ST MAGNUS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
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19-25 JUNE 2020
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WELCOME The Orkney Islands are, of course, set in the midst of the ocean: the rolling landscapes, natural harbours, long, open beaches and rugged clifftops provide an annual backdrop to our midsummer Festival. This year, we celebrate that landscape and seascape in tandem with Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters with a wide-ranging programme that dives deep into a vibrant whirlpool of music, dance, art, poetry, sea stories and song. At the centre of our theme are two performances of the Ocean Promenade event which brings together many performers in a relaxed sequence of music, art, text and dance in the iconic environment of the medieval cathedral of St Magnus. Tabea Debus and Alon Sariel bring a specially created recital with poetic text on the theme of the sea and coastlines and David Chadwick and Marit Fält explore the northern seaways with music for Nyckelharpa and Låtmandola. Dramatic stories about sailing round the world and canoeing round the UK bring real-life sea experiences and the beautiful puppet show for children, A Heart at Sea, tells the story of a young boy who bottles up his heart and throws it into the sea. Dance old and new features and I’m delighted to welcome back old friends of the Festival, the Hebrides Ensemble, who are collaborating on new chamber versions of Ravel’s music with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland dancers. The beginnings of dance are represented by the Weaver Ensemble and their baroque dance double bill. Returning too, is the choir Sonoro who bring a programme called Star of Sea and Sky and join the Festival Chorus for a performance of Brahms Requiem.
There’s a treasure trove of chamber music ranging from horn quartet to solo harp and mandolin and the renowned Belgian performers the Kugoni Trio are joined by bandoneon player Marcelo Nisinman for a tango extravaganza. Magfest brings two puppet shows, one for children and one for all ages – don’t miss the Freaky Sequin Cabaret. If you fancy a wild night of singalong and dancing, you could do no better than join the Old Time Sailors in their inimitable raucous romp. Film with live music brings the Festival to a close with David Allison’s new score to the 1922 film Rob Roy. As ever there is new work scattered through the programme as well as excursions, poetry, gin and whisky tasting. In June the daylight goes on and on and the Orkney islands sparkle for this annual celebration. With nearly 40 events to choose from we hope that you’ll join us, and I look forward to welcoming you onboard.
ALASDAIR NICOLSON Festival Director
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Stromness Town Hall Orkney Theatre St. Magnus Cathedral
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FRIDAY 19 JUNE
THE ART OF THE PIANO TUNER................................. 14:00 RAVEL AT THE BALLET...................................................... 19:00 QUEEN OF SEA AND SKY................................................ 21:00
4 5 6
SATURDAY 20 JUNE 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
POET OF THE LAND............................................................ 10:30 A HEART AT SEA..................................................................... 11:00 POET OF THE LAND............................................................ 12:30 HALF TOLD TALES AND TRIOS.................................... 14:30 THE FRAYED ATLANTIC EDGE..................................... 18:30 RAVEL AT THE BALLET...................................................... 19:00 FREAKY SEQUIN CABARET............................................ 19:00 A GERMAN REQUIEM......................................................... 20:30 FREAKY SEQUIN CABARET............................................ 21:30
The Old Academy, Stromness Orkney Theatre The Old Academy, Stromness Stromness Town Hall Highland Park Distillery Orkney Theatre The Sound Archive St. Magnus Cathedral The Sound Archive
7 8 7 9 10 5 11 12 11
St. Magnus Cathedral The Old Academy, Stromness Orkney Theatre Stromness Town Hall Orkney Distillery, Kirkwall St. Magnus Cathedral St. Magnus Cathedral
13 8 14 15 16 16
Stromness Town Hall Orkney Theatre St. Magnus Cathedral St. Ninian’s Kirk, Deerness Orkney Theatre Orkney Theatre St. Magnus Cathedral
17 18 24 25 26 26 27
Stromness Town Hall St. Magnus Cathedral Orkney Theatre Stromness Town Hall Cromarty Hall St. Magnus Cathedral
28 29 30 31 32 33
Stromness Town Hall St. Magnus Cathedral Noltland Castle Kitchen, Westray St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall Stromness Town Hall St. Peter’s Kirk, Sandwick
34 35 36 13 32 37
Stromness Town Hall Stromness Town Hall
38 38
SUNDAY 21 JUNE 13 14 15 16 17 18
FESTIVAL SERVICE............................................................... 11:15 WE WEAR THE SEA LIKE A COAT.. .......................... 12:30 A HEART AT SEA..................................................................... 14:00 ACROSS NORTHERN SEAS............................................ 14:00 LIFE AND DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS................... 18:00 OCEAN PROMENADE......................................................... 20:00 OCEAN PROMENADE......................................................... 22:00
MONDAY 22 JUNE 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
PUSHING MY THUMB THROUGH A PLATE......... 10:30 KILLOCHRIES............................................................................ 11:00 GREEN DEVA............................................................................. 13:00 HORNS BY THE SEA............................................................ 15:30 ‘ THE LOVES OF’ A DETECTIVE STORY................... 18:30 STEPS IN LOVE........................................................................ 19:30 PRAYERS, LULLABIES, OBLIVION.............................. 22:00
TUESDAY 23 JUNE 26 27 28 29 30 31
SEA ORPHEUS......................................................................... 10:30 PLAINSCAPES.......................................................................... 13:00 ROMEO AND ME.................................................................... 17:30 MIDSUMMER TANGO NIGHTS..................................... 18:30 WHAT DID THE DEEP SEA SAY?................................. 20:00 PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION...................................... 21:00
WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 32 33 34 35 36
NEVER WEATHER-BEATEN SAIL................................ 10:30 LUNCHTIME TRIOS............................................................... 13:00 WINDS ON WESTRAY......................................................... 14:30 WE WEAR THE SEA LIKE A COAT.............................. 17:30 WHAT DID THE DEEP SEA SAY?................................. 19:30 MANDOLIN PERSPECTIVES........................................... 22:00
THURSDAY 25 JUNE THE OCEAN IS BLUE........................................................... 18:00 37 ROB ROY...................................................................................... 20:00
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THE ART OF THE PIANO TUNER Alasdair Mclean............................ Piano Technician
FRIDAY 19 JUNE
EVENT 1 14:00 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £15 CONCESSIONS £11 DURATION 1 HOUR Numbers are limited for this event
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Behind the scenes at any recording studio, concert hall and Festival, one important, unseen member of the team is the piano technician. The modern grand piano is a feat of engineering and construction and needs to be in top condition to survive the rigours of climate, performance and being moved around. The technician’s job is, importantly, of course to tune the instrument – an intriguing piece of science in its own right – but also to regulate the mechanism, fluff the felt and many other things besides. Join one of Scotland’s most experienced – and entertaining – piano technicians to gain an insight into his art.
