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2024 Festival Programme

Love's Labours
Choral Evensong 

Sunday 2nd June, 4pm

St Giles-without-Cripplegate

Free Admission 

The Solis Choir sets the tone for Summer Music in City Churches with a special Choral Evensong celebrating love.

 

Artists:

 

The Solis Choir

 

Programme: ​

 

Preces & responses: Smith 
Canticles: Murrill in E
Anthem: S S Wesley - Blessed be the God and Father

Hymn: Love divine all loves excelling

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays Finzi, Chopin and Mendelssohn 

Thursday 6th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £30 (£15 under-25s)

Finzi, Chopin and Mendelssohn at their joyful, romantic best with the world famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and acclaimed pianist Elizabeth Sombart. Pierre Vallet conducts. 

Artists:

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 

Elizabeth Sombart, piano 

Pierre Vallet, conductor 

Programme:

 

Finzi: Overture to Love's Labours Lost 

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor 

Mendelssohn: Italian Symphony 

The Food of Love: a glittering evening of Shakespearean music, verse and anecdote with Nigel Hess and friends

Friday 7th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £30 (£15 under-25s)

A celebration of the Bard’s love of music, devised and performed by composer and pianist Nigel Hess with actors Nancy Carroll and Richard Teverson and vocalists Michael Dore and Eleanor Grant. 

Artists:

Nigel Hess, piano
Nancy Caroll and Richard Teverson, actors
Michael Dore and Eleanor Grant, vocals 

Programme:

 

An uplifting and heart-warming evening celebrating musical settings of Shakespearean texts and the Bard's writings about music, together with backstage stories of the perils of performance down the years....!

Last Tango in London: Curve Ensemble with David Juritz (violin)

Saturday 8th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £20 (£10 under-25s)

A beguiling programme of music inspired by love, passion and tango. Featuring both Golden Age Tango and the Nuevo Tango of Astor Piazzolla, incidental music from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone, and more. 

Programme:

 

Purcell: Music for a While 

Piazzolla: Michelangelo ‘70 
Piazzolla: Soledad 
Morricone: Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso 
Piazzolla: Escualo 
Piazzolla: Oblivion 
Fauré: Après un Rêve
Piazzolla: Libertango

plus works by Charpentier, Hahn, Bardi, Poldowski, Bragato, Troilo, Ponce, Cobián and Sixto Ríos. 

Artists:

David Juritz, violin
Curve Ensemble

English Piano Quintets and the Lim Fantasy of Companionship Chamber Suite – world premiere

Tuesday 11th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £20 (£10 under-25s)
 

Principals of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with pianist Mark Bebbington perform quintessentially English romantic piano quintets and the world premiere of the Lim Fantasy of Companionship Chamber Suite. With grateful thanks to the Vaughan Williams Foundation. 

Artists:

 

Mark Bebbington, piano

Principals of the RPO 

Programme:

 

Manu Martin: Lim Fantasy of Companionship Chamber Suite
Vaughan Williams: Piano Quintet in C Minor
Elgar: Piano Quintet in A Minor
 

Heart Strings: love letters in string quartets by Mendelssohn and Dvořák

Wednesday 12th June, 1pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £12 (£6 under-25s)

Lunchtime concert of love songs in string quartets by Mendelssohn and Dvořák, performed by Brother Tree Sound.

Artist:

 

Brother Tree Sound string quartet

Programme:

 

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No.2 Op. 13
Dvořák: Cypresses (selection)
 

Art Deco Trio: A Fine Romance – songs from the Great American Songbook

Thursday 12th June, 8pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £20 (£10 under-25s)

Fabulous arrangements of songs from the great American Songbook by pianist Iain Farrington, performed by his wonderful trio. 

Artists:

 

Iain Farrington, piano
Kyle Horch, saxophone
Peter Kyle, clarinet

Programme:

Berlin: Let's face the music and dance
Berlin: Cheek to Cheek 
Berlin: Always 
Berlin: Blue Skies - Puttin' on the Ritz 
Giacchino: Married Life  
TRAD: My Love is like a red, red rose 
Kern: All the things you are 
Kern: A Fine Romance 
Novello: I can give you the starlight 
Novello: Glamorous Night 
Novello: The Glo-Glo  
Arlen: Right as the rain 
Gershwin: Gershwinicity (Let's call the whole thing off, A Foggy Day in London Town, Fascinating Rhythm, Embraceable You, Lady Be Good)

From Russia with Love

Thursday 13th June, 1pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £12 (£6 under-25s)

Lunchtime concert in which Tier3 Trio perform Tchaikovsky’s love duet, Arensky’s romantic trio, and a tribute to the mythical hero for whom love conquered all. 

