so great about opera?

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7.30-9.30pm

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Anoushka Shankar and Manu Delago in Concert Cheltenham Town Hall £10 £20 £28 £38 £48 Anoushka Shankar sitar Manu Delago hang & percussion Britten Sinfonia Multi-Grammy-nominated sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar is steeped in the classical Indian tradition her father Ravi Shankar brought to a worldwide audience. Today she is a singular, genre-defying artist across the realms of classical, contemporary, acoustic and electronic music with seven Grammy nominations and an Ivor Novello nomination for her soundtrack for the BBC adaptation of A Suitable Boy. Her BBC Proms collaborations with the Britten Sinfonia and percussionist Manu Delago have been triumphant – a rapturous melding of East meets West. Prepare for a hypnotic evening from a masterful musician.

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Image: Laura Lewis

SATURDAY 9 JULY

SUNDAY 10 JULY 11.15am-12.30pm

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Ingrid Fliter Pittville Pump Room £16 £23 £28 Ingrid Fliter piano Joseph Haydn Piano Sonata in E minor, Hob. XVI:34 (10’) Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 18 in Eb major, “The Hunt”, Op. 31, No. 3 (22’) Domenico Scarlatti Keyboard Sonata in C-sharp minor, K. 247 (8’) Robert Schumann Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 (incl. Op. Post.) (35’) Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter has won the admiration and hearts of audiences around the world for her sensitive playing and effortless technique. She is one of only a handful of pianists, and the only woman, to have received a Gilmore Artist Award for profound musicianship and charisma. Her recordings of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann have been critically acclaimed. Her programme of classical sonatas finishes with Schumann’s virtuosic Symphonic Etudes.

Image: Gary Houlder

Kindly supported by Michael and Angela Cronk

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SUNDAY 10 JULY 5.30-6.30pm

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Distance Parabola Arts Centre £14 Juliet Fraser soprano Talea Ensemble Laura Bowler Distance (25’) Distance is a ground-breaking multimedia chamber work which draws a parallel between the process of video streaming and flight travel. While soprano Juliet Fraser performs live in Cheltenham, the Talea Ensemble will be livestreamed directly from New York.

Merging multiple video feeds, live and recorded sound, the piece reflects on both the psychological distance from our planet’s natural environment when travelling by plane and the psychological impact of air travel on passengers.

“Brilliantly imaginative, deeply compelling” The Scotsman

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Image: Colin Black

Co-commissioned by soundfestival, Spitalfields Music and Cheltenham Music Festival with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, Hope Scott Trust and individual donors.

SUNDAY 10 JULY 7.30-9pm

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New English Ballet Theatre: Into the Spotlight Everyman Theatre £10 £18 £26 £32

Image: The Four Seasons, chor. Jenna Lee. Photo by Deborah Jaffe

New English Ballet Theatre Domino Choreography by Ruth Brill, music Ryuichi Sakamoto (12’) Nocturne Choreography by Daniela Cardim, music Fédéric Chopin Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 (6’) Rosamunde Choreography by Morgann Runacre-Temple, music Franz Schubert & Tom Lane (18’) New Work Choreography by Georgie Rose, music Kate Amrine, Ezio Bosso (9’) I Can’t Dance Choreography by Kristen McNally, music Genesis (4’) ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter’ from The Four Seasons Choreography by Jenna Lee, music Antonio Vivaldi recomposed by Max Richter The Four Seasons (22’) New English Ballet Theatre celebrates the work of female choreographers in this inspiring mixed programme of six works in a wide range of styles with music from classical to contemporary, including Chopin, Schubert and Max Richter’s take on The Four Seasons

by Vivaldi.

Kindly supported by an anonymous donor

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MONDAY 11 JULY 3-5pm

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In the Footsteps of Ralph Vaughan Williams Image: Sarah Cresswell

Walking tour around Down Ampney (meeting place confirmed upon booking) £15 Please note: Terrain may be uneven under foot and there are some gradients.

Please dress for the weather and wear suitable footwear.