RAVEL AT THE BALLET DANCERS FROM THE ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE Will Conway .......................... Musical Director Jamiel Laurence................... Choreographer Ravel............................................. Introduction and Allegro Ravel............................................. Mother Goose Suite (Chamber arrangement) Ravel............................................. Le Tombeau De Couperin (Chamber arrangement)
FRIDAY 19 JUNE WORLD PREMIÈRE
WORLD PREMIÈRE
The Hebrides Ensemble joins with the cream of Scotland’s young dancers in newly created arrangements of two of the most iconic Ravel scores underscoring brand new choreography. Mother Goose takes us to the world of fairy tale with Beauty and the Beast, Tom Thumb and the Magic Garden whilst Le Tombeau de Couperin plunders the dance forms of the 18th century in Ravel’s tribute to those comrades who fell in the First World War. Introduction and Allegro is Ravel’s iconic work exploring the virtuosic possibilities of the double action harp in a searingly beautiful soundscape. Jamiel Laurence, who is a principal dancer and choreographer with Scottish Ballet, has created the new version of Mother Goose especially for the Festival.
EVENT 2 19:00 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 9 19:00 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £25 CONCESSIONS £19 DURATION 75 MINUTES
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QUEEN OF SEA AND SKY
SONORO
Neil Ferris.......................................... Conductor Michael Higgins............................ Organ
FRIDAY 19 JUNE
EVENT 3 21:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £25, £20, £11 CONCESSIONS £19, £15, £8 DURATION 80 MINUTES
Michael Finnissy........................... Ave Regina Coelorum Arvo Pärt............................................ Bogoroditse Dyevo John Tavener.................................... Hymn to the mother of God Cheryl Frances-Hoad................ Bogoroditse Dyevo Morten Lauridsen........................ O magnum mysterium James MacMillan.......................... O Virgo prudentissima Edvard Greig................................... Ave maris stella Rihards Dubra................................ Ave Maria I Giles Swayne................................... Magnificat Dobrinka Tabakova..................... Alma redemptoris mater Cecilia McDowall......................... Regina coeli Herbert Howells............................ Magnificat (Collegium Regale) A programme of music connected to sea and sky ranging across the centuries from plainsong to contemporary settings. Interspersed with the choral settings will be organ improvisations on the themes of sky, sea and stars by Michael Higgins. Sonoro is one of the newer professional choirs in the UK and has instantly gained a reputation for the ensemble’s sensitive interpretations and innovative programming. As well as standard repertoire the group are very active in the commissioning of new works to add to the choral tradition.
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POET OF THE LAND
FESTIVAL POET: JIM CARRUTH
This year’s Festival Poet is Glasgow’s Poet Laureate, Jim Carruth, and he’ll read from his various collections in this hour-long event. Jim was born in Johnstone in 1963 and grew up on his parents’ dairy farm. After spending a period in Turkey he returned to live in Renfrewshire. He is one of the founders and current chair of St Mungo’s Mirrorball, a network of Glasgow-based poets, and is the artistic adviser for StAnza: Scotland’s International Poetry Festival. Carruth was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2009 and has been the winner of the James McCash poetry competition, the McLellan Poetry Prize and the Callum Macdonald prize. His first collection, Bovine Pastoral, came out in 2004 and has been followed by seven further pamphlets and two book-length collections. Killochries, a verse novella, tracking the relationship of two very different men working a remote sheep farm, was published in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Saltire Scottish Poetry Book of the Year, the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize and the Fenton Aldeburgh Prize for first collection. A new collection, Black Cart was published in 2017.
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 4 10:30 OLD ACADEMY STROMNESS SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 6 12:30 OLD ACADEMY STROMNESS TICKETS £19 CONCESSIONS £14 DURATION 1 HOUR
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A HEART AT SEA
HALF A STRING PUPPETS
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MAGFEST SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 5 11:00 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 14 14:00 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £10 CONCESSIONS £8 CHILDREN £5 DURATION 1 HOUR Recommended for ages 7+ and beyond
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Peter Morton.................................... Puppeteer and Designer Avi Simmons..................................... Musician and Writer Be enthralled by this epic musical folktale told on a miniature scale. A Heart at Sea uses haunting live music to tell the story of a young Boy who bottles up his heart and throws it into the sea. Original song-writing is set to breathtaking visuals centred around a beautifully carved wooden chest that holds the secrets to the story. Intricate puppets are swept through a transforming wooden world created by the spectacular chest. Be astounded as backdrops flip up, pirouette and change, sending the Boy tumbling through danger and discovery. Puppets roam on this unique contraption to recount the story of whales, tiny boats, sea captains and beards. The original songs, composed by Avi Simmons, knit together the atmospheric tale through live vocals, instruments and a loop station. The music sweeps through echoing soundscapes to create a visceral, heartwarming experience. Join our hero as he embarks on a wild, nautical journey to recover his missing heart. This is a piece of stunning visual storytelling and intimate gig-theatre that will resonate with all ages.
Nicolas Dupont
HALF TOLD TALES AND TRIOS
ARGENTA TRIO
Nicolas Dupont............................... Violin Christine J. Lee................................ Cello Małgorzata Garstka..................... Piano Schubert.............................................. Trio in E flat Op. 100 Nicolson............................................... Half Told Tales Ravel....................................................... Piano Trio Straddling three centuries of music, the concert begins with Schubert’s Op. 100 trio, one of his last works. Its epic scale and profound intensity show a composer of great maturity. Ravel’s Trio was completed just as WWI was starting and contains a rich set of influences from jazz to Basque music in a brilliantly orchestral approach to writing for violin, cello and piano. Nicolson’s trio is a series of short movements taking imaginary folk tales as its starting point giving snapshot atmospheres triggered by quotes from the poetry of Pessoa. The Argenta Trio have quickly gained a reputation internationally for their sensitive and virtuosic performances having joined forces at the Royal Academy of Music in London 5 years ago.
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 7 14:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £20 CONCESSIONS £15 DURATION 90 MINUTES
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THE FRAYED ATLANTIC EDGE
DAVID GANGE
David Gange.................................... Speaker
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 8 18:30 HIGHLAND PARK DISTILLERY TICKETS ÂŁ25 CONCESSIONS ÂŁ19 DURATION 90 MINUTES
Over the course of a year, leading historian and nature writer David Gange kayaked the weather-ravaged coasts of Atlantic Britain and Ireland from north to south: every cove, sound, inlet, island. The idea was to travel slowly and close to the water: in touch with both the natural world and the histories of communities on Atlantic coastlines. The story of his journey is one of staggering adventure, range and beauty. For too long, Gange argues, the significance of coasts has been underestimated, and the potential of small boats as tools to make sense of these histories rarely explored. Paddling alone in sun and storms, among dozens of whales and countless seabirds, Gange and his kayak travelled through a Shetland summer, Scottish winter and Irish spring before reaching Wales and Cornwall. This event will be followed by an opportunity to sample the whiskies created at Highland Park Distillery. Ticket price includes tasting.
