2009 Music Festival Programme

Friday 12th June - Sophie's Barn
6.00pm - 9.00pm - Art Exhibition Private View

'Positivity' by Giles Hayter: an exhibition of abstract art to celebrate the world we live in, painted with energy in bright liquid, vigorous and upbeat, with dynamic patterning and joyful colour. Held in Sophie's Barn. 

Also featuring a short soirée of English song and Italian arias by tenor John Pumphrey and Nathan Williamson, piano, beginning at 8.00pm.

Admission is free but reservations must be made for the private view. The exhibition will also be open before and after the concerts on both Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th June.
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Saturday 13th June, Chacombe Church
7.00 pm - Picnic Interval of 75 minutes

Richard Strauss - Prelude to Capriccio, op.85
Johannes Brahms - Sextet in G major, op.36
Guiseppe Martucci: Nocturne, op.70 no.1
Antonin Dvorak - Sextet in A Major, op.48

The Martucci Ensemble:
Arisa Fujita, Ilyoung Chae - violins; Rosalind Ventris, Tetsuumi Nagata - violas; Matthijs Broersma, Pau Codina Masferrer - cellos
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Sunday 14th June - Chacombe Church
11.00am - 12.00pm - 'Coffee' Concert

J.S. Bach - Sonata no.6 in E major
Elgar - Chanson de matin, Chanson de nuit
Rossini - Andante and variations
Faure - Berceuse
Piazolla - Histoire du tango

Nicola Phillips, flute and Deian Rowlands, harp
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Sunday 14th June - Chacombe Church
7.00pm - 9.00pm

J.S. Bach - Violin Concerto in A Minor, Double Violin Concerto in D Minor - performed by students from the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Nathan Williamson - Crystal, for piano quartet (2008)
"A Salmagundi of Song" - featuring works from operas and music theatre by Puccini, Dvorak, Gershin and Mozart, as well as South African and Greek folksongs
Gustav Mahler - Adagietto from Symphony no. 5, (Theme from Death in Venice), arr.NW

Students from the Yehudi Menuhin School
Danae Eleni, soprano
Njabulo Madlala, baritone
The Martucci Ensemble
Nathan Williamson, piano

Players' Biographies

 

Comprised of some of the finest young students of the generation, led by violin professor Arisa Fujita from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Martucci Ensemble gave their first concerts in 2008. Since then they have performed at venues in and around London and the South East including Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, the Menuhin Hall, Surrey, and are regularly coached at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Later this summer they will take part in a chamber music course at Little Slyfield, leading to four recitals, including at the Menuhin Hall, performing Brahms' B flat sextet and Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence.

 

Deian Rowlands and Nicki Philips both trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and are now based in London and formed their duo in 2002. Recitals have taken them to St David's Hall, The Millenium Centre Cardiff, Windsor, Wetherby, and the North Wales International Music Festival. They made their BBC Proms debut in 2004 with a performance of 'SU' by Chinese-American composer Zhou Long, and also played for the Royal Family as part of the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations in 2006. They work extensively for the Live Music Now! recital scheme.

 

Danae Eleni (soprano) studied at the Royal College and Oxford University and is continuing her studies with Ashley Stafford. She has recently performed in operas such as The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and L'incoronazione di Poppea with CarteBlanche Opera, Opera in Concert and Opera de Bauge, France, as well as performing opera scenes for Il Corpo Cantate the first modern realisation of operas by Scarlatti and Hasse with Ensemble Serce. She has also recently given recitals at the Holywell Music Room and for New Chamber Opera, Oxford and has performed in concert with Ensemble ISIS and the Cardiff Chamber Orchestra. A keen advocate of contemporary music she has recently programmed works by Guy Newbury and Satako Doi at the Edinburgh Fringe and Leeds Leider Festival. She made her debut in Bahrain in a performance of Brahms' German Requiem last year.

 

Baritone Njabulo Madlala was born in South Africa and studied at the Guildhall with Robert Dean. He has performed at Wigmore Hall, Sadler's Wells, Cheltenham Festival, Opera Holland Park, and most recently as Fisherman Bird of Night at the Royal Opera House. He has worked with conductors an directors including Antonio Pappano, Charles Hazlewood, Stuart Bedford, and Graham Vick. He continues to work closely with the distinguished mezzo Sarah Walker on recital repertoire. Future engagements include a season at Glyndebourne, work at Opera Holland Park and with the Cheltenham Bach Choir.