11.15am-12.30pm

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Brodsky Quartet Pittville Pump Room £16 £23 £28 Brodsky Quartet Karen Tanaka At the Grave of Beethoven (10’) Benjamin Britten String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94 (24’) Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet No. 9, Op. 117 (29’)

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Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, the Brodsky Quartet’s energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide. At the Grave of Beethoven was commissioned by the Brodsky Quartet. Responding to the tension and anxiety of modern life, the composer channels the pure spirit and ardent hope of the young Beethoven. Britten’s third string quartet was the composer’s last completed instrumental work, written during his final illness and described as “the moment where he gives up his soul, in music of affecting beauty”. Hugely admired interpreters of Shostakovich, the Quartet finish the programme with String Quartet No 9: rich, complex and full of humanity.

Kindly supported by Mary MacKenzie, Richard Walton and Friends

Walk in the footsteps of Gloucestershireborn Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated this year. George Parris, director of The Carice Singers, leads the ramble starting at Down Ampney Parish Church and ending in a specially arranged private tour of Vaughan Williams’s birthplace.

With thanks to Will and Lizzie Gallagher

MONDAY 11 JULY 8-10pm

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Classical Mixtape Gloucester Cathedral Pay what you can from just £3. There is no

booking fee for this concert.

Featuring among others: Manchester Collective The Choir of Merton College, Oxford Benjamin Nicholas director Samuele Telari accordion Jonathan Hope organist Enjoy a magical evening of Classical Mixtape at Gloucester Cathedral and let the wonderful sounds and stunning architecture transport you. The dynamic Manchester Collective bring fresh takes to classical masterpieces and new commissions from contemporary composers, while the superb choir of Merton College Oxford have won numerous 5-star reviews for their recordings.

Perfect for anyone new to classical music, each short piece is followed seamlessly by another, performed on separate stages dotted around the Cathedral. Relax and feel free to film, photograph and share the experience live on social media.

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TUESDAY 12 JULY 1-2pm

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BBC New Generation Artists I Pittville Pump Room £14 £20 Helen Charlston mezzo-soprano Kunal Lahiry piano Including works by Benjamin Britten, Madeleine Dring, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, Henry Purcell and Judith Weir A programme celebrating the thrilling songs all around us in nature, and our conversations with the world around us. Centred on Judith Weir’s evocative set of songs The Voice of Desire (where the birds seem to have a more sophisticated viewpoint than their human hearers) we follow a cornucopia of birdsong from Purcell to Mahler, Messiaen, Britten and Dring.

Winner of the 2018 London Handel Competition and member of Les Arts Florissants Young Artist Programme, Helen Charlston’s warm, distinctive tone has won her many fans. Indian-American pianist Kunal Lahiry is known for his personal dramatic flair and first-class technique. Kunal is a current BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the 2021 Carl Bechstein Foundation scholarship.

Founded in 1999 with the aim of supporting and nurturing some of the world’s finest young musicians at the start of their international careers, the BBC New Generation Artists scheme now numbers well over a hundred distinguished alumni, including some of the biggest names in classical music: violinists Alina Ibragimova and Lisa Batiashvili, pianist Igor Levit, trumpeter Alison Balsom, the Pavel Haas and Belcea Quartets, soprano Fatma Said and guitarist Sean Shibe, to name but a few.

Membership of the scheme is for just over two years, during which participants are offered a range of recording and concert opportunities, including dates with the BBC’s orchestras and performances at some of the UK’s most prestigious festivals and venues.

Recorded for a live lunchtime broadcast by BBC Radio 3 16 In Memory Of Peter Granville-Edmunds

TUESDAY 12 JULY 5-6pm

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Rush Hour Recital I St. Gregory’s Church £12 Samuele Telari accordion César Franck Chorale No.2 in B minor, FWV39 Bruno Mantovani 8’20’’ chrono Franz Schubert ‘Andante con moto’ from String Quartet, D.810 “Death and the Maiden” Sofia Gubaidalina De Profundis (1978) Camille Saint-Saëns (transcribed by Yuri Shishkin) Danse Macabre, Op.40 Swap your commute home for a bite-sized concert with a rising star of classical music in the intimate surroundings of St Gregory’s Church. Opening our series is the astonishing accordionist Samuele Telari who was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artist Trust (YCAT) International Auditions.

His programme features well-loved works including arrangements of Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, as well as new music by Mantovani and Gubaidalina.

Image: Kaupo Kikas

‘His musicianship is so big, so irrepressible, that he transcends the instrument that he’s playing.’