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FREAKY SEQUIN CABARET
MAGFEST
Created by Eilidh Bryan and Beccy Hilliam
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up for the Freaky Sequin Puppet Cabaret for adults! Fire, circus, death-defying feats - and of course puppets this adult cabaret has it all! Classic cabaret favourites are given a puppet makeover and are injected with a good dose of silliness. Fast paced and inventive, this show contains plenty of charming puppetry and characterisation, delivered with a cheeky wink and sprinkled with a touch of chaos. Be prepared for death defying knife throwing, dancing beasts, fire breathing, male dancers, celebrity guests and everything in between! Meet Beastoncé, the Great Throwzini and the Funky Love Muscle Dance Troupe. Catch this company in Orkney before they head to the other end of the country to play at Glastonbury.
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HEADSTRUNG PUPPETS
EVENT 10 19:00 THE SOUND ARCHIVE KIRKWALL SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 12 21:30 THE SOUND ARCHIVE KIRKWALL TICKETS £15 CONCESSIONS £11 DURATION 75 MINUTES Suitable for ages 12+
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A GERMAN REQUIEM
SONORO AND THE FESTIVAL CHORUS SONORO ST MAGNUS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL CHORUS Neil Ferris.......................................... Conductor Erika Mädi Jones........................... Soprano Richard Morrison.......................... Baritone Michael Higgins............................ Piano David Knotts.................................... Piano Brahms................................................ German Requiem Op. 45
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
EVENT 11 20:30 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £25, £20, £11 CONCESSIONS £19, £15, £8 DURATION 80 MINUTES
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One of the great cornerstones of choral repertoire brings together the exciting choir Sonoro with the Festival’s own chorus in the magnificent surroundings of St Magnus Cathedral. Brahms’ A German Requiem is not a musical setting of the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead but, for the composer, more a Requiem to console the living; an appeal for comfort. The Requiem was thought to be inspired by the death of Brahms’ mentor Robert Schumann and then, during composition, the death of his mother. Although this work is conventionally performed with orchestra, this performance uses Brahms’ own 1866 arrangement which is not a simple reduction of the orchestral part.
WE WEAR THE SEA LIKE A COAT
A JOHNSMAS FOY
Compiled and Produced by Yvonne Gray A compilation of words, poetry and reflections on the Sea, Coasts and coastlines by local writers, musicians and performers. Including a film by Mark Jenkins. Drawing inspiration from the George Mackay Brown quote of its title, this hour-long performance continues the tradition of the Johnsmas Foy showcasing local talent in the Festival.
SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 13 12:30 OLD ACADEMY STROMNESS WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
EVENT 34 17:30 ST MAGNUS CENTRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £15 CONCESSIONS £11 DURATION 1 HOUR
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David Chadwick
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ACROSS NORTHERN SEAS
DAVID CHADWICK AND MARIT FÅLT SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 15 14:00 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £20, £17 CONCESSIONS £15, £13 DURATION 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES
David Chadwick............................. Nyckelharpa Marit Fält............................................. Låtmandola Repertoire to include: Traditional music from Scandinavia and Northern isles. Music by Bach and Telemann Eric Sahlström................................. Trollrikepolska & Hem från Gesunda Fiona Driver....................................... New Work WORLD PREMIÈRE Taking the Year of Coasts and Waters as their point of departure, David Chadwick and Marit Fält collaborate to explore the traditional music of Scandinavia, as well as its musical connections across the North and Baltic Seas. They will also perform a newly-composed work from local musician Fiona Driver. Alongside a smörgåsbord of traditional Swedish music, comfortably sit Telemann fantasias, Bach and music from the Northern Isles in this exciting collaboration. This is a unique opportunity to hear the sounds of two fascinating instruments: the nyckelharpa (or keyed fiddle) is a Swedish instrument with sixteen strings, thirty-seven keys and a truly captivating resonance and the latmandola is a Nordic mandola similar to a bouzouki. David Chadwick is a familiar face in Scotland as a violin player, now working at the Royal Opera House but previously in the BBC SSO and SCO. Marit Fält is an acclaimed folk multi-instrumentalist based in Scotland with numerous collaborations to her name.
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LIFE AND DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS
SAILING THROUGH A STORM JANE HITCHINS Jane Hitchins................................... Speaker
Is it normal to have a teenage ambition to sail around the world? In 2012 Jane Hitchins decided to realise that ambition and, with her family grown up and a sabbatical granted from her work as a doctor, she joined the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. She joined the boat as crew and ship’s doctor but could not have predicted the story that would unfold and saw her at the centre of a medical emergency with her life on the line as the 68ft yacht was hit by a massive 100ft wave about 400 miles off the Californian coast. “I saw the most enormous wave; I can only describe it as like a big tongue of water. It was quite narrow but very, very tall ... it was so big it tipped the boat on to its nose and then the wave broke all over the boat.” “Will she survive 24 hours?” is a hard question to hear a skipper stumbling to answer. Jane made news headlines but survived to tell the tale. Here she reveals life onboard during a fast-paced yacht race and the unexpected turn in life that she will never forget. Join her in the safety and calm of Orkney Distillery’s impressive harbour-side building to hear her story.
SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 16 18:00 ORKNEY DISTILLERY KIRKWALL TICKETS £25 CONCESSIONS £19 DURATION 90 MINUTES
Gin Tasting Following Jane Hitchin’s talk there will be the opportunity to taste some of the gins from the Kirkjuvagr range produced by Orkney Distillery. The tasting is included in the ticket price.
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OCEAN PROMENADE
FROM SHORELINE TO DEEP SEA The red sun sinks In golden floods of light; and with the breeze Comes faintly now across the grassy links The ageless music of the rolling seas. - Robert Rendall
SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 17 20:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVENT 18 22:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £25 CONCESSIONS £19 DURATION 70 MINUTES There will be some seating for this event, but the idea is to wander around and no seat is booked by the purchase of this ticket. This event will have a limited capacity.
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Performers include Nicolas Dupont.............................. Violin Rookh Horn Quartet Tabea Debus.................................... Recorder Christine J Lee................................ Cello Jim Carruth....................................... Speaker Oliver Wass...................................... Harp Dancers from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Art installations by local artists An immersive experience will allow you to take your own path inside St Magnus Cathedral which will feature a sequence of performances inhabiting all parts of this iconic space with music, poetry, dance and visual art. Whether you want to watch or listen the choice is yours. Experience performances close up or listen from another corner of the building. Or simply sit and let the experience wash over you. Romitelli’s Seascape for Bass recorder sits alongside Peter Maxwell Davies’ Sea Eagle and spoken text from Orkney poets Mackay Brown and Rendall and others. A still gallery filled with a mixtape of sea themed work.
