Baroque and Contemporary, plus a focus on Brian Elias: this year's Music@Malling

Resident ensemble Chamber Domaine performing at a previous Music@Malling

The music of Brian Elias threads its way through this year's Music@Malling. The fifteen concerts in this year's festival in the Kent town, which runs from 24 September to 3 October 2021, will feature the premiere of Elias' Capriccio for Bassoon and Strings performed by resident ensemble Chamber Domaine, conducted by the festival's artistic director Thomas Kemp, with soloist Adam Mackenzie (principal bassoon at Opera North), whilst pianist Daniel Grimwood plays Elias' Five Pieces in a programme which also includes Beethoven alongside Mark-Anthony Turnage's On Marylebone Road, and members of Chamber Domaine also present a programme of Elias' chamber music alongside Ravel's Piano Trio. Oboist Nicholas Daniel joins the Sacconi Quartet for Elias' Oboe Quartet, and Elias will also be talking about his life and music at a Meet the Composer event. 

Two of the festival's concerts intriguingly interweave Baroque and contemporary. Cellist Richard Harwood and harpsichordist Steven Devine will be performing music by Elias, Gavin Bryars and Mark-Anthony Turnage alongside Baroque repertoire, whilst the viol consort Fretwork performs Purcell's Fantasias alongside music by Alexander Goehr, John Woolwich, and Gavin Bryars. There is more Baroque music from violinist Thomas Bowes who performs Telemann's virtuoso Twelve Fantasias for Solo Violin.

Thomas Kemp conducts the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in Mark-Anthony Turnage's Concertino for Clarinet with soloist Jon Carnac, in a programme which also includes music by Rebecca Saunders and Eleanor Alberga. And Alberga's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features in an education project at local primary schools.

Like many organisations, the festival is catching up somewhat on last year's Beethoven centenary, and this year's programme includes String Quartets Op.131 and Op18, No.5, and a survey of the Cello Sonatas and as well as Daniel Grimwood's ongoing exploration of the Piano Sonatas.

Music@Malling is partnering with the Royal Academy of Music to support and mentor two promising ensembles, The Hill Quartet and Immy Churchill Trio, that will be featured in the programme and will be given mentoring, outreach and performance opportunities during the 2021/2022 season.

Full details from the Music@Malling website.