BBC Record Review

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TUESDAY 12 JULY 7.30-9.30pm

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Humanity and Liberty: Tenebrae at 20 Tewkesbury Abbey £10 £16 £22 £28 £32 Tenebrae Choir Nigel Short director Juliet Stevenson speaker

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Roderick Williams Lucis Creator Optime (5’) Philip Moore Three Prayers of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (16’) Josephine Stephenson Into the Wreck (15’) Rudolf Mauersberger Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst (6’) Roderick Williams Lucis Creator Optime Postlude (3’) Francis Poulenc Figure Humaine (21’) Tenebrae celebrates its 20th anniversary with this electrifying sequence of music and spoken voice.

Composed in response to the occupation of France during World War II, Poulenc’s astonishing

Figure Humaine forms the heart of this new programme.

Notoriously virtuosic, this choral tour-de-force perfectly encapsulates Tenebrae’s core values of passion and precision. Alongside it, the choir performs new commissions from Josephine Stephenson and Roderick Williams, and spoken interludes provide a narrative framework for this celebration of love and freedom in times of adversity.

Kindly supported by Dame Patricia Routledge DBE

WEDNESDAY 13 JULY 1-2pm

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BBC New Generation Artists II Pitville Pump Room £14 £20 Tom Borrow piano Quatuor Arod Mozart, Divertimento in F major KV138 (11’17) Dvořák Piano Quintet No 2 in A major, op 81 (35’) The Paris-based Arod Quartet quickly skyrocketed to international attention when they won First Prize at the

2016 ARD International Music Competition. They are named after Legolas’ horse in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, embodying the spirit of freedom and companionship.

The 16-year-old Mozart composed his Divertimento to be a light, ‘diverting’ piece to entertain a crowd.

Sparkling and youthful as it is, the lovely second movement shows early evidence of the richness and invention of the mature composer.

The quartet is joined by sensational young pianist Tom Borrow for Dvořák’s sublime Piano Quintet in A, written as he was approaching the height of his international fame. Regarded as one of the pinnacles of chamber music, it’s bursting with melody and lively dance rhythms.

Founded in 1999 with the aim of supporting and nurturing some of the world’s finest young musicians at the start of their international careers, the BBC New Generation Artists scheme now numbers well over a hundred distinguished alumni.

Kindly sponsored by The Aquarius Group Recorded for a live lunchtime broadcast by BBC Radio 3

5-6pm

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Rush Hour Recital II St. Gregory’s Church £12 Finalist from BBC Young Musician 2022 TBA

Swap your commute home for a bite-sized concert with a rising star of classical music in the intimate surroundings of St Gregory’s Church. Our second Rush Hour concert showcases one of the 2022 BBC Young Musician finalists, fresh from the competition platform. Hear them in Cheltenham first before they go on to join the ranks of Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Jess Gillam, Mark Simpson and other Young Musician alumni.

Kindly supported by the Cheltenham Music Festival Society in memory of Catrina and Richard Smith

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WEDNESDAY 13 JULY 7.30-9.30pm

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London Mozart Players Cheltenham Town Hall £5 £10 £16 £22 £28 London Mozart Players Martin James Bartlett piano Ben Goldscheider French horn Ben Johnson tenor

Arvo Pärt Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat major ‘Jeunehomme’, K271 Benjamin Britten Young Apollo, Op. 16 Benjamin Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings Op. 31 A fabulous treat, as one of the world’s finest chamber ensembles joins forces with three exceptional soloists.

The tolling bell of Pärt’s poignant Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten sets the scene for a celebration of Britten, whose early work evoking the brilliance of the dazzling young sun-God contrasts with the Serenade for tenor, horn and strings – a setting of six poems on the subject of night and one of the great masterpieces of 20th century music. Mozart’s elegant piano concerto is performed by Martin James Bartlett who achieved early success as the winner of the 2014 BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Kindly supported by Philip Loubser Foundation

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THURSDAY 14 JULY 1-2pm

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BBC New Generation Artist III Pittville Pump Room £14 £20 Johan Dalene violin Charles Owen piano Francis Poulenc Violin Sonata (19’) Lili Boulanger D’un Matin de Printemps (5‘) Edvard Grieg Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 (24’) 20-year-old violinist Johan Dalene is already making an impact on the international scene, winning the Norwegian Soloist Prize and First Prize at the prestigious 2019 Carl Nielsen Competition. He pairs Poulenc’s intense and deeply-felt violin sonata with Grieg’s Sonata No.3, a favourite of the composer’s and filled with Norwegian folkmelodies and rhythms. Interspersed between these two big violin works is Boulanger’s fresh and charming D’un Matin de Printemps.