PUSHING MY THUMB THROUGH A PLATE
OLIVER WASS
Oliver Wass...................................... Harp Prokofiev............................................ Prelude in C Bach...................................................... French Suite no 3 in B minor BWV 814 De Falla............................................... Spanish Dance from La Vida Breve Oliver Leith....................................... Pushing my Thumb Through a Plate Ravel...................................................... Prelude Ravel...................................................... À la manière de Chabrier Ravel...................................................... Jeux d’eau Britten................................................... Suite for Harp, Op.83 Wilhelm Posse................................ Carnival of Venice Variations A tour de force for harp and a tour round Europe in terms of the repertoire. From Bach’s exquisite suite to the quirky and surreal sound world of Oliver Leith, by way of music from France and Spain and the virtuosic version of the Carnival of Venice, this programme shows all the sides of this award-winning performer. Britten’s Suite was written in the last years of the composer’s life and dedicated to the harpist Ossian Ellis. Hailed as a phenomenal talent Oliver Wass has won many of the competition prizes across Europe and is a Gold Medal winner at the Guildhall School of Music. As well as concerto and solo performances, he also leads the award-winning Pelleas Ensemble.
MONDAY 22 JUNE
EVENT 19 10:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £18 CONCESSIONS £14 DURATION 90 MINUTES
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KILLOCHRIES
JIM CARRUTH IN CONVERSATION MONDAY 22 JUNE
EVENT 20 11:00 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £19 CONCESSIONS £14 DURATION 1 HOUR
Significant amidst Jim Carruth’s poetic work to date is his innovative poetry novel, Killochries, a major achievement from one of Scotland’s most important and influential voices. Here our Festival Poet reads from this work and discusses its resonance with his own upbringing. A young man is sent to work at Killochries, a sheep farm belonging to a relative, after burning out in the city. He is appalled by the absence of his previous life’s essentials, by the remote strangeness of this new world. The old farmer has never left the hills; has farmed them all his life. He doesn’t care for the troubles of the modern world, trusting only in God, and greets the incomer with taciturn indifference. As the winter breaks, so does their silence, drawing them closer through tragedy and miracles. The young man discovers that what he thought uncouth, primitive, has a language and a depth that all the knowledge of modern world could not prepare him for. Jim Carruth will sign copies of his books after the event.
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PRICING AND SEATING
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
CHEQUES
Please make cheques payable to St Magnus International Festival
Monday - Saturday 10:00 - 16:00
10:00 - 14:00
15 - 25 June
10:00 - 16:00
Monday - Friday
13 April - 13 June Monday - Friday
6 - 10 April
BOX OFFICE OPENING HOURS
tickets are available on the door at all venues
For performances that are not sold out,
13 Albert Street, Kirkwall KW15 1HP
St Magnus International Festival Box Office,
- In person from 10am Monday 8 April at
Most Festival events take place in Kirkwall or Stromness which are 15 miles apart. On weekdays and weekends there is a regular daytime bus service. Details and timetables are available from the VisitScotland Information Centres in Kirkwall and Stromness).
FESTIVAL TRANSPORT
The Festival can claim Gift Aid on donations and Benefactor support. If you are a UK taxpayer, please sign the declaration on the booking form to enable us to do this.
Festival Supporters make a valuable contribution towards the success of the Festival and help to secure its future development. Three levels of support are available, all of which enable Supporters to enjoy special privileges such as priority booking. For full details of Supporters’ benefits, see page 23.
- By phone +44 (0)1856 871445
13 Albert Street, Kirkwall KW15 1HP
The Festival’s online booking system allows customers booking online to choose their seats and print tickets at home.
Benefactors and Patrons will be able to book online during their priority booking period. To access online booking please ensure you have registered an email address with the Festival and have paid your membership fee.
2020 Supporters’ priority bookings received before the relevant opening date are pooled, with tickets for each performance being randomly distributed within each ticket price requested amongst the ‘early birds’. Once priority booking has opened, orders are dealt with in order of arrival.
To give greater customer choice the Festival has three ticket prices for many events. Please note that the lowest price is for unreserved seats and/or seats which offer limited views of the performance area. In St Magnus Cathedral this will include some seats with no view. Unreserved seats are available from the opening of ticket booking.
St Magnus International Festival Box Office,
- By post using the booking form overleaf to
- Online www.stmagnusfestival.com
HOW TO BOOK
Online, postal and in person 10am Monday 6 April By phone from 10am Tuesday 7 April
GENERAL BOOKING
Patrons Booking Opens Friday 27 March (online, postal and phone)
Benefactors Booking Opens Friday 20 March (online, postal and phone)
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
TICKET BOOKING
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 Killochries
21
22 Horns by the Sea
Saturday
20 June
Sunday
21 June
Monday
22 June
23 ‘ The Loves Of’ A Detective Story
24 Steps in Love
25 Prayers, Lullabies and Oblivion
26 Sea Orpheus
27 Plainscapes
28 Romeo And Me
29 Midsummer Tango Nights
Tuesday
23 June
Green Deva
Pushing my Thumb Through a Plate
Ocean Promenade
Ocean Promenade
Life and Death on the High Seas
Across Northern Seas
A Heart at Sea
We Wear the Sea like a Coat
Freaky Sequin Cabaret
A German Requiem
Freaky Sequin Cabaret
Ravel at the Ballet
The Frayed Atlantic Edge
Half Told Tales and Trios
Poet of the Land
A Heart at Sea
Poet of the Land
Queen of Sea and Sky
Ravel at the Ballet
£15
£25
£25
£20
£19
£10
£19
£25, £20, £11
£15
£25
£20, £17
£10
£15
£25
£5 Free with Event 24
£25
£20, £17, £10
£19
£18
18:30
17:30
13:00
£20, £17
£20
£20, £17, £10
10:30 £18, £11
22:00 £20, £17, £10
19:30
18:30
15:30
13:00
11:00
10:30
22:00 £25
20:00 £25
18:00
14:00
14:00
12:30
21:30
20:30 £25, £20, £11
19:00
19:00
18:30
14:30
12:30
11:00
10:30
21:00
19:00
£25
£15
2
19 June
14:00
1
Friday
The Art of the Piano Tuner
Full Price Tickets
Date Event Number / Performance Time
Full Price Tickets (price & number)
Concession Tickets (price & number)
£15, £13
£15
£15, £13, £8
£14, £8
£15, £13, £8
£19
£4 Free with Event 24
£19
£15, £13, £8
£14
£14
£19
£19
£19
£15, £13
£8 (Child £5)
£11
£11
£19, £15, £8
£11
£19
£19
£15
£14
£8 (Child £5)
£14
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£11
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31 Pictures at an Exhibition
32 Never Weather-beaten Sail
33 Luncthime Trios
34 We Wear the Sea Like a Coat
35 What Did the Deep Sea Say?
36 Mandolin Perspectives
37 Rob Roy
Wednesday
24 June
Thursday
27 June
£15
£15
£20, £17, £10
£18, £11
Free
£11
Chamber Music Series
Dance Explorer Series
Explorer 2
Explorer 3
Individual £25 / Joint £45
Patron Outer Isles Patron individual
* Discount only applicable for Explorer Discount series tickets purchased in a single transaction. Offer unavailable for individual event tickets from the Explorer Series purchased in separate transactions. ** If you wish to use the bus transport to the Excursion please add this separately from the Explorer Discount Ticket
Total Amount Due
INDIVIDUAL BENEFACTORS can buy two tickets per event JOINT BENEFACTORS can buy four tickets per event INDIVIDUAL PATRONS can buy two tickets per event JOINT PATRONS can buy four tickets per event
Please see page 23 for full details of supporter benefits.
