North Norfolk Music Festival brings internationally renowned performers as well as upcoming talent. We look at 12 concerts not to miss from this year's packed programme.
The North Norfolk Music Festival, which brings world-class musicians, ensembles and choirs to the region, returns next week bigger than ever.
Now in its 13th year, the festival has brought some of the biggest names in classical music — as well as some upcoming talent that has gone on to be much acclaimed — have performed diverse and innovative programmes at venues including the Marble Hall at Holkham, the village hall at North Creake, and the parish churches of East Raynham and South Creake.
This year's programme includes numerous musicians who are making a return to NNMF including Melvyn Tan, Tom Poster, Doric String Quartet and Jacqui Dankworth, but also a host of new names making up an exciting programme, which runs from August 15-26.
Harmoniemusik
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 16, 7pm, £20
William Walton's brilliant setting of Edith Sitwell's witty poems is the highlight of this delightful programme by the seven musicians from the ensemble Harmoniemusik and narrators Julie Berry and Paul Guiney. Famed for their original and eclectic programming, they will also perform pieces by Stravinsky, Haydn and Arnold.
Melvyn Tan
Marble Hall, Holkham Hall, August 17, 7pm, £30/St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 21, 7pm, £25
The Singapore-born British classical pianist is a favourite at the festival and this year he gives two concerts. Nights in the Gardens of Spain at Holkham Hall is an evening of Spanish music with soprano Amaia Azcona. Then at South Creake he will preset a cleverly devised programme based on Ravel's Miroirs.
Rachel Podger
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 18-19, 5.30pm/St Mary's Church, East Raynham, August 20, 5pm, £40 all three concerts
Violinist Rachel Podger is a leading interpreter of the baroque and she arrives to give a very rare opportunity to hear her in all six of J.S. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, regarded as a pinnacle of the violin repertory, over three concerts.
Castalian String Quartet
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 18, 8pm, £18
Fresh from winning a string of international prizes, this rapidly emerging quartet arrives to play Haydn, Schumann and Schubert 'Death and the Maiden'. Joint festival director Simon Rowland-Jones has been working with them: 'Their musical instincts are outstanding – it is original playing of the highest quality.'
Marianne Cornetti
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 19, 8pm, £22
Mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti returns to Norfolk for a recital featuring Brahms, Schumann, a selection from Copland's Old American Songbook and a new cycle, Laughter and Time, by Simon Rowland-Jones with texts by Hermione Lee.
Jacqui Dankworth sings Sondheim
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 20, 8.30pm, £25
Celebrated jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth returns to NNMF after her triumphant sell-out appearance two years ago for an evening of songs by Stephen Sondheim with and pianist Charlie Wood.
Alexander Ullman
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 22, 5.30pm, £16
In 2011 pianist Alexander Ullman won first Prize at the Franz Liszt Competition in Budapest and the composer will feature on his festival programme with four pieces together with Liszt's transcription of Beethoven Symphony No.1.
Doric String Quartet
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 22, 8pm, £25
Perennial favourites the Doric String Quartet return to play Mozart's late masterpiece String Quartet in B flat in conjunction with a Haydn quartet written for Hannover Square Rooms in London and Benjamin Britten's final quartet inspired by his opera Death in Venice.
Timothy Ridout & Tom Poster
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 23, 5.30pm, £16
Viola player Timothy Ridout, the first ever British winner of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, and pianist Tom Poster team up to perform Bowen, Brahms and Prokofiev transcriptions of scenes from Romeo and Juliet.
Louis Schwizgebel
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 23, 8pm, £22
Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel returns to her second appearance at the festival with a programme that includes Beethoven, Chopin and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, the first time this pieces has ever been performed at NNMF.
Piatti String Quartet
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 24, 8pm, £22
The Piatti Quartet is among the UK's foremost young ensembles with a host of awards and critically-acclaimed recordings. AT the centre of their festival programme is the haunting and passionate second string quartet of Sir William Walton, framed by Haydn's 'Bird' quartet and Brahms's A minor quartet renowned for its dramatic Hungarian czárdás finale.
Henry Neill
St Mary's Church, South Creake, August 25, 5.30pm, £16
Baritone Henry Neill won a number of important awards and competitions in 2016 and earlier this year appeared in the ETO's tour of Silver Electra, a new opera for children by Russell Hepplewhite. He will be accompanied by pianist Simon Lepper for a festival recital of Mahler, Judith Weir 'Songs from the Exotic' and Wolf's Songs from Mörike Lieder.
• Full booking details for all NNMF events at 01328 730357, northnorfolkmusicfestival.com
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