Artists:

 

Tier3 Trio:
                         
Joseph Wolfe, violin
Jonathan Ayling, cello
Daniel Grimwood, piano

Programme:

Liszt: Orpheus
Tchaikovsky: Andante
Arensky: Trio in D Minor

Archangel: A Foray into Fauré

Thursday 13th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £20 (£10 under-25s)

A breath-taking love story in words and music, celebrating the centenary of Gabriel Fauré. Performed by Fenella Humphreys (violin), Viv McLean (piano) and author/narrator Jessica Duchen. 

Artists:

 

Viv McLean, piano
Fenella Humphreys, violin                        
Jessica Duchen, author/narrator 

Programme:

 

Viardot: 6 Morceaux extract - No. 1 Romance
Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre
Fauré: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 13
Fauré: Après un rêve
Chausson: Poème
Ravel: Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré
Ravel: Tzigane

Die Schöne Müllerin

Friday 14th June, 1pm

St Giles-without-Cripplegate

Tickets £12 (£6 under-25s)

 

Perhaps the most celebrated of romantic song cycles, Schubert’s chronicle of the love of a young journeyman miller for a miller’s beautiful young daughter. 

Artists:

 

David Greco, baritone
Gavin Roberts, piano 

Programme:

 

Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin

‘My true love said…’ – Shakespeare in Song

Friday 14th June, 6.15pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £10 (£5 under-25s)

 

Exactly on the 130th anniversary of the founding of City of London School for Girls, the City of London Schools’ Camerata perform settings of Shakespeare by Will Todd, John Rutter, Cecilia McDowall, Saffiya Chenaf (CLSG Music Scholar) and Richard Quesnel (Director of Music). 

Artists:

 

City of London Schools’ Camerata
Richard Quesnel, conductor

Programme:

 

Jussi Chydenius: Fear no more the heat ‘o’ th’ sun
Will Todd: It was a lover and his lass
Cecilia McDowall: Sigh no more ladies
Richard Quesnel: Full fathom five
Will Todd: I sing because…
Saffiya Chenaf: Come away, Death
Richard Quesnel: This Love
John Rutter: When daisies pied (from Birthday Madrigals)

Rhapsody in Blue

Friday 14th June, 7.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £15 (£7.50 under-25s)

 

Viv McLean performs a kaleidoscopic programme of romantic music for solo piano, built around George Gershwin’s great love letter to New York, 100 years after its first performance. 

Artists:

 

Viv McLean, piano 

Programme:

 

Scarlatti: Sonata in D Minor K. 213
Scarlatti: Sonata in E K. 380
Scarlatti: Sonata in D K. 491
Beethoven: Sonata in C Sharp Minor Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight"
Chopin: Waltz in A Minor Op. 34 No. 1
Chopin: Waltz in C Sharp Minor Op. 64 No. 2
Piazzolla: Oblivion & Libertango 
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

Then Sing We All! 

Saturday 15th June, 6.30pm
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
Tickets £30 (£15 under-25s, £5 under-12s)

 

The City of London Choir rounds off its 60th birthday season with Roderick Williams, Rachel Nicholls and Iain Farrington in uplifting music for all the family, celebrating love for the earth and its inhabitants, and for the gift of singing.

Artists:

 

Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Roderick Williams, baritone

Izzi Blain, alto

Max Robbins, tenor 
Iain Farrington, piano

Andrew Pask, double bass 

Matt Senior, drums/percussion
Hilary Davan Wetton, conductor 
Daniel Hyde, conductor
City of London Choir

Programme:

 

Horovitz: Captain Noah & His Floating Zoo
Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst 
Tippett: Five Spirituals
Dankworth: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day
Iain Farrington: Then Sing We All

Grateful thanks to Shehara de Soysa for logo design of Love's Labours
 
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