Donation
Postage Charge
Individual £200 / Joint £325 Individual £55 / Joint £85
Benefactor
DURING THE PRIORITY BOOKING PERIOD
In the concession column, please indicate C (child) S (student) U (unemployed).
Concessions are available for school pupils, full-time students and people who are registered unemployed.
CONCESSIONS
Total Bus Tickets
£7
St. Peter’s Kirk, Sandwick
£7
St. Ninian’s Kirk, Deerness
£
Continued overleaf
£
1.00
£
£
£
Total
Number of Tickets
Price
Bus Transport to Excursions** (If you have mobility issues, please contact Box Office prior to booking.)
£
£
£
Total
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Total Explorer Tickets £
£63.00
£ £
Events 2 or 9, 24 and 29
Events 7, 15 and 25
£54.00
£62.10
Talks and Poetry Explorer Series
Explorer 1
Events 4 or 6, 8 and 16
Number of Tickets
Discount Tickets
2020 Explorer Discount Series 10% Reduction on Performance Prices*
£14, £8
Free
£17
£11
£11
£15, £13, £8
£14, £8
£19, £15, £8
Total Event Tickets
20:00 £18, £11
18:00
22:00 £22
19:30
17:30
13:00
10:30
£25, £20, £11
20:00 £15 21:00
The Ocean is Blue
30 What Did the Deep Sea Say?
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Date:
2020
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St Magnus International Festival, 13 Albert Street, Kirkwall KW15 1HP
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Allow 10 working days for processing of postal applications. Tickets are non-refundable. For advice on access to venues, special seating requirements or for general Festival information, please contact the Festival office on 01856 871445 or email boxoffice@stmagnusfestival.com We will do our best to satisfy seating requests at all venues. St Magnus International Festival reserves the right to change the programme and venues without prior notice. Your details will not be passed on by us to any other party.
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GIFT AID ON DONATIONS
2020 EXPLORER DISCOUNT SERIES Buy tickets for all the concerts in a series and you will be allocated top price tickets with a 10% discount on the total price.*
EXPLORER 1
TALKS AND POETRY EXPLORER SERIES EVENT 4 / SATURDAY 20 JUNE or EVENT 6 / SATURDAY 20 JUNE
POET OF THE LAND See page 7 for event details
EVENT 8 / SATURDAY 20 JUNE
THE FRAYED ATLANTIC EDGE See page 10 for event details
EVENT 16 / SUNDAY 21 JUNE
LIFE AND DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS See page 5 for event details
EXPLORER 2
CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES EVENT 7 / SATURDAY 20 JUNE
HALF TOLD TALES AND TRIOS
SUPPORT THE FESTIVAL BENEFACTOR INDIVIDUAL £200 JOINT £325 - - - - - - - -
Advance mailing/emailing of the Festival ticket brochure Invitations to previews One week’s priority booking in advance of patrons Your name(s) credited in the Festival Programme Book as Benefactors Free copy of the Festival Programme Book Invitation to Opening Reception Invitation to Benefactors Reception Ferry discount TBC
During the priority booking period, individual Benefactors are entitled to buy two tickets per event, joint benefactors four tickets per event. * Joint rates apply to two people at the same address
See page 9 for event details
EVENT 15 / SUNDAY 21 JUNE
PATRON
See page 14 for event details
INDIVIDUAL £55 JOINT £85 ORKNEY OUTER ISLES INDIVIDUAL £25 JOINT £45
ACROSS NORTHERN SEAS EVENT 25 / MONDAY 22 JUNE
PRAYERS, LULLABIES, OBLIVION See page 27 for event details
EXPLORER 3
DANCE EXPLORER SERIES EVENT 2 / FRIDAY 19 JUNE or EVENT 9 / SATURDAY 20 JUNE
RAVEL AT THE BALLET See page 5 for event details
EVENT 24 / MONDAY 22 JUNE
STEPS IN LOVE
See page 26 for event details
EVENT 29 / TUESDAY 23 JUNE
MIDSUMMER TANGO NIGHTS See page 31 for event details *
- - -
Advance mailing of the Festival ticket brochure One week’s priority booking in advance of general booking Your name credited in the Festival Programme Book as Patrons
During the priority booking period, individual Patrons are entitled to two tickets per event, joint Patrons 4 tickets per event. * Joint rates apply to two people at the same address.
Discount only applicable for Explorer Discount series tickets purchased in a single transaction. Offer unavailable for individual event tickets from the Explorer Series purchased in separate transactions.
** If you wish to use the bus transport to the Excursion please add this separately from the Explorer Discount Ticket
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GREEN DEVA
HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE
Will Conway..................................... Cello/Conductor Erika Mädi Jones........................... Soprano Penderecki........................................ Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio Tara Creme....................................... Green Deva WORLD PREMIÈRE Judith Weir........................................ The Bagpiper’s String Trio Jörg Widmann................................ Fantasie Schubert............................................. Lieder WORLD PREMIÈRE
MONDAY 22 JUNE
EVENT 21 13:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £20, £17, £10 CONCESSIONS £15, £13, £8 DURATION 1 HOUR
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Scotland’s foremost chamber ensemble brings a varied programme of music from the 20th Century. Penderecki’s unusual combination of clarinet and strings was written in 1993 and inspired by Schubert’s String Quintet. Judith Weir’s Bagpiper’s String Trio is inspired by the tale of the piper executed in 1746 after the bagpipes were declared a weapon. Tara Creme has worked in a number of genres and is especially known for her film music; here she creates a work based on a painting by her father of the Green Deva (angel) taking inspiration from Indian classical music.
HORNS BY THE SEA
ROOKH HORN QUARTET Stephanie Jones............................ French Horn Lauren Reeve-Rawlings.......... French Horn Andy Saunders.............................. French Horn/Natural Horn Ian Smith............................................ French Horn Turner................................................... Fanfare for Barcs Gabrieli................................................ Canzonas Bozza.................................................... Suite Lynda Nicholson........................... Orkney Songs WORLD PREMIÈRE Jane Stanley..................................... Lalla Rookh Homilius.............................................. Quartet in B flat Hindemith.......................................... Sonata for 4 horns Berge.................................................... Trio Bach...................................................... Fugue in C Minor The Rookh Horn Quartet draws from members of several Scottish orchestras to explore an unusual ensemble which reflects the conventional make-up of orchestral horn sections. The quartet formation has one famous concerto work by Robert Schumann and a large array of music for quartet as a chamber ensemble. In the beautiful setting next to the sea at Deerness, the group explores music from across the centuries and adds to the repertoire with new Orkney Songs arranged by Lynda Nicholson. Jane Stanley’s work Lalla Rookh involves one of the quartet as narrator and the addition of a natural horn. The work uses text by Lord Kelvin (of temperature fame) written whilst on a boat called the Lalla Rookh. The concert also includes music by the French composer Bozza filled with characterful writing with a fanfare, hunt and old song and the work of the unfamiliar German horn player Homilius.
