The festival opens on 20 June 2019 with a concert from the City of London Choir, conductor Hilary Davan Wetton with a programme which references St Giles without Cripplegate where the concert takes place. John Milton, author of the text of Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens, is buried in the church, RVW's Three Shakespeare Songs set Shakespeare who lived in the parish for a while (and his nephews were baptised there) and Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb uses the poetry of Christopher Smart who was confined at nearby St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics. The City of London Choir is joining with the London Mozart Players for the festival's final concert on 28 June, which celebrates Shakespeare in music with works by RVW, Walton, Mendelssohn and Finzi plus dramatic readings of the plays.
Other festival events include soprano Grace Davidson and lutenist David Miller in songs by Campion, Dowland, Purcell and Humfrey, husband and wife team Thomas Humphreys (baritone) and Raya Kostova (piano) in Let us Garlands Bring with music by RVW, Finzi and Britten, and Sam West and the London Mozart Players in Walton's Facade. Pianist Elizabeth Sombart with join members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for arrangements of Beethoven's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 5 for piano and string quintet.
Pianst Lucy Parham and actor Tim McInnerny will be performing Parham's portrait of the composer Rachmaninoff, Elegie: Rachmaninoff, A Heart in Exile, and piansit Mark Bebbington's literary themed recital will include music with literary associations from Shakespeare and Victor Hugo to Dodie Smith's I capture the castle (!) including Robert Matthew Walker's piano sonata Hamlet.
Full details from the festival website.
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