Johan is joined by one of the finest British pianists of his generation, Charles Owen. Owen has enjoyed an extensive international career and is the UK Ambassador for Steinway & Sons.

Founded in 1999 with the aim of supporting and nurturing some of the world’s finest young musicians at the start of their international careers, the BBC New Generation Artists scheme now numbers well over a hundred distinguished alumni.

Recorded for a live lunchtime broadcast by BBC Radio 3

5-6pm

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Rush Hour Recital III St. Gregory’s Church £6 Rush Hour Recital 3

Swap your commute home for a bite-sized concert with a rising star of classical music in the intimate surroundings of St Gregory’s Church. The winners of the 2022 Gloucestershire Young Musician Competition and the Keith Nutland Award debut on the Cheltenham stage in this showcase of outstanding young local talent.

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THURSDAY 14 JULY 7.30pm-9pm

The Art of Fugue Pittville Pump Room £16 £23 £28 Mahan Esfahani harpsichord

Image: Kaja Smith

Johann Sebastian Bach The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

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Internationally renowned harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani has garnered acclaim for works both ancient and contemporary – many of which he has commissioned from exciting contemporary voices. He was the first and only harpsichordist to be a BBC New Generation Artist and has received multiple nominations for Gramophone’s Artist of the Year.

In this recital he presents J S Bach’s iconic The Art of Fugue, a varied exploration of a single musical subject and a showcase of Bach’s compositional genius.

“Such virtuosity and disarming presentation suggests that Esfahani could inspire a whole new appreciation of the instrument.” - The Guardian

FRIDAY 15 JULY 1-2pm

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BBC New Generation Artists IV Pittville Pump Room £14 £20 Alexander Gadjiev piano Claude Debussy Études Pour les arpèges composés e pour les octaves Claude Debussy Two Preludes “Terrasse de audience de clair de lune” and “Voiles” Alexander Scriabin Five Preludes Op. 16 Alexander Scriabin Vers la flamme, Op. 72 Igor Stravinsky Three movements from Petrushka At the age of nine, Alexander Gadjiev performed Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major with an orchestra in Italy and had his first recital a year later. His career has skyrocketed since winning some of the top piano competitions in the world, including first prize in the Hamamatsu, Monte Carlo and Sydney International Piano Competitions.

Founded in 1999 with the aim of supporting and nurturing some of the world’s finest young musicians at the start of their international careers, the BBC New Generation Artists scheme now numbers well over a hundred distinguished alumni.

Recorded for a live lunchtime broadcast

by BBC Radio 3

Kindly supported by the Cheltenham Music Festival Society in memory of Roger Jones

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FRIDAY 15 JULY 5-6pm

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Rush Hour Recital IV St Gregory’s Church £12 Leo Popplewell cello Trad. arr. Sally Beamish El Cant dels Ocells (3’) Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 (25’) Benjamin Britten Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72 (25’) A dynamic young cellist who plays with “full-blooded commitment” and “delicious dancing grace”, Leo Popplewell won the Coro Nuovo Young Musician of the Year Competition and is one of the outstanding young artists selected for the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

He formed the Mithras Piano Trio who are BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists for the 2021-23 seasons.

Kindly supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust

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FRIDAY 15 JULY 7.30-9.30pm

The English Concert Cheltenham Town Hall £10 £20 £30 £35 £40 The English Concert Tom Foster director Anna Dennis soprano George Frideric Handel Concerto in A minor, Op. 6 no. 4 HWV 322 Giovanni Bononcini Sinfonia in F major, Op. 3 no. 1 Giovanni Bononcini Cantata Ecco Dorinda il giorno George Frideric Handel Sonata à 5 HWV 288 Giovanni Bononcini “Ombra mai fù” from Xerse George Frideric Handel “In mezzo a voi dui” from Imeneo HWV 41 George Frideric Handel “Ritorno oh caro” from Rodelinda HWV 19 George Frideric Handel Concerto in B flat major, Op. 6 no. 7 HWV 325 George Frideric Handel Cantata Crudel tiranno Amor HWV 97

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The musical rivalry between Handel and Bononcini, both living in London in the 1720s, led the poet John Byrom to poke fun at them as “Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee”, thus creating the pair of characters that Lewis Carroll would make famous. Here is a fascinating chance to compare the music of these two masters side-by-side.