EXCURSION MONDAY 22 JUNE
EVENT 22 15:30 ST NINIAN’S KIRK DEERNESS TICKETS £25 CONCESSIONS £19 TICKET PRICE INCLUDES REFRESHMENTS AFTER THE CONCERT. DURATION 75 MINUTES (performance only, does not include bus travel) A bus will be available at £7 return, please ensure that you include this when purchasing your tickets. Parking is very limited so please use the Festival Bus. Limited disabled access, please contact the Box Office if you have mobility issues.
Buses depart at 14.45 from Palace Road, Kirkwall and return there after the concert. Tea, coffee and homebakes will be provided as part of this excursion at Deerness Community Hall after the concert. 25
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MONDAY 22 JUNE
MONDAY 22 JUNE
EVENT 23
EVENT 24
PRE-CONCERT TALK
STEPS IN LOVE
‘THE LOVES OF’ A DETECTIVE STORY
THE WEAVER ENSEMBLE The Loves of Mars and Venus The Loves of Pygmalion
Evelyn Nallen............ Speaker
Devised by Evelyn Nallen and Stephen Wyatt
The Loves of Mars and Venus by John Weaver was the first modern ballet, telling a story through dance, gesture and music. Its first performance was at Drury Lane in 1717.
Romain Arreghini........................Dancer Chiara Vinci...................................Soprano Matt Devitt......................................Actor Evelyn Nallen................................Recorder Lesley Anne Sammons............Harpsichord Lucy Mulgan..................................Double bass Derek Scurll...................................Percussion
The history books say the score and choreography are lost, but did they ever exist as such? In advance of the evening’s performance, Evelyn Nallen explains the journey towards presenting these works.
18:30 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £5 CONCESSIONS £4 Free with ticket for Event 24 DURATION 45 MINUTES
An enchanting Double Bill from the Weaver Ensemble brings to life the story of the birth of modern ballet, told through baroque dance, music and theatre. In the Loves of Mars and Venus we find ourselves in 1717 in Drury Lane. John Weaver, a provincial dance master, is creating history. In the Loves of Pygmalion, a rich merchant commissions a statue of a beautiful lady. Chaos ensues when the statue comes to life and proves that women are more than mere objects to be gazed upon. A contemplation on gender politics, set to a stunning baroque soundscape with music by Handel, Rameau, Purcell, Pepusch, Croft, Eccles and Paisible, with a few musical surprises to delight audiences.
19:30 ORKNEY THEATRE, KIRKWALL TICKETS £25 CONCESSIONS £19 DURATION 2 HOURS
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PRAYERS, LULLABIES, OBLIVION
KUGONI TRIO
Nicolas Dupont.............................. Violin Kurt Bertels...................................... Saxophone Bert Koch........................................... Piano Kristina Arakelyan........................ A song without words Marc Matthys.................................. Berceuse Jan Van Damme............................ Imaginaire Jan Decadt........................................ Habanera Charles Koechlin.......................... Epitaphe de Jean Harlow Jeroen d’Hoe.................................... Prayer Astor Piazzolla................................ Oblivion Nimrod Borenstein...................... Lullaby Jacques Brel..................................... Chansons (arr. Nicolson) This award-winning Belgian trio brings a late-night, relaxing selection of music for the unusual combination of violin, saxophone and piano. Music ranges from the familiar sultry tango world of Piazzolla to the hauntingly reflective Prayer of contemporary composer Jeroen d’Hoe. The late-night theme continues with lullabies, songs and a tribute to the Belgian singer Jacques Brel.
MONDAY 22 JUNE
The Kugoni Trio has performed all over the world and have rapidly become ambassadors for Belgian music. They have made many recordings, winning the Supernova Prize 2014 and Forte Limburg Award 2015. They are especially keen to bring new music to the concert platform and have commissioned numerous composers.
TICKETS £20, £17, £10 CONCESSIONS £15, £13, £8
EVENT 25 22:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL
DURATION 70 MINUTES
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Tebea Debus
STMAGNUSFESTIVAL.COM
SEA ORPHEUS
TABEA DEBUS AND ALON SARIEL
Tabea Debus.................................... Recorders Alon Sariel......................................... Mandolin and Theorbo Crawford Logan............................ Speaker Repertoire to include John Dowland................................. Flow my tears Purcell.................................................. Music from the Tempest Philip Cashian................................. The Language of Birds Couperin............................................. Rossignols Vivaldi................................................... La Tempesta di Mare Locke.................................................... The Tempest Francesco Barsanti..................... Old Scots Tunes and jigs, dances and shanties.
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
EVENT 26 10:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £18, £11 CONCESSIONS £14, £8 DURATION 90 MINUTES
A specially created concert mixes poetry and prose against an eclectic musical backdrop. Taking the theme of the land, sea and the coastline of Scotland and mixing the poetry of Orkney poets George Mackay Brown, Edwin Muir and Robert Rendall with other writers, this event is an immersive, flowing mix of literature with music. Award-winning performer Tabea Debus brings her unique talent and an array of recorders to survey music old and new alongside the delicate accompaniments of Alon Sariel’s mandolin and theorbo. They are joined by the rich vocal tones of Crawford Logan the well-known Scottish actor. Winner of the Concert Artists Guild, New York, Tabea Debus has been hailed as a ‘charismatic virtuoso’ bringing the recorder to new audiences with her brilliant performances and investigations of music old and new. Alon Sariel has a flourishing international career and is interested in both early and new music as player and conductor. He leads the Concerto Foscari and has just recorded Beethoven’s mandolin repertoire.
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PLAINSCAPES
ARGENTA TRIO
Nicolas Dupont.............................. Violin Christine J Lee................................ Cello Małgorzata Garstka.................... Piano Debussy.............................................. Piano Trio in G Peteris Vasks................................... Plainscapes Shostakovich................................... Piano Trio No.1 in C Op. 8 Debussy’s only piano trio is an early work written when he was eighteen and created while the composer was accompanying Nadezhda von Meck and her children on their summer holiday as pianist. The manuscript was lost originally. Shostakovich’s Trio is the work of a sixteen-year-old already three years into his time at the Moscow Conservatory and is a romantic work untainted by the sharp-edged, rhythmic drive that was to become a strong part of his later music. Vasks’ Plainscapes was originally written in 2002 for choir and is, according to the composer, “just about nature.” Vasks’ music concerns itself deeply with nature, often exploring bird calls and imagery-rich textures. The music is richly atmospheric expressing the natural world at its calm and contemplative and its passionate and expressive.
