SUMMER...
... IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
HIGHLIGHTS
(believe it or not)
1-5 JULY
16TH EAST NEUK FESTIVAL WELCOME TO THE
This is one of my favourite times of the year: the details for the ENF2020 fall into place and, although there is still some way to go, I can share some highlights with you as a taster.
BEETHOVEN 2020 is a BIG year for Beethoven lovers as we celebrate his 250th birthday. For ENF pretty much any year is ‘Beethoven Year’, so I have avoided overkill and opted to feature a small selection of his works that share one quality he brought to music as no one before him had; his profound mystery, immensity and epic scale: Grosse Fuge, Hammerklavier Sonata, Diabelli Variations: every one a world-changing work which we offer as our Happy Birthday to him.
ARVO PÄRT Mystery, reflection and a sense of the immensity of things lies at the heart of Arvo Pärt’s music. You will find it throughout the programme: the shortest piece is minutes long, his captivating Variations on the Healing of Arinushka. Simple and spare as it sounds, it has inspired thousands of imitators. At the other end of the scale, The Tallis Scholars sing his Kanon Pokojanen for the first time at ENF. This dark, magnificent, spectacular piece is inspired by Russian Orthodox choral tradition.
CALIDORE & CASTALIAN If there are two more marvellous young string quartets, I do not know them: both return to ENF with programmes tailored to us, ranging from the ‘father of the quartet’ – Haydn – to recent work by Caroline Shaw and Thomas Ades.
NEW DISCOVERIES I am especially excited to bring to ENF some of the musicians I have heard elsewhere this year who have thrilled and delighted me – I hope you enjoy them too. From Prague, the Belfiato Quintet come to make their UK public debut. I have never heard a finer wind ensemble. In Anstruther we will also be presenting jazz, traditional and world music… more details in February.
VENUES Each year we pride ourselves on listening to feedback and responding where we can. Last year, lots of people told us that much as they liked the Bowhouse, they also liked visiting different venues. So, we have returned to a more varied selection of venues and hope you will find it appealing and satisfying. Svend McEwan-Brown
WEDNESDAY 1 JULY
THURSDAY 2 JULY
FRIDAY 3 JULY
The full programme will be released on 7 February 2020, which will include more chamber music, world music, salsa, percussion and swing.
BOHEMIAN WINDS 1
ENF RETREAT
11.30am, Kilrenny Church
11.30am, Kilrenny C
A truly exciting discovery for me in 2019 was the Belfiato Quintet. Hailing from Prague these young wind players bring the depth of commitment and passion to wind music that string players bring to quartets. Together for 10 years, they play their repertoire better than anyone I have heard. I am grateful to Hedley G Wright for sponsoring 2 concerts: this one pairs Mozart and his contemporary Rejcha, then closes with Janáček’s tour de force, Mládí.
The ENF Retreat is this year (about whi February) and we a to welcome back 3 Retreatants (Benjam violin; Diyang Mei, v Calver, cello) and le Valentin Erben who them in Mozart’s lat Divertimento in E-fla
DIABELLI VARIATIONS
JULIAN BLISS SEP
4pm, Crail Church
7.30pm, Anstruther
Thoughtful and intriguing as ever, Yeol Eum Son offers a sharp juxtaposition of two sets of variations: Pärt’s tiny, minimal Variations on the Healing of Arinushka side by side with Beethoven’s amazing voyage of discovery: 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli.
Having wowed us w moves in 2017, Juli are back to swing h Golden Age of Holly
CALIDORE QUARTET & YEOL EUM SON
GROSSE FUGE
TALLIS SCHOLARS
7.30pm, Crail Church
9.45pm, Kilrenny Ch
7.30pm, Crail Church
The Calidore Quartet scale the heights of the repertoire by playing Beethoven’s astounding Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130/133 ‘Grosse Fuge’. It’s a breath-taking achievement by players and composer alike; they open with a piece by NY based Caroline Shaw, Entr’acte, a surprise hit here a few years ago when Castalian Quartet played it – delightful and moving music.
The Tallis Scholars concerts this year, o one immense. This atmospheric, late ev of Renaissance ma string music by Joh played by Diyang M Calver.
Here are a few highlights to tempt you.