Outstanding period chamber orchestra The English Concert will bring the Baroque battle to life with passion and precision. They are joined by the golden-toned Anna Dennis to perform some of music’s most heart-rending arias.

Kindly supported by Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam

“Strange all this Difference should be ‘Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee!” – John Byrom

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SATURDAY 16 JULY 11.15am-12.30pm

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In Nature’s Realm Pittville Pump Room £16 £23 £28 Lucy Crowe soprano Anna Tilbrook piano Felix Mendelssohn Der Blumenstrauss, Op. 47, No. 5 Fanny Mendelssohn Sehnsucht Robert Schumann Meine Rose, Op. 90, No. 6

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Clara Schumann Ihr Bildnis Clara Schumann Mein Stern Clara Schumann Die Lorelei Alban Berg Seven Early Songs (Sieben Frühe Lieder) Judith Weir Natural History William Walton A Song for the Lord Mayor’s Table Acclaimed soprano Lucy Crowe, who is in demand on opera stages and concert platforms internationally, is joined for this recital by celebrated pianist Anna Tilbrook, who has garnered reputation for her collaborations in song. Lieder from both Clara and Robert Schumann, Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn are complemented by Berg’s sumptuous Seven Early Songs and Walton’s playful collection, A Song for the Lord Mayor’s Table.

SATURDAY 16 JULY 5-6pm

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Look Both Ways Pittville Pump Room £18 Ed Lyon tenor Richard Burkhard baritone Psappha Programme to include three new works: Conor Mitchell Look Both Ways (20’) Claire Victoria Roberts Miniatures for Piano Trio (6’) Odetta arr. Bobbie-Jane Gardner Hit or Miss (4’) Three genre-defying composers dive into the intricacies of love and identity. Belfast’s busiest composer Conor Mitchell has turned Britten and Pears’s love letters into astonishing songs that swing from tender to silly, inwhich high art collides with the pizazz of Broadway. Composer-performer Claire Victoria Roberts’s miniatures are inspired by the intimate letters between Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya; and “one of the most exciting figures on the dynamic Birmingham new music scene,” Bobbie-Jane Gardner delivers a stomping arrangement of Odetta’s iconic 1970s song: Hit or Miss.

Presented in partnership with Wild Plum Arts, Mitchell, Gardner, and Roberts explore the themes of connection and identity in a performance that promises to be as exuberant as it is touching.

“Take care of yourself – look both ways in crossing roads, wrap up well, & don’t get your feet wet – because you belong to me!”

– Britten to Pears, 1944

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SATURDAY 16 JULY

6.30-7.15pm

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Pre-Concert Talk: Mahler’s Eighth Gloucester Cathedral Lady Chapel £6 Delve deeper into the world of Mahler’s 8th Symphony with Dr Genevieve Arkle, Mahler scholar at lecturer at Bristol University.

Discover more about this monumental work and the artistic, intellectual and political movements of its time.

7.30-9pm

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Mahler: Symphony of a Thousand Gloucester Cathedral £10 £18 £26 £32

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Gweneth Ann Rand soprano Katherine Broderick soprano Robyn Allegra Parton soprano Claire Barnett-Jones mezzo-soprano Hilary Summers contralto Thomas Elwin tenor Benedict Nelson baritone James Platt bass British Sinfonietta South Cotswold Big Sing Group Choristers of Gloucester Cathedral Adrian Partington conductor

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 8 A life-affirming shout of praise to the power of love, the monumental forces required for Mahler’s Symphony No.8 have earned it the nickname ‘Symphony of a Thousand’. Part I is based on the ninth century hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Creator Spirit) and Part II inspired by the final scene of Goethe’s Faust where Faust’s soul, redeemed by love, ascends to Heaven in a blaze of glory. Featuring eight soloists, massed choirs and a huge orchestra, it’s a roof-raising spectacular.

Kindly supported by an anonymous donor

One Membership supporting four extraordinary Festivals.

Becoming a member is a great way to support Cheltenham Festivals.

Our Patrons and Members are the first to hear about our programmes and enjoy priority booking.

Through your membership you will be helping us to co-create experiences which bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change.