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
EVENT 27 13:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £20, £17, £10 CONCESSIONS £15, £13, £8 DURATION 1 HOUR
Christine J Lee
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ROMEO AND ME
THE WEAVER ENSEMBLE Matt Devitt........................................ Narrator Chiara Vinci...................................... Soprano Evelyn Nallen.................................. Recorder Lesley Anne Sammons............ Piano Lucy Mulgan.................................... Double bass Derek Scurll...................................... Percussion
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
EVENT 28 17:30 ORKNEY THEATRE KIRKWALL TICKETS £20 CONCESSIONS £15 DURATION 1 HOUR
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Romeo and Me explores the iconically tragic romance of Romeo and Juliet through music and song. Two quintessential dance pieces of the 20th Century, Bernstein’s West Side Story and Prokofiev’s ballet, are the starting point in an exploration of love, romance and tragic parting. These two works are fused into a cabaret-style show alongside snippets of Shakespeare’s original text with music from ABBA, Duke Ellington and the Motown era in a unique retelling of this tragic love story. The Weaver Ensemble is a flexible ensemble, equally at home in the world of Baroque opera as they are in more contemporary music.
MIDSUMMER TANGO NIGHTS
KUGONI TRIO AND MARCELO NISINMAN Marcelo Nisinman......................Bandoneon Nicolas Dupont............................Violin Kurt Bertels....................................Saxophone Bert Koch........................................Piano
Repertoire to include: Piazzolla...........................................Music from The Four Seasons Nisiman............................................New Tangos An electric performance is in prospect as the world-renowned bandoneon player Marcelo Nisinman joins the Kugoni Trio to perform his newly-created works alongside the iconic and sultry music of the most famous tango composer Astor Piazzolla in a new collaboration that promises to take you on a very special journey to South America.
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
Nisinman was born in Buenos Aires and has performed all over the world with Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Gary Burton and the Philadelphia Orchestra. As well as being a fine bandoneon player he is also a composer and has written large amounts of music as well as new arrangements of his compatriot Piazzolla.
TICKETS £20, £17 CONCESSIONS £15, £13
EVENT 29 18:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS
DURATION 90 MINUTES
The Kugoni Trio, in its unique combination, is a highly versatile trio whose members are equally at home in classic repertoire, jazz and new compositions. 31
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WHAT DID THE DEEP SEA SAY?
OLD TIME SAILORS
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MAGFEST TUESDAY 23 JUNE
EVENT 30 20:00 CROMARTY HALL ST MARGARET’S HOPE WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
EVENT 35 19:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £15 CONCESSIONS £11 DURATION 2 HOURS
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A party not to be missed. This riotous flashmob-style musical show is designed to take you back in time, through an unforgettable trip to the 19th century, with a motley crew of talented men and women to serenade and speed you on your way. The crew is seventeen musicians strong and brings together performers from across the world on guitar, fiddle, washboard, banjo, concertina, tin whistle and many more. Imagine yourselves onboard a 19th century vessel headed for we know not where, and with over thirty tunes and songs and the chance to join in to pass time on your journey. Every member of the audience receives a copy of the Sunday Sailor, the crew’s own newspaper which includes the lyrics to all the songs (and personalised postal stamps!) to allow for the full singalong experience. Prepare to get carried off to sea in a tidal wave of high energy for one unforgettable night with this wonderful bunch of ‘sailors’. Seating for these events will be cabaret-style table and chairs and unreserved. Bring your own bottle of rum (or other sailors’ brew) to make the party fly through the waves.
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
ROMAN KOSYAKOV Roman Kosyakov......................... Piano
Tchaikovsky...................................... Grand Sonata in G Op. 37 Mussorgsky...................................... Pictures at an Exhibition + Russian miniatures Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata was written in the same period as his violin concerto and is a mighty work from a composer not known for his solo piano music. The sonata has often been thought of as ‘orchestral’ in the scale of its form and variety of its soundworld. Another work which has seen many versions for symphony orchestra and brass ensemble is Mussorgsky’s every popular pianistic showpiece and tour of the artworks of Viktor Hartmann. Connected by musical promenades, the beautifully characterful piece brings to life the Old Castle, the ballet of the unhatched chicks and, of course, the great gate of Kiev.
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
EVENT 31 21:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL TICKETS £25, £20, £11 CONCESSIONS £19, £15, £8 DURATION 90 MINUTES
A multi-award-winning pianist, Roman Kosyakov most recently took first prize in the Hastings International Competition. He made his debut at the age of twelve and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow and is now based in the UK with a flourishing concert schedule.
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NEVER WEATHERBEATEN SAIL
LOTTE BETTS DEAN AND JESSE FLOWERS
Lotte Betts Dean........................... Mezzo Soprano Jesse Flowers.................................. Guitar
WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
EVENT 32 10:30 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS TICKETS £18, £11 CONCESSIONS £14, £8 DURATION 80 MINUTES
Thomas Campion......................... Never weather beaten sail John Dowland................................. Come again, sweet love His golden locks In darkness let me dwell Can she excuse my wrongs Benjamin Britten........................... Second Lute Song of the Earl of Essex Benjamin Britten........................... Songs from the Chinese Brett Dean......................................... Gertrude Fragments Enrique Granados........................ 3 songs from Tonadillas Federico Garcia Lorca.............. Canciones Españolas Antiguas Maurice Ohana.............................. Tiento Manuel De Falla............................ Siete Canciones Populares Españolas The wind blows us across the sea from the UK to Spain in this recital which features music old and new. Dowland’s lute songs are perennially popular with their rather melancholy moods and Britten takes over this period with his song from the opera Gloriana. The songs of the poet Lorca mirror Dowland’s thoughtful emotions whilst the De Falla has more of the exuberance and energy of flamenco. A new work taken from his recent opera Hamlet brings the programme up to date in the Brett Dean’s Gertrude Fragments. A prize-winner in many competitions Lotte Betts Dean began her training in her native Australia before moving to the UK to continue her studies. She is joined here by another award-winning Australian whose star is currently firmly rising.
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LUNCHTIME TRIOS
DOHNANYI TRIO Dohnanyi Trio Cillian O’Breacháin...................... Violin Campbell Parker............................ Viola Elias Rooney..................................... Cello
WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
Sibelius................................................. String Trio in G Minor Matthew Grouse............................ 10 Polaroids Beethoven.......................................... String Trio in G Op. 9 No.1
13:00 ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL KIRKWALL
A lunchtime concert of light and shade begins with the trio of Sibelius. From his mature period, it is an unfinished form but with powerful and searching musical material much in the manner of his seventh symphony. Matthew Grouse is an alumni of the St Magnus Composers’ Course and was commissioned to write this work by Live Music Now. The 10 Polaroids of the title are photographs by the renowned Russian film-maker Andrei Tarkovsky, and Grouse’s ten movements aim to ‘capture eternity in a moment.” In this year celebrating 250 years from the birth of Beethoven, the concert ends with one of his string trio’s, written aged twenty seven, whose form and depth -though missing one violin – hints at the string quartets to come.
