WELCOME TO HELLENSMUSIC 2023
Our 10th Anniversary brings us back together with – what I hope you’ll experience – as a firework display of passions, ideas, and good music!
Our dream stays the same however: to bring you world music old and new, with our soloists old and new, with our young talents, and a great bunch of students, and all to show and share how it’s done and what it takes, with you our other half!
The Masterclasses through the week are free to all, as is our opening concert on SUNDAY MAY 7th, with the pupils of Bosbury Primary School – an inspirational place where the governors and teachers have created a cultural and musical dynamo, unrivalled in the County! All the concerts throughout the programme of events are FREE to school children and students.
This year we’ll be welcoming new musicians joining our all-star ensemble. Alena Baeva (violin), Nicolas Dupont (violin), Vicki Powell (viola) and Bruno Delepelaire (cello) back at last! Look ’em up they’re all quite special!
Our evening concerts start with a special night at St Bartholomew’s church where the Belgian Trio D’Or together with Máté Szucs, will perform original music based on melodies from Romania and Hungary, and contemporary Klezmer music – the players’ virtuosic and improvisatory skills will surely make this a great night out.
On Thursday we have our first chamber music evening at Hellens inspired by composers´muses, where we will hear an all-German programme by our Hellens ensemble with works by Brahms, Widmann and Clara Schumann.
Friday is an intense musical day with a diverse programme. We will start the evening with a concert with music across generations, from Mozart to the contemporary New York composer Caroline Shaw, when our regular ensemble will be joined by some of the talented students of Hellensmusic masterclass programme. You are later invited to join us for Music at the Pub, in our ever popular concert with a programme from German romanticism to Brazilian classics and famous popular music of the 1920 and 30s. There is always a surprise this evening at the Walwyn arms!
Saturday evening we await with bated breath! for the first time all members of Hellensmusic will be playing on stage together, 16 musicians, including our masterclass students will perform a programme of great-works from Strauss, Schoenberg, and Chopin reimagined, for a celebration of our 10th anniversary. The evening will be led by internationally acclaimed pianist and Hellensmusic founder, Christian Blackshaw.
Finally, we invite you for two day time concerts on the Sunday, to enjoy music from Beethoven, Elgar and solo repertoire from our masterclass students playing together with their tutors. I find these performances electrifying because you can really feel the new generation grabbing with both hands the gift and the experience of playing with the old hands!
All of us here at Hellens much look forward to welcoming you for these days, and to sharing our love of music with you.
Warm regards
Adam Munthe
Festival Chairman