WEEK 3 5 – 11 AUG

James

Gilchrist

& Anna Tilbrook: The Earth Has Music

Acclaimed British tenor James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook return with a feast of songs celebrating nature: Mahler’s folk-poetry inspired Lieder from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, songs by Fauré invoking butterflies, autumn leaves and rose-scented gardens, Shakespeare settings by Quilter, and Zoë Martlew’s songs honouring the parks which sustained city-dwellers in lockdown.

Music on Film: 64 Variations

Filmed in a derelict warehouse, 64 Variations is an evocative rendition of Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, performed by violist Lawrence Power, soprano Héloïse Werner, and dancer Sharia Johnson. This atmospheric late-night screening of films by Jessie Rodger, made as part of her creative collaboration with Lawrence Power (ÂME Productions), features music by Bach, Thomas Adès and more.

Free Event

SUN 6 AUG, 5PM (GREAT HALL)

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse: A screening with composer Isobel Waller-Bridge

Join composer Isobel Waller-Bridge for a screening of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse: the Oscar-winning animated short film adapted from the beloved book by Charlie Mackesy. This relaxed, family-friendly event includes a Q&A with Isobel about her score. Advanced booking is essential - reserve your tickets through the Box Office.

SUN 6 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

Waldstein Quartet: Haydn & Britten

The brilliant young Waldstein Quartet returns to Dartington for a programme that gets under the skin of the string quartet. Haydn’s quartet known as the ‘Fifths’ (op. 76 no. 2) is a masterpiece in form, while New York composer Caroline Shaw’s Blueprint is a playful homage to both Haydn and Beethoven. Britten’s String Quartet no. 1, sits alongside three brand new miniatures by resident composer Isobel Waller-Bridge.

SUN 6 AUG, 9.45PM (GREAT HALL)

Matthew Barley & Ivana

Gavrić: Late-Night Brahms

A unique listening experience: Brahms’ Cello Sonata no. 1 in E minor, a perfect pearl of a work written in homage to Bach, played in the candlelit Great Hall by cellist Matthew Barley and pianist Ivana Gavrić.

MON 7 AUG, 5PM (GREAT HALL)

Ben & Dom:

Songs of Friendship

Ben & Dom (Ben See and Dominic Stichbury) are a male voice duo from London whose songs and harmonies are rooted in a love of singing together. Join them as they weave their voices around songs old and new, performing original material alongside new interpretations of folk songs, with lyrics that touch on friendship and nature. Ben & Dom will also run an allcomers singing workshop before the concert at 4pm – see our website for details.

MON 7 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

Florian

Mitrea:

Beethoven & Chopin

Romanian-born pianist and Dartington favourite Florian Mitrea plays two radical sonatas by the young revolutionary Beethoven: op. 2 no. 3, dedicated to Haydn, and op. 13, the Pathétique. He pairs them with works by Chopin who, some 40 years later, reflected the reality of political revolution in his music: a selection of Nocturnes, the Scherzo no. 1 in B Minor, and the dazzling Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, op. 22.

MON 7 AUG, 9.45PM (GREAT HALL)

Zoë Martlew’s Revue-Z:

The Psychiatrist’s Hour

Unhinged, uncensored, underwired: uncategorisable Zoë Martlew’s riotous one-woman show Revue Z: The Psychiatrist’s Hour features a blonde, a cello, a whip and a bit of electronic, interlacing bonkers comedy with her hauntingly beautiful music and virtuosic performance in “a pace that sets the stage on fire” (Independent). Hilarious. Uplifting. Unmissable.

TUE 8 AUG, 5PM (GREAT HALL)

Ivana

Gavrić:

In the mists

Pianist Ivana Gavrić marks Rachmaninov’s 150th anniversary with a selection of Preludes (op. 23) and Moments Musicaux (op. 16). She pairs them with music by two of Rachmaninov’s contemporaries: Janacek’s delicate miniatures In The Mists and darkly turbulent sonata From the Street, 1.X.1905, plus two nocturnes by the long-neglected Croatian composer Dora Pejačević, also born 150 years ago.

TUE 8 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

The Seasons:

Max Richter & Philip Glass

Violinist Thomas Gould leads the strings of Dartington Festival Orchestra in two major 21st-century homages to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Philip Glass wrote his Violin Concerto no.2 ‘American Seasons’ as a companion piece to Vivaldi’s atmospheric concertos, while record-breaking British composer Max Richter blends Baroque style and taste with cinematic writing in his much-loved reworking of Vivaldi’s original, The Four Seasons Recomposed.