EVENT 33
TICKETS £20, £17, £10 CONCESSIONS £15, £13, £8 DURATION 1 HOUR In collaboration with
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WINDS ON WESTRAY
ROOKH HORN QUARTET Stephanie Jones............................. French Horn Lauren Reeve-Rawlings........... French Horn Andy Saunders............................... French Horn/Natural Horn Ian Smith............................................. French Horn
FESTVAL
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WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 14:30 NOLTLAND CASTLE WESTRAY TICKETS £10 CONC./CHILDREN £8 Pay at the venue DURATION 70 MINUTES
Repertoire to include Dufay...................................................... Lamentio Sacrai Matris Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae Bach....................................................... Fugue in C Minor Gabrieli................................................. Canzonas Turner.................................................... Fanfare for Barcs Bozza..................................................... Suite Lynda Nicholson............................ Orkney Songs Stanley.................................................. Lalla Rookh Zimmer................................................. Pirates of the Caribbean Ensemble in Residence at the Festival, the Rookh Horn Quartet take their special blend to Westray for a concert in this historic monument. It should be possible to make a day trip to Westray if you want to visit the old castle and take in this concert. Please consult ferry timetables. The terrain around this site is uneven and not suitable for all access, so please contact the Box Office for further information.
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MANDOLIN PERSPECTIVES
ALON SARIEL
Alon Sariel......................................... Mandolin J. S. Bach............................................ Partita N° 2 D minor BWV 1004 Ali Ufuki............................................... Nikriz Peşrev Victor Kioulaphides.................... Diferencias Isaac Albéniz................................... Asturias Yasuo Kuwahara........................... Jongara The mandolin is often overlooked as an instrument although it plays a part in folk and classical music across time. In recent years many works have been written to exploit the sound spectrum and effects which are possible, and for this late evening reflective event beside the sea, Alon Sariel, one of the world’s renowned players, brings together music old and new to explore a unique sound world. The programme revolves around Bach’s Partita N° 2 in d Minor, the individual movements become the reference points of the musical sequence. In between: Jongara, Shamisen imitations from Eastern Japan, Diferencias from the Greek composer Victor Kioulaphides, Nikriz Peşrev by Ali Ufuki (who served at the 17th century Ottoman court in Constantinople) and Spanish rhythms by Isaac Albéniz. These more contemporary reflections pave the way to Bach’s contemplative musical climax the Chaconne which completes the Partita. Buses depart at 21.15 from Palace Road, Kirkwall and return there after the concert.
EXCURSION THURSDAY 25 JUNE
EVENT 36 22:00 ST PETER’S KIRK SANDWICK TICKETS £22 CONCESSIONS £17 DURATION 70 MINUTES (does not include bus travel) A bus will be available at £7 return, please ensure that you include this when purchasing your tickets. There is some parking at St Peter’s, Sandwick. Limited disabled access, please contact the Box Office if you have mobility issues. Please note that St Peter’s is unheated so please bring warm clothing.
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THURSDAY 25 JUNE
PRE-FILM EVENT
MAGFEST i
EVENT 37
ROB ROY
THE OCEAN IS BLUE
LIVE MUSIC:SILENT FILM
Dohnanyi Trio
David Allison................................... Composer/Performer
New compositions by pupils from Orkney Schools performed live with film.
Rob Roy (1922 silent film) W.P. Kellino....................................... Original Film Director
A consideration of the nature of the sea, elements, renewable energy and global warming. Young composers have worked with Festival Director, Alasdair Nicolson, to produce individual compositions.
18:00 STROMNESS TOWN HALL STROMNESS FREE ENTRY
Premiered at HippFest with David Allison’s specially commissioned score in 2019, this impressive biopic of Scottish folk hero Rob Roy, starring David Hawthorne in tartan kilt and tammy, was shot entirely on location in the Trossachs and nearby Stirling Castle, whilst the 10th Duke of Argyll also gave permission for the production to film on his estates. The film makes liberal use of Scots for the intertitles (“dinnae fash yersel”) and epic fight scenes abound, with eight hundred men of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders enlisted as extras in a dramatic battle. The première of the folk hero’s biopic brought Sauchiehall Street to a standstill with the occasion marked by a great show of military might, with a body of men from the Royal Scots Fusiliers marching from Maryhill Barracks down to the Salon cinema ahead of the screening. David Allison is renowned for his musical additions to cinema, and previously brought his Island Tapes to the 2011 Festival to sell-out success. For this score he uses keyboard, guitar and iPad to bring this early epic to life.
20:00 STROMNESS TOWN HALL, STROMNESS TICKETS £18, £11 CONCESSIONS £14, £8 DURATION 90 MINUTES 38
FESTIVAL CLUB 2020 THE HIGHLAND PARK BAR
KIRKWALL HOTEL
LIVE MUSIC FROM 21:30 For the period of the Festival we are working in partnership with the Kirkwall Hotel’s newly refurbished bar as a venue to relax, eat and drink. Entry is free but capacity is limited. It’s a great place to rub shoulders with fellow festival goers and performers in an informal atmosphere. Food is served until 10.30 and there’s a selection of over 100 whiskies and over 70 gins as well as local beer and cocktails. From 21.30 each evening there will be some live music. Open until 1am Fri/Sat Midnight for the rest of the Festival. The Highland Park Bar is situated within the Kirkwall Hotel on the harbour.
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Kirkjuvagr Distillery Orkney Theatre St Magnus Cathedral Highland Park Distillery Kirkwall Hotel St Magnus Centre The Sound Archive St Magnus Festival Box Office
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Stromness Town Hall The Old Academy, Stromness
OTHER VENUES Cromarty Hall, St Margaret’s Hope St Ninian’s Kirk, Deerness Noltland Castle, Westray St Peter’s Kirk, Sandwick
PHOTO CREDITS Welcome Page Paul Foster Williams, page 7 Robert Twigger, page 11 Andrew Ness, page 12 Leslie Burgher, page 17 Karl Jenkins, page 24 Sussie Ahlburg, page 28 Kaupo Kikkas, page 29 Sophie Zhai, page 31 (Marcelo Nisinman) Benjamin Wildmann Stuttgart-Riedenberg, page 33 Peter Mould, page 37 Marc Rodenberg. Design: Muse Graphic Design www.musedesign.co.uk Print: J. Thomson The right is reserved to substitute artists and venues and vary the advertised programme if necessary. All information is correct at the time of going to press. St Magnus Festival is a company limited by guarantee SC073825 and a registered Scottish Charity SC011666
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