Tuesday 22 September to Saturday 26 September
Introduction
The
Fressingfield Music Festival began five years ago
as an initiative to support the restoration of eight bells in the
tower of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul. Again, this
year it provides a programme of largely classical music for an
audience drawn largely from the Waveney Valley and the parishes of
North Suffolk and South Norfolk.
Each year has seen change and this year sees the Festival grow to
five concerts with the inclusion of a piano recital and the
introduction of the Fressingfield Young Musician
Award. Emma Kirkby, soprano, returns to
the Festival to sing with the baroque ensemble
Badinage. Julian Lloyd Webber,
cello, makes one of his few appearances this year outside a major
concert hall and The Choir of Christ's College,
Cambridge will bring a wide ranging programme to be
introduced by their director, Professor David Rowland. The Festival
begins with the Brian Dee Quintet, an outstanding line up of
British jazz musicians. Whichever performances you attend we hope
you enjoy the evening.
The Festival again coincides with the preparations for the
celebration of Harvest Thanksgiving on Sunday 27 September. There
is additionally a service of Choral Evensong with the choir of St
Edmundsbury Cathedral at 4.30pm in the parish church to which
everyone is welcome.
The printed programme, with
details of all the concerts, will be available each evening without
charge and we are grateful to the businesses that sponsor its
production.
From the outset, the Festival
rehearsals have been open whenever possible to schoolchildren and
many have been memorable occasions for both students and
performers. This year a special effort has been made to provide the
children with an audience with Julian Lloyd Webber; Meng Yang will
talk to those interested in understanding what it takes to be a
concert pianist; and Paul Carroll will be available to talk to
senior students interested in baroque music and instruments. More
information can be obtained from the Festival Secretary on
01379 586537.
From our patron................Welcome to
the Fressingfield Music Festival 2009. Once again a very
high quality programme of music has been put together by the
indefatigable Festival organisers. The Festival brings
together the whole community. The church of St Peter and St
Paul is a lovely setting in which to hear music. It started
as a project to hear the church bells; not only has this been
achieved but remedial work has improved the sound of the peal and
new members are attracted to become ringers. But the Festival
is a real joy in itself and attracts wide support. I hope
that it has even greater support this year and if you have yet to
attend, may I commend the whole experience warmly to you. I
wish the Festival every success and am grateful for all those who
work so hard to produce such a delightful event.
Nigel
St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Patron, Fressingfield Music Festival
The photo, above, shows the opening concert last year, when
Bishop Nigel presented the newly reformed Fressingfield
bellringers with a locally made, traditional drinking jug, a
Gotch, to celebrate their achievement in ringing the
restored bells.
Click here for Music Festival
leaflet
Click here for a postal booking
form
The 2009 Fressingfield Music Festival is
supported by
Tuesday 22 September........The Brian Dee
Quintet
An impressive session of jazz from world class musicians led by
Pianist Brian Dee, justifiably described as
England's Oscar Peterson.
This highly acclaimed jazz pianist first came to prominence
with the opening of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in 1959 where he
performed on a variety of recordings. In 1960, he appeared opposite
Miles Davis on his nationwide UK tour and in the same year was
voted Melody Maker’s New Star of the Year.
Brian has played with many prominent musicians including Ben
Webster, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Benny Carter, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison,
Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Chet Baker and Sonny Stitt.
From the late sixties onwards, Brian performed as a session
musician, appearing on Elton John's seminal recordings, as well as
thousands of others.
He is renowned as a fine accompanist and has recorded and
appeared with stars such as Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Johnny
Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee.
At the Fressingfield Music Festival, Brian will be performing
alongside fellow acclaimed musicians Jim Mullen on guitar, Bruce
Adams on trumpet, Bill Coleman on double bass and Ralph Salmins on
drums.
Click here for details of the quintet
on our jazz concert leaflet
Wednesday 23
September........Emma Kirkby & Badinage
Emma Kirkby sings Handel and Vivaldi cantatas with baroque
ensemble Badinage, in an evening of historically
informed performance.
Dame Emma Kirkby is recognised as one of the world’s most renowned
early music specialists.
She began singing for pleasure in choirs and small groups whilst
studying at Oxford, joining the Taverner Choir in 1971 and
beginning her association with the Consort of Musicke in 1973. Emma
works mostly with period instrument groups and has built up long
term partnerships with many, including The Academy of Ancient
Music, the Consort of Musicke, London Baroque, Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment and Florilegium as well as many others.
Emma has also made hundreds of recordings of all kinds including
sequences of Hildegarde of Bingen, and works of Mozart, Haydn and J
C Bach.
In 2007, BBC Music Magazine placed Emma at number 10 in
its poll of the ‘100 greatest sopranos’ and she was the Classic
FM Artist of the Year in 1999. In 2000 Emma received an OBE and
in June 2007 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the
British Empire. Emma is delighted that such tributes imply
recognition for an approach to singing that values ensemble,
clarity and stillness alongside volume and display.
Despite her recording accolades, Emma still prefers performing
live concerts, believing that every occasion, every venue and every
audience will combine to create something new.
