Press
Press Release:
Vale of Glamorgan Festival of Music 2011
With a stimulating mix of the familiar and the new, the Vale of Glamorgan Festival welcomes back one of Europe’s best chamber choirs, stages a cutting-edge multi-media performance with toy pianos, tape and film in Cardiff’s newest concert hall and presents world premieres of works by exciting young composers in a series of unique concerts in atmospheric venues across South Wales from 5 – 10 September.
At the Festival launch at St Donat’s Arts Centre, Artistic Director, John Metcalf introduced the season in which music and composers previously featured in the festival over its 41-year history will be heard alongside previews of new artists and composers who will be the subject of major forthcoming festival profiles.
The Latvian Radio Choir return with their dazzling a cappella singing to open the festival at Penarth’s St Augustine’s Church (6th September) in a vocal celebration where the music of Baltic big-hitters Arvo Pärt and P?teris Vasks will be performed alongside a wealth of younger composers including Latvians, ?riks Ešenvalds and Santa Ratniece. Founded in 1940 the Choir actively popularizes the music of Latvian composers in particular and is regarded as one of the top professional chamber choirs in Europe. Sigvards K?ava, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Choir, conducts this performance.
The second concert of the season features three established festival artists, known for their consistent championing and support for new music, Elinor Bennet (harp), Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone) and Matthew Jones (viola). Two premieres feature in this concert taking place at Fonmon Castle near Barry (8th September). Per Nørgård’s Libro per Nobuko for viola receives its UK premiere and the festival features the music of Paul Mealor for the first time with a world premiere of his new arrangement of Twilight for Harp, baritone and violin. Paul Mealor became world-famous overnight following the performance of his piece Ubi caritas at the recent Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey launching the piece to the top of iTunes charts globally.
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales presents the third festival concert at their Cardiff base, the BBC Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre (8th September). Newly announced as their next Composer in Residence, Mark Bowden’s Lyra for cello and orchestra with soloist Oliver Coates will receive its world premiere and new-comer to the festival, Qigang Chen’s work Wu Xing opens the concert. Chen was the Music Director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, was Olivier Messiaen’s final pupil and his music is an extraordinary fusion of western and eastern musical elements. He will be the subject of a major feature in 2012. Gerard McChrystal plays festival Director, John Metcalf’s Three Mobiles for soprano saxophone and string orchestra. The concert is conducted by young French-Canadian Jean-Michäel Lavoie.
The festival makes its first visit to Cardiff’s Dora Stoutzker Hall soon to open at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in the first of two concerts given by the dutch piano duo Jeroen & Sandra van Veen (9th September). Pianos, synthesisers, percussion, toy pianos and samplers all feature in this cutting-edge multi-media performance of the world premiere of NL XL on Music. Jeroen van Veen’s music accompanies a mesmerising film of aerial images from photographer Karel Tomei’s art book NLXL.
Fellow minimalist composers feature in the second of the two concerts by Jeroen & Sandra van Veen in the intimate candlelit setting of Ewenny Priory Church in the festival finale (10th September). The programme features new arrangements for four hands of minimalist classics finishing with an arrangement of Philip Glass’ haunting score for the film “The Hours”, which won the 2002 Bafta Award for Best Film Music.