TUE 8 AUG, 9.45PM (GREAT HALL)

Héloïse Werner:

Dream Songs & Recitations

French-English soprano/composer Héloïse Werner performs a solo recital which explores the depth and richness of the human voice, and the joys and idiosyncrasies of language. Her own songs, which reflect on living across two languages and identities, sit alongside iconic works for solo voice: Cathy Berberian’s vocal bricolage Stripsody, and George Aperghis’ ground-breaking Récitations. The programme also includes music written for Héloïse’s unique voice by Zoë Martlew and Cheryl Frances-Hoad, and Jonathan Woolgar’s Six Dream Songs

WED 9 AUG, 5PM (GREAT HALL)

Matthew Barley: Electric

Cellist and musical adventurer Matthew Barley shares highlights from his new album Electric, which surveys some of the finest works for cello and electronics written in the last 40 years, including music by Anna Meredith, Jonathan Harvey, Joby Talbot and more.

WED 9 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

Fidelio Trio: Ravel, Furrer & Saint-Saëns

Darragh Morgan (violin), Tim Gill (cello) and Mary Dullea (piano) perform two French works which they have recorded to great acclaim: Ravel’s exquisitely crafted Piano Trio, and Saint-Saëns’ lyrical Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor. They pair these well-loved works with Swiss composer Beat Furrer’s stark and fragile retour an dich (‘return to you’).

WED 9 AUG, 9.45PM (GREAT HALL)

Isobel Waller-Bridge

Following her sell-out debut recital at London’s Southbank Centre, award-winning composer and musician Isobel Waller-Bridge shares some of her most intimate work, including arrangements from her debut solo EP VIII, and more recent works in progress.

FREE EVENT

THU 10 AUG, 5PM (GREAT LAWN)

Tea Dance

Steve Dummer leads our Tea Dance Orchestra in an informal sharing on the lawn. There will be a chance to try out your dance moves too! No need to book!

THU 10 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

Thomas Gould & Florian

Mitrea: Bach, Beethoven & Schubert

Violinist Thomas Gould and pianist Florian Mitrea reunite to perform music by Schubert (Sonata in A major, D657 and Rondo in B minor, D895), the much-loved Spring sonata by Schubert’s hero Beethoven, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, and an arrangement for solo violin of Bach’s majestic Toccata and Fugue in B minor, BWV 565.

THU 10 AUG, 9.30PM (STUDIO 1)

Jason Singh: Venetian Snares

Listening Club

Dartington Artist-in-Residence Jason Singh hosts a special late-night listening session, featuring the ground-breaking Venetian Snares album Rossz Csillag Alatt Született

(Hungarian for ‘born under a bad star’). Canadian producer Aaron Funk creates breathtaking new sound-worlds through the combination of breakbeats, strings, brass, and samples of classical music by Stravinsky, Mahler, Bartok and more.

FREE EVENT

FRI 11 AUG, 5PM (GREAT HALL)

Masterclass Concert

Hear some of the stars of tomorrow performing in the Great Hall, as advanced students from Summer School’s vocal, instrumental and composition courses give an informal sharing of their work. Tickets can be reserved through the Box Office.

FRI 11 AUG, 7.30PM (GREAT HALL)

Rossini’s Stabat Mater

Grace Rossiter directs the Dartington Festival Chorus and Orchestra in Rossini’s sumptuous and operatic setting of the Latin poem, Stabat Mater, which describes the anguish of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross. This rarely performed masterpiece took Rossini a whole decade to complete, and was a true labour of love. Our musicians are joined by four exceptional soloists: soprano Emma Tring, alto Jessica Gillingwater, tenor Stephen Jeffes, and bass Jimmy Holliday.

FRI 11 AUG, 9.45PM (GREAT HALL)

BBC Radio 3’s Night Tracks LIVE

Join us for this one-off, live recording of BBC Radio 3’s Night Tracks, hosted by presenter Sara Mohr-Pietsch. Sit back, relax, and let yourself be guided on a sonic journey through the liminal space between wakefulness and sleep. This special collaboration will feature a mix of live music from Summer School artists, specially recorded soundscapes from the BBC Concert Orchestra, and newly released albums from classical, global and electronic artists.