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tickets one hour before the event

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MORE FROM CHELTENHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL FRIDAY 15 JULY 10.30am-5pm

M25

Composium Parabola Arts Centre £20 How do creative relationships work in 2022? What does it now look like to collaborate? How do you create intimacy across distance? The pandemic has left an indelible mark on how artists are able to create together, as composers and performers grapple with distance and new technology. For this edition of Composium we explore the dynamics of the composer-performer relationship and how close collaboration and trust can foster innovation. Facilitator Katy Hamilton leads a thought-provoking day that will include showcases from our Composers’ Academy participants with musicians including harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and violinist Fenella Humphreys.

Kindly supported by The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation and The Thistle Trust

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Safeguard the future of Cheltenham Festivals Help us to carry on co-creating experiences which bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change. “ I see Cheltenham Festivals as the jewel in Cheltenham’s crown. In their diversity they offer so much in the way of discovery and delight, and bring people from all over the world to enjoy what Cheltenham has to offer. The musicians and speakers are of the highest quality and the general atmosphere, particularly at the Music Festival, is one of camaraderie as old friends return each year. I am a particular admirer of the outreach and educational strands which are so important for our future. I can’t think of anything deserving of greater support and it is a very great pleasure to be able to help.“ - A legacy pledger

DONATE GIFT IN YOUR WILL A gift in your will is a wonderful way to leave your mark on a cause you feel passionately about. By remembering Cheltenham Festivals in your will you can help to ensure that future generations are as inspired by the Festivals as you are today.

Once you have looked after those closest to you, please consider leaving a gift in your will to Cheltenham Festivals. Even a small amount, like a 1% share of your estate, can make a big difference.

Every year our charity relies on the generosity of our audiences, supporters and sponsors to enable us to craft our richly diverse programmes to bring the best from the worlds of jazz, science, music and literature.

All you need to include us in your will is our charity name, Cheltenham Festivals, and our registered charity number, 251765.

To talk in confidence about gifts in wills please contact fundraising@ cheltenhamfestivals.com

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PATRONS

Get close to the Festivals with Patronage Join this exclusive group of supporters and make a real difference to our work as a charity.

• Advance booking and early programme announcements.

• Access to hospitality areas at our Festivals.

• Invitations to special events and parties.

From £75 per month*, your Patronage covers all four Festivals and will support our artistic programme and our learning and participation work.

To find out more please contact patrons@cheltenhamfestivals. com or visit cheltenhamfestivals. com/patrons.

*With Gift Aid tax relief for higher rate tax payers, becoming a Patron doesn’t cost as much as you might think and can make your donation go further. Please ask for details.

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We would like to thank all our Patrons for their generous support including those who have chosen to remain anonymous Life Patrons Dr Lynda Albertyn and Pat Gallasch Mark and Sue Blanchfield Peter and Anne Bond Dominic and Jannene Collier Michael and Felicia Crystal Colin and Suzanne Doak Miles and Monica Dunkley The Eaton Family Fingerhuth Leung Family Charles Fisher Lucy Freeman and Peter Hulett Mr and Mrs D M Gates David and John Hall Margaret Headen Diane and Mark Hill Jeremy and Germaine Hitchins Family Jonathan and Cassinha Hitchins Family Stephen and Tania Hitchins Family Jeff and Keren Iliffe Elizabeth and Michael Jones and Family Rick and Lisa Jones Steven and Linda Jones Hugh and Sue Koch Robert and Moira Leechman Hazel and Jeremy Lewis Eileen Lockwood The McKelvie Family Fiona McLeod The McWilliam Family in loving memory of Ruth McWilliam Keith Norton and Piers Norton Mark and Elizabeth Philip-Sorensen Jason Robson and Shelley Bence John and Susan Singer Simon Skinner and Jean Gouldsmith Skinner Andrew Smith Phil and Jennifer Stapleton Liz and Neil Stewart

Sharon Studer and Graham Beckett Chris and Bridgette Sunman Fiona and David Symondson Michelle Thorley Luanne and Hodson Thornber The Walker Family Jacqueline Woof Directors’ Circle Heather Barrett Jack Black Michael and Angela Cronk Arlene Davies Sally Dimmer The T S Elliot Foundation Colin and Susan Enticknap Carol and Adrian Farnell Jeremy and Alison Halliday Mark and Moira Hamlin Stephen Hodge Andrew and Caroline Hope Simon and Emma Keswick Clive Lewis OBE DL Emma Logan & KB Beaton Helen and Iain Lovatt Andrew and Susanne Malim Hayden and Tracy McKinnes Spencer McPherson & Emily Poole The Miskin Family P. J. Moore Dr Joanna Morrison Oldham Foundation In Memory Of Edward & Gladys Parker David Penney Jan and Gill Rowe Andy and Ali Stalsberg Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust Michael and Rosie Warner Stephen Wood

