A trip back in time with saints, sinners, sirens and singers
Thursday August 26 2010
THE eighth annual East Cork Early Music Festival will get underway on Thursday, September 16, with organisers promising a veritable feast of events over its five-day duration.
Now regarded as the leading festival of its kind in Ireland, the festival will bring together a host of leading Irish and international musicians, performing works by some of the most celebrated composers in history.
As in previous years the recitals will take place some of the region most historic and atmospheric venues including Fota House, St John the Baptist Church in Midleton, St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Christchurch in Rushbrooke and UCCs Glucksman Gallery.
Once again the wonderful Curtis Auditorium at the Cork School of Music will also be used to host concerts.
Acclaimed since 2003 for the consistently high quality of its programming, the festival continues to bring the very best performers in the field, attracting audiences from all over the world as well as a devoted local following.
Early Music is one of the liveliest, most moving and listenable genres in the classical field, and stretches from beloved favourites by Handel, Vivaldi and Bach, forward to 19th century repertoire played on original instruments, as well as back through early baroque and Renaissance to the very earliest surviving written music.
This year's festival — entitled Saints and Sinner, Sirens and Singers — will explore several historical landscapes beginning with a concert by The Flautadors, the UKs premier recorder consort at St John the Baptist Church in Midleton. Entitled Music for the Queen of Scots, it will feature a programme of exquisite gems from the Scottish Renaissance and lively French dances interspersed with the words sand poetry of the ill-fated queen herself.
Other highlights of the festival will include a concert by the Irish baroque Orchestra entitled Ireland:1750 at the Curtis Auditorium, the Irish premiere of Sacred Hearts, Secret Music a haunting 16th century period drama at St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh and a performance by Viola da gamba virtuoso Suzanne Heinrich at Fota House.
A full programme of events with dates, times and ticket prices for the festival is available at www. eastcorkearlymusic.ie
- BILL BROWNE BBROWNE@CORKMAN.IE
