This winter’s line-up for the Harrogate International Sunday Series of chamber and classical music has been revealed.
Five concerts will take place in what will be the 30th annual series at the Old Swan in Harrogate.
It will begin with the return of clarinettist Robert Plane, accompanied by pianist Tim Horton, on January 28 to give a programme featuring 20th century and contemporary composers, complemented by Brahms’ Sonata in F minor, Op.120, No. 1.
The two appearances by solo pianists will see Daniel Lebhardt play Brahms, Scriabin, Bartok and Ligeti and Clare Hammond perform a diverse programme featuring work by Hélène de Montgeroult, Clara Schumann, Ravel, Coleridge-Taylor, Spanish post-Romantic Isaac Albéniz, and contemporary composer Edmund Finnis.
The Astatine Trio will give a traditional recital comprising Haydn, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Tailleferre.
Rounding off the series, violinist Hyeyoon Park and pianist Zlata Chochieva will perform Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, sonatas by Mozart, Debussy and Grieg, and Distance de fée by 20th century Japanese composer, Tōru Takemitsu.
Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:
“We’re delighted to unveil the programme for Harrogate International Sunday Series 2024, which once again brings some of the world’s most talented classical and chamber musicians to Yorkshire.
“Whilst celebrating our 30th anniversary, this year’s programme is decidedly forward-looking, featuring award-winning young performers and platforming an exciting blend of both traditional and innovative works.
To encourage young people to attend, tickets for under-35s are priced at just £5.
Read more:
- International pianists heading to Harrogate for concert series
- Bike track could replace pitch and putt course in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason set for Harrogate debut
Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will make her Harrogate debut this month – three years after her cellist brother, Sheku, accompanied by sister Isata, performed in the town.
The 20-year-old will perform work by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev as part of the Harrogate International Sunday Series on February 26. She will also give an exclusive performance of Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre.
Hosted by Harrogate International Festivals and staged in the Old Swan Hotel, the Sunday Series coffee concerts have been an annual fixture on Harrogate’s classical music calendar since 1991.
Ms Kanneh-Mason, the fifth of seven musically-gifted siblings and the third to establish herself as a soloist, is a former Classic FM rising star and a keyboard category finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018.
Read more:
- Harrogate district festival launches £7,000 search for classical singers
- New professional choir based in Ripon to give local concert
Discussing her Harrogate appearance, Ms Kanneh-Mason said:
“This programme has a large range of repertoire – from Prokofiev and Beethoven to Shostakovich.
“The individual pieces in the Romeo and Juliet and the Estampes show the importance of story-telling in music, which is something I am drawn to.”
Her brother and sister were the last performers to appear at Harrogate International Festivals in 2020 before lockdown devastated the arts world, and Jeneba admits it was not an easy time for her.
Jeneba’s programme comprises of Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue in D major; Prokofiev’s 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75; Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 in E major; Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, and Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre No.1 in E minor.