Gold Patron Nicholas & Alixandra Avery Sigrid and Ben Atkinson Geraldine and Jim Beaty Christopher Bence Sam Berwick Stephen and Victoria Bond Charlie Chan Stuart and Gillian Corbyn Ian Culverhouse Wallace and Morag Dobbin Peter and Sue Elliott Marc and Melanie Gillespie Mike and Judie Hill Mr and Mrs Riff Heber-Percy Lord and Lady Hoffmann Elizabeth Jacobs Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam Paul and Kathy Mottershead Kim Moore Stuart Palmer Dr Julia Pearson and Dr Keith England Adrian and Cassandra Phillips Martin and Susan Pickard Shelley and Paul Roberts Toby and Sharon Roberts Zoe and Khal Rudin Brenda Salters and Harold Longmate Esther and Peter Smedvig Su-Mei & Marcus Thompson We would also like to thank all our Silver Patrons who are listed on the website: cheltenhamfestivals.com/ patron-acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cheltenham Music Festival is presented by Cheltenham Festivals Ltd, a Charity and company limited by guarantee. Proud to be a member of Keychange.

Cheltenham Festivals Board of Trustees Diane Savory OBE (Chair) Mark Philip-Sorensen (Vice Chair) Deborah Cogan Thacker Beverley Grimster Peter Howarth Caroline Hutton Shamil Makhecha Head of Programming Michael Duffy Co-CEOs Ian George Ali Mawle Senior Management Team Helena Bibby Ian George Ali Mawle Suzanne Ross Festivals Administrator Holly Van Ryssen

Marketing and Box Office Jade Beard, Phil Brook, Daisy Burgan, Hannah Franklin, Emily Johnson, Bairbre Lloyd, Martin Perks, Madelaine Richards, Louise Sinclair Development Gemma Fletcher, Maria Gushchina, Becky Harte, Helen Knowles, Jenna Marks, Tara Patterson, Eleri Thomas, Ellie Topham Learning and Participation Philippa Claridge, Sarah Cooksley, Rebecca Smith, Rose Wood Operations Helena Bibby, Ollie Bradstock, Louise Carles, Claire Crawford, Kate Hadley, Adrian Hensley, James Kitto, Rhianna Smith, Mo Soper, Rosy Turner

Company No. 456573 Charity No. 251765 VAT Registration No. 100114013 Contact If you have any specific comments about the Festival, please email boxoffice@cheltenhamfestivals.com Artwork Credits Programme illustration © Vicky Scott

Finance Ben Bates, Russ Poole, Suzanne Ross With many thanks to the staff and volunteers who provide invaluable support and help make the Festival a success.

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WHAT’S ON GUIDE FRIDAY 8 JULY 11.15am–12.30pm M01 5.30–6.15pm M03 7.30–9.30pm M04 SATURDAY 9 JULY 9–10.30am M05 11.15am-12.30pm 2–4pm 7.30–9.30pm

M06 M07 M08

SUNDAY 10 JULY 11.15am– 12.30pm M09 5.30–6.30pm M10 7.30–9pm M11 MONDAY 11 JULY 11.15am–12.30pm M12 3–5pm M13 8–10pm

M14

Kanneh-Mason Duo Festival Evensong Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Pittville Pump Room Cheltenham College Chapel Cheltenham Town Hall

£18 £26 £30 Free no ticket required £10 £20 £28 £38 £48

Cheltenham Town Hall, Drawing Room Gould Piano Trio Pittville Pump Room What’s So Great About Opera?

The Daffodil Anoushka Shankar and Manu Delago in Cheltenham Town Hall Concert

£8

Ingrid Fliter Distance New English Ballet Theatre: Into the Spotlight

Pittville Pump Room Parabola Arts Centre Everyman Theatre

£16 £23 £28 £14 £10 £18 £26 £32

Brodsky Quartet In the Footsteps of Ralph Vaughan Williams Classical Mixtape

Pittville Pump Room Walking tour around Down Ampney Gloucester Cathedral

£16 £23 £28 £15

Music and Mindfulness

£16 £23 £28 £36 * Ticket includes a champagne afternoon tea. £10 £20 £28 £38 £48

Pay what you can from just £3. * There is no booking fee for this concert.

