May 19th - 26th

Fourth International Hummel Festival

The great period for Classical Music, 1770 - 1828, is dominated by just four great composers, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. It is hardly known that there was a fifth, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, many of whose works bear comparison with his illustrious colleagues. Why he became forgotten is a long story that will soon be told, but includes the disruptive genius of his near contemporary Beethoven, whom he might have succeeded, the pact he made with his beautiful young wife, Elisabeth Röckel, to give up being a composer after their marriage in 1813, and his propensity to enjoy life. Hummel is the direct line from Mozart to Chopin, and his music is always a delight. The purpose of the festival is to provide a showcase for Hummel's wonderful music, and to help restore his reputation to what it was in his lifetime, a great composer whose music provided delight throughout the musical world. Highlights include three rarely heard piano concerti, the piano trios performed by the Gould Piano Trio (ahead of their recording of these works for Naxos), the Missa Solemnis (considered by pianist/conductor Howard Shelley to bear comparison with Haydn's Creation and Mozart's Requiem), and the first performance since 1812 of the complete ballet masterpiece, Sappho, including the two numbers for 4-part male voice choir. This will be in a chamber version. The Hummel Ensemble will be led by Martin Smith and will include old friends David Cohen (Cello - formerly principal cello of the Philharmonia) and Jiri Zigmund (Viola - of the Wihan Quartet). Susie Candlin has had to withdraw as a result of tendonitis.

 

In addition we have three guests who will add much to the event. Joel Sachs, the celebrated American musicologist and musician, was the first person to lift the curtain on Hummel in recent times. Many of Hummel's non-published works have S numbers (S1-S205) - S for Sachs. Joel will give a piano recital on the last day, and share with us his Hummel journey. Also he has agreed to participate in a debate on his famous utterenace that "Hummel was as good as a composer could be without being a genius." Mark Kroll is the author of the only English language biography of Hummel, "Johann Nepomuk Hummel - A Musician's life and world." Mark is now working on a biography of a near contemporary of Hummel, Ignaz Moscheles, which has as a by-product further revelations about Hummel's life which he will share with us. Finally, Irene Lawford is the author of ‘MUSIC PUBLISHING AND PATRONAGE – C.F. Peters: 1800 to the Holocaust’. Peters was a friend and publisher of Hummel and they had a considerable correspondence (which Hummel insisted should not be published as it contains personal perspectives. I have asked Irene to research this material and she will be giving a talk and disclosing some of the most interesting material. So this promises to be a revelationary Hummel Festival.

 

Le Faure, 19.00 Saturday, May 19

Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.35 in G
Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.93 in E flat

Beethoven: Archduke Trio, Op. 97

The Gould Trio

 

Le Faure, 11.30 Sunday, May 20

Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.22 in F
Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.96 in E flat

Dvořák: "Dumky" Trio, Op.90 in E minor

The Gould Trio

 

Barbecue Lunch at Le Faure, 20€

 

Concert in Church of Gensac, 16.30

Mozart: Coronation Mass, K317
Hummel: Missa Solemnis

S'otto Voce Choir, Conductor Patrick Hilliard

 

11.30 am Monday, May 21

Beethoven: Piano Trio in E flat, Hees.Verz 48
Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.65 in G

Beethoven: Piano Trio, Op.1, No.1

The Gould Trio

Buffet Lunch, followed by visit to Château Belair, St.Emilion 45€

19.00 Monday, May 21

Hummel: Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.34
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no.1 in C, Op.15

Christopher Hinterhuber (Piano), Hummel Ensemble

 

 11.00 Tuesday, May 22
Hummel: Piano Sonata in F sharp minor, Op.81
Beethoven: "Waldstein" Piano Sonata, Op.53

Christopher Hinterhuber (Piano)

Lunch at Michelin-starred Le tour des Vents, followed by visit to Château Monbazillac 60€

19.00 Tuesday, May 22

Hummel: Sappho, Acts 1&2 (1st performance since 1812)
Hummel: Violin sonata, Op.5, No.2

Beethoven: Violin Sonata, Op.12, No.2

Hummel Ensemble, Martin Smith (Violin), Maureen Galea (Piano)

 

11.30 Wednesday, May 23

Piano recital including works by Hummel, Vorisek, Smetana & Suk

Maureen Galea (Piano)

Buffet lunch followed by visit to Château de Montaigne, home of the famous French philosopher 40€

19.00 Wednesday, May 23

Hummel: Sappho, Acts 3-5 (1st performance since 1812
Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.12

Hummel: Viola sonata, Op.5 No.3

 

Thursday, May 24

Visit to the Médoc, Châteaux Cos d'Estournel and Pichon-Longueville-Lalande, with picnic lunch 50€

19.00

Hummel:Piano Concerto No.6 in F, Op.post
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58

Christopher Hinterhuber (Piano), Hummel Ensemble

 

11.30 Friday, May 25

Beethoven: Six Bagatelles, Op.126
Hummel: Piano Sonata, Op.106

Joel Sachs (Piano)

Lunch at local restaurant followed by historical guide to Aquitaine with Douglas Boyd, author of Eleanor, April Queen of Aquitaine 40€

 

19.00 Friday, May 25

Recital of tenor and soprano arias and duets from Hummel & Mozart operas

Philippe Do (Tenor), Maud Millar (Soprano), Maureen Galea (Piano)

 

 

Prices: £995 for complete event, excluding travel (on which we can advise) and optional day trips. Inclusive of continental breakfast, concert, dinner with wines, aperitifs and en-suite accommodation. £170 per night for shorter stays.

Local airports, Bordeaux (60 mins) and Bergerac (40 mins), plus TGVat Libourne (30 mins). Ryanair, Easyjet, BA, Flybe and others.

June 30 - July 6

Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra

CUCO is Cambridge University's flagship chamber orchestra, made up of the most talented student instrumentalists at Cambridge, who perform regularly under professional conductors, and alongside distinguished concerto soloists. The orchestra enjoys a reputation as one of the best ensembles of its kind, with recent projects including a concert and recording of Mozart and Haydn conducted by Sir Roger Norrington (December 2011), and a performance of Wagner and Debussy under the baton of Sir Mark Elder (January 2012. During this visit it will be conducted by 21-year-old Harry Ogg, the Cambridge University Music Society conducting scholar, who had a great success with his Sinfonia d’Amici at our Festival last September autumn Festival.

Price:   £1075 per person excluding five day trips, £1375 including. £170 per night for shorter stays excluding day trips. Inclusive of concerts, aperitifs, en-suite accommodation, breakfast, dinner with wines. Single supplement £140, or £20 per night.

Concert tickets for non-residents 20€.