Our one and only concert on opening day is very special. Korean pianist Son (who has her own chamber music festival in Korea) returns to ENF with a typically enticing sequence of waltzes in the first half; then she is joined by the Calidore Quartet for Dvořak’s Piano Quintet – pure sunshine.
Cover image: Giulio Magnifico on Unsplash
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SATURDAY 4 JULY
SUNDAY 5 JULY
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
HARP IN THE LANDSCAPE
Church
11.30am, Crail Church
11.30, Kilconquhar Church
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It has been too long since Llŷr Williams appeared at East Neuk, so it is wonderful to have him back for a pair of recitals over the weekend. Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is the big beast in this all-Russian programme, but Williams sets the scene with Tchaikovsky’s piano miniatures evoking different months and seasons.
I was thrilled to discover harpist Oliver Wass's playing. It is an utter delight, and we are working on a special programme for ENF, inspired by the idea of landscape.
PTET
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN
HAMMERKLAVIER
4pm, Kilrenny Church
2pm, Crail Church
Saturday is a day of big pieces, and Schubert’s exhilarating, Romantic ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet is at the heart of the Calidore Quartet’s final concert of ENF 2020.
This being Beethoven year, Llŷr Williams is performing complete cycles of his sonatas in many places – I asked him to pick out just two for us, and he brings the 'Appassionata', then the thunderous 'Hammerklavier'.
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PÄRT/BACH
FESTIVAL FINALE
7.30pm, The Bowhouse
5pm, The Bowhouse
I’m sorry if, on Saturday evening, you face a stark choice: we have hot guitar jazz from the master, Martin Taylor, in Anstruther, and one of the most powerful and beautiful pieces written for choir in the last 80 years at The Bowhouse. The Tallis Scholars bring their largest ever East Neuk line-up to sing Pärt’s Kanon Pokojanen ̶ for the very first time. Its sound world is ancient and modern: you can hear the sombre power of Russian Orthodox choir in it, but also a touching, frail humanity.
I am delighted that The Castalian Quartet liked the idea of performing with the SCO as much as I hoped – so they are going to play 2 British classics for quartet and orchestra: Elgar’s Introduction & Allegro, and Vaughan-Williams’ Tallis Fantasia. We sign off for 2020 with the exciting young Swedish conductor, Daniel Blendulf directing Beethoven’s Second Symphony.
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Artistic Director: Svend McEwan-Brown General Manager: Ian Gray East Neuk Festival is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC036207, and a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland, No: SC413581. VAT Registration No: 865346694.
THE FUTURE: SUPPORT THE ENF We’ve said it before and we will say it again. ENF thrives because it is so loyally supported by the people who come to it. Donations from private individuals account for more than 40% of our total turnover year after year. Add in the tickets they buy and that becomes 60%. Knowing they are there helps us plan 2 to 3 years ahead with confidence, and that is a big part of what makes our programme so special. If you are already a patron, THANK YOU! If you would like to start supporting, THANK YOU! Hopefully all the info you will need is on this brochure, but please contact ian@eastneukfestival.com with any questions. Please note these date changes:
Patron level
Donation
Booking opens
Max. priority tickets per concert
Premier
£1,000+
MON 10 FEB
12
Gold
£500+
MON 10 FEB
10
Silver
£250+
TUE 11 FEB
8
Bronze
£150+
TUE 11 FEB
6
Subscriber
£50+
WED 12 FEB
2
General Booking!
Festival reception with music
THU 13 FEB
ENF ENDOWMENT The ENF Endowment is our bid to future-proof ENF and ensure that it continues to bring artists and audience together for special, unique experiences for many years to come. Quite simply, we believe the artists when they tell us that coming to ENF gives them the chance to play repertoire they don’t get to perform elsewhere, with artists they don’t meet elsewhere, or simply to refresh their way of doing things. They tell us we have one of the best, most attentive audiences anywhere. And we believe our audiences when they confirm that ENF’s friendly combination of excellence, internationalism, locale, intimacy and informality is what brings them back year after year. It is what makes us unique and we want it to continue. The ENF Endowment is a separate charity intended to create a fund that can support ENF’s work and enable it face future challenges. It has now reached more than £20,000 and grows every month. Our deep thanks to everyone who has made a gift to it. If you would like to contribute, or maybe think of making a legacy donation to the ENF or the ENF Endowment, please do contact ian@eastneukfestival.