Brinkburn Priory previews the Proms
The Journal
FIRST stop Brinkburn, next stop The Proms.
Beautiful and beautifully appointed Brinkburn Priory in Northumberland will form the backdrop for a special preview performance as part of the annual classical music festival which starts tomorrow.
The acclaimed Gabrieli Consort & Players will be giving music-lovers a taster there next weekend of its production of Haydn’s The Creation, ahead of its performance at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall the following week.
It promises to be a fabulous finalé to Brinkburn Music Festival which opens tomorrow and runs over two weekends.
The concert – next Sunday, July 12 – will form part of the closing celebrations of the festival, now in its 16th year.
Joining the Gabrieli Players – and also set to perform with them in London on July 18 – will be internationally renowned soloists Rosemary Joshua, Mark Padmore and Neal Davies, plus Chetham’s Chamber Choir.
Paul McCreesh, artistic director of both the festival and Gabrieli Consort and Players, said: "We’re really proud to have been asked to perform at this year’s BBC Proms and are delighted that we can give our Brinkburn audience a taster of what the ‘Promenaders’ will hear a week later."
Audiences will be in for a treat, as the most recent recording by Gabrieli Consort and Players of Haydn’s The Creation won them a Gramophone Award in last year’s Record of the Year choral category.
Other singers and musicians to look out for during the festival will be Seaham-born baritone Sir Thomas Allen, leading British tenor Mark Padmore performing with world class pianist Paul Lewis, the sought-after Anglo-Irish Carducci Quartet and leading British Baroque group Red Priest.
For more details visit www.brinkburnmusic.org o r call (0191) 265-7777. Tickets are available by calling the Maltings in Berwick on (01289) 330999.
Festival Programme
THE festival programme at the 12th Century Brinkburn Priory.
Tomorrow (Friday 3rd July), 7.30pm: Red Priest.
Saturday 4th July, 3pm: Two members of Red Priest, Piers Adams and Howard Beach, return with a soaring family concert of recorder music.
Saturday 4th July, 7.30pm: The Carducci Quartet, with a programme of Haydn, Moeran and Beethoven.
Sunday 5th July, 3pm: Director Paul McCreesh and The Gabrieli Consort’s I Heard a Voice from Heaven.
Sunday 5th July, 5.30pm: Choral Evensong with the Brinkburn Festival Choir and some Gabrieli guests.
Next Friday 10th July: Tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Paul Lewis perform a song cycle by Franz Schubert.
Saturday 11th July, 4pm: Mark Padmore leads a masterclass for young singers from the region.
Saturday 11th July, 7.30pm: Sir Thomas Allen returns to his native North East for an evening of song – ranging from 18th Century Germany to 20th Century England – accompanied by pianist Caroline Dowdle.
Sunday 12th July, 3.30pm: Gabrieli Players, soloists and Chetham’s Chamber Choir perform the scaled-down version of Haydn’s The Creation.
Food will be available, but festival-goers are welcome to take a picnic. There will a bar selling wines, Champagne and Pimms.