TUESDAY 12 JULY 1–2pm M15 5–6pm M16 7.30–9.30pm M17 WEDNESDAY 13 JULY 1–2pm M18 5–6pm M19 7.30-9.30pm M21

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BBC New Generations Artists I Rush Hour Recital I Humanity and Liberty: Tenebrae at 20

Pittville Pump Room St. Gregory’s Church Tewkesbury Abbey

£14 £20 £12 £10 £16 £22 £28 £32

BBC New Generation Artists II Rush Hour Recital II London Mozart Players

Pittville Pump Room St Gregory’s Church Cheltenham Town Hall

£14 £20 £12 £5 £10 £16 £22 £28

WHAT’S ON GUIDE THURSDAY 14 JULY 1–2pm M22 5–6pm M23 7.30pm-9pm M24 FRIDAY 15 JULY 10.30am–5pm M25 1–2pm M26 5–6pm M27 7.30-9.30pm M28 SATURDAY 16 JULY 11.15am-12.30pm M29 5-6pm M30 6.30-7.15pm M31 7.30-9pm

M32

BBC New Generation Artists III Rush Hour Recital III The Art of Fugue

Pittville Pump Room St. Gregory’s Church Pitville Pump Room

£14 £20 £6 £16 £23 £28

Composium BBC New Generation Artists IV Rush Hour Recital IV The English Concert

Parabola Arts Centre Pitville Pump Room St. Gregory’s Church Cheltenham Town Hall

£8 for entry to the public performances and talks £14 £20 £12 £10 £20 £30 £35 £40

In Nature’s Realm Look Both Ways Pre-Concert Talk: Mahler’s Eighth

Pitville Pump Room Pitville Pump Room Gloucester Cathedral Lady Chapel Gloucester Cathedral

£16 £23 £28 £18 £6

Mahler: Symphony of a Thousand

£10 £18 £26 £32

Music Festival Venues Pittville Pump Room GL52 3JE Cheltenham College Chapel GL53 7LD Cheltenham Ladies College, Parabola Arts Centre GL50 3AA The Daffodil GL50 2AE Gloucester Cathedral GL1 2LX St. Gregory’s Church GL50 3PR Cheltenham Town Hall GL50 1QA Everyman Theatre GL50 1HQ Tewkesbury Abbey GL20 5RZ Accessible Toilets

Step-free Access

Audio Induction Loop

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VISIT & BOOKING INFORMATION cheltenhamfestivals.com/music

Getting to the Festival

01242 850270

Cheltenham is easily accessible from all over the UK, by road and rail. Most events are located in central Cheltenham. For more information on public transport and car parks go to cheltenhamfestivals.com/your-visit.

For queries email boxoffice@cheltenhamfestivals.com For full details about Box Office opening hours, booking fees, terms and conditions and Membership, visit cheltenhamfestivals.com/booking

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Booking Dates

1 Pittville Pump Room GL52 3JE

Life Patrons 11 March 2022 Director’s Circle Patrons 15 March 2022 Gold Patrons 17 March 2022 Silver Patrons 20 March 2022 Members’ 25 March 2022 16-25 Members 26 March 2022 General booking 1 April 2022

2 St Gregory’s Church GL50 3PR 3 Everyman Theatre GL50 1HQ 4 Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre GL50 3AA 5 Cheltenham Town Hall GL50 1QA 6 The Daffodil GL50 2AE

2

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GL53 7LD 8 Gloucester Cathedral GL51 2LX

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Family events For safety, all children under 12 years must be accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. A ticket must be purchased for each person attending, including children 12 months and above. Babies in arms do not require a ticket.

Refunds Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable, except in the case of a cancelled event. See cheltenhamfestivals.com/booking for details.

7 Cheltenham College Chapel

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Access Requirements Please book using our online form at cheltenhamfestivals.com/access-requirements

Gift Certificates Gift certificates may be purchased at our Box Office or online at cheltenhamfestivals. com/gift-certificates and may be redeemed against ticket or Membership purchases.

Festival Venues

9 Tewkesbury Abbey GL20 5RZ

5 6 8

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Programme illustration © Vicky Scott