For further information, press tickets, or to organise an interview with Artistic Director, John Metcalf, please contact:
Jennifer Hill, 02920 459490/07891 765696
valeofglamorganfestival@virginmedia.com
Vale of Glamorgan Festival 2011 - Supplementary Notes
About the Festival
The Vale of Glamorgan Festival was formed in 1969 by its present Artistic Director, John Metcalf, and takes place during late August / early September every year, with performances given in a variety of venues situated in and around the Vale and Cardiff. In 1991, the Vale of Glamorgan Festival redefined its position and artistic policy as a ‘festival of living composers’. Since then the Festival has gained a reputation as one of the most adventurous and unique in Britain; a position endorsed by receiving the Prudential Award in 1994. Highlights during that time include a festival devoted to the music of the Baltic States in 1996, a concentration on contemporary Austrian music in 1998 and a whole festival devoted to the music of Australia in 2001. The 2002 festival ‘Northern Lights’ featured a critically-acclaimed tour to Britain by the Finnish Radio Chamber Choir. 2006 celebrated Steve Reich’s 70th birthday with a wealth of performances of his music and an outreach programme focusing on his composition Different Trains – which took the Festival on board a scheduled train service; a particular highlight of 2006 was a tour by the stunning Latvian Radio Choir, who awed audiences around Wales. 2007 took a clear artistic focus, with the music of just five composers: Ross Edwards, Giya Kancheli, Ivan Moody, Howard Skempton and John Tavener. In 2008, the Festival developed its important international links, with concerts by prominent performers from Estonia, Holland and Poland. The Festival reached its 40th birthday in 2009 and marked the event with performances by some of the best young ensembles and new music from Wales and Australia. The 2010 festival focussed on the music of Arvo Pärt with several world premieres of specially commissioned pieces by the composer who was present during the festival as part of a UK visit in his 75th birthday year.
For further information contact Jennifer Hill at the festival office on 02920 459490 or e-mail valeofglamorganfestival@virginmedia.com
Vale of Glamorgan Festival 2011 – summary of events
Tuesday 6 September, 7.30 pm
St Augustine’s Church, Penarth
Latvian Radio Choir
Sigvards K?ava (conductor)
Arvo Pärt: …which was the son of…
Anders Hillborg: Muo:aa:yiy:oum
?riks Ešenvalds: Légende de la femme emmurée
Valentin Silvestrov: Diptychon
Santa Ratniece: Chu Dal
P?teris Vasks: Z?les zi?a
Wednesday 7 September, 7.30 pm
Fonmon Castle, Fonmon
Gala Concert
Elinor Bennett (harp), Matthew Jones (viola), Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone)
Programme to include:
John Metcalf: Y Dddwy Chwaer/The Two Sisters (harp)
Philip Glass: Wichita Vortex Sutra (harp)
Per Nørgård: Libro per Nobuko (viola) UK premiere
Gareth Glyn: (from) Songs of the Marches (baritone and harp)
Gareth Glyn: Chwarae Plant (harp)
Hilary Tann: The Cresset Stone (viola)
Matthew Hindson: Repetepetition (viola)
Paul Mealor: Twilight (baritone, harp and violin) World premiere of this arrangement
Thursday 8 September, 7.00 pm
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jean-Michäel Lavoie (conductor), Oliver Coates (cello), Gerard McChrystal (soprano saxophone), Sound Intermedia (Sound Diffusion)
Qigang Chen: Wu Xing (The Five Elements) suite for orchestra – L’eau (Water), Le Bois (Wood), Le Feu (Fire),La Terre (Earth) and Le Métal (Metal)
John Metcalf: Three Mobiles for Soprano Saxophone and String Orchestra
Mark Bowden: Lyra for cello and orchestra BBC Commission World Premiere
Steve Reich: City Life
Friday 9 September, 7.30 pm
Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff.
Images: Karel Tomeï
Composition: Jeroen van Veen
Musicians: Sandra & Jeroen van Veen (piano and keys)
NL XL on Music
Multimedia composition – pianos, percussion, tape & film World premiere
Saturday 10 September, 7.30 pm
Ewenny Priory Church, Ewenny
Piano Duo Sandra & Jeroen van Veen
Philip Glass: Opening
Wim Mertens: Struggle for pleasure
Arvo Pärt: Hymn to a great city
Douwe Eisenga: Theme II- WIEK
Meredith Monk: Ellis Island
Wim Mertens: 4 Mains
Philip Glass: From ‘The Hours’
Performance by Candlelight
Box office: 03700 10 10 51 (BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line).
Online: www.valeofglamorganfestival.org.uk