Badinage was formed 25 years ago and following the
18th century tradition, its core members are accomplished in
more than one instrument. The ensemble typically plays the music of
Vivaldi, Handel, Bach and Telemann, as well as a vast repertory by
other 18th century masters. Recording and performing on copies of
historical instruments, Badinage has made 10 critically acclaimed
CDs and has given performances throughout the UK and Europe,
including nearly 100 concerts at London’s South Bank Centre.
The ensemble’s director is Paul Carroll, Professor of Baroque
and Classical Bassoon at the Royal College of Music. As well as
playing, Paul composes and recently had a world première of his
music at Buckingham Palace in the presence of HM The Queen. Sally
Civval, as well as playing cello in Badinage, is also extremely
busy as an impresario, producer and artistic director. David
Rowland, the group's keyboard player, is Director of Music at
Christ's College, Cambridge and Dean of the Arts' Faculty of the
Open University.
Badinage will be playing a programme of cantatas and other music
by Purcell, Vivaldi, Handel and their contemporaries, accompanying
soprano Dame Emma Kirkby.
Thursday 24
September........Meng Yang
Pan
Meng Yang Pan, Royal College of Music young pianist, gives
a recital of popular classics including pieces by Chopin, Mozart,
Haydn and Strauss.
Meng Yang Pan started playing the piano at the age of three and
began studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing aged
nine. From 2000, Meng Yang studied at the Purcell School for three
years and then went on to gain a full scholarship to the Royal
College of Music.
Meng Yang has performed at many distinguished venues including
the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square.
She also had the honour of performing at the UNESCO in Paris in the
presence of HRH Prince Charles. A performance at a charity dinner
party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel led to a private engagement
with three-Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal.
Meng Yang won first prize in the Robert William and Florence Amy
Brant International Pianoforte Competition in 2006 and the
following year was awarded the Royal College of Music’s most
prestigious prize, the Tagore medal for making an outstanding
contribution to college life.
The Royal College of Music selected Meng Yang to receive the
first Fressingfield Young Musician Award in recognition of her
outstanding achievements.
Friday 25 September............Julian Lloyd
Webber
World renowned cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber,
accompanied by Pam Chowhan on piano, will perform
a personal selection of music by Bach, Fauré, Debussy and
Brahms.
Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber is widely regarded as one of the most
creative musicians of his generation. He studied at the Royal
College of Music and in Geneva under renowned French cellist Pierre
Fournier.
Julian has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians
including Elton John, Yehudi Menuhin, Cleo Laine and Lorin Maazel
and many others.
He has also made many recordings, including his Elgar Concerto,
conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, which was chosen as the finest ever
version by BBC Music Magazine and won a Brit Award. Other
recordings include several short pieces for Universal Classics
including Made in England, Cello Moods and Cradle
Song. His most recent recordings include Phantasia
(based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera) and
Unexpected Songs.
Julian has inspired new compositions from composers such as
Malcolm Arnold, Joaquin Rodrigo, James Macmillan and Philip Glass.
Recent concerts have included pieces composed for Julian, including
a performance of Gavin Bryars’ Concerto at Suntory Hall in Tokyo
and of Philip Glass’s Concerto at the Beijing International
Festival.
Julian has recently begun spearheading the government backed In
Harmony project which aims to enhance children’s lives through
music. In Harmony is aimed at children living in the most deprived
areas of the UK and promotes personal and community development
through orchestral-based music learning.
Saturday 26
September........Christ's College Choir
The Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge sings
Mozart's Requiem, new settings by Paul Carroll of William
Blake's poetry and works by Purcell and Elgar.
As one of Cambridge’s finest mixed-voice ensembles, the Choir of
Christ’s College performs both sacred and secular music from the
15th century to the present. Their concert repertoire includes
pieces such as Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus,
Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater and the Bach and Brahms
motets, as well as traditional Cathedral works.
The choir pursues a range of activities outside the college
including performing concerts, recording CDs, broadcasting and
embarking on their annual summer tour. Touring both within the UK
and abroad, the choir has recently performed extensively in
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong and the USA. The choir
also regularly broadcasts on radio and television stations both at
home and across the globe.
The latest CD recorded by the choir is of Benjamin Britten’s
Ceremony of Carols and other lesser-known works for the
Christmas season by Britten and Leighton. Forthcoming CDs include
works by Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti and a recording of music
by Phil Ledger.
Sunday 27
September..........Choral Evensong
Choral Evensong at 4.30pm with the Choir of St Edmundsbury
Cathedral. Everybody welcome - no charge.
Ticket details
Concerts start at 7.30pm. Doors open at 6.30pm. Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday concerts are £10 per ticket,
Friday night is £15 per ticket.
Click here for a postal booking
form
Meals before the concert
Parking
Parking in the immediate area of the church is severely
restricted.
• Set-down point for the disabled is
at the church gate
• The village car park near the
Baptist Chapel is a three minute walk from
the
church
• The Primary School is a short walk
from the church
• There is some additional parking
at the garage
Please follow the Steward’s
directions.
Parking at the Swan Inn and the Fox and Goose Inn is
for their customers
only.
Further
Information
Advertisers may book space in the Festival programme by calling
01379 586537.
The Festival continues to support the restoration of the bells
in the parish church of St Peter and St
Paul.