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Three Choirs Festival 2009: A Preview  from John Quinn (JQ)


The Three Choirs Festival, which can trace its origins back to the early eighteenth century, is probably the oldest musical festival in the world and the 2009 Festival will be the 281st meeting of the Three Choirs. Each summer the festival rotates between the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester. This year it’s the turn of Hereford to host the Festival, which runs from 8 to 15 August. The Festival will be directed by Geraint Bowen, the Master of the Music at Hereford Cathedral.

The festival is marking the anniversaries of three composers who, in Geraint Bowen’s words, became “honorary Englishmen” on account of the popularity of their music in England during their respective lifetimes. So the music of Handel (died 1759), of Haydn (died 1809) and of Mendelssohn (born 1809) will occupy places of honour in the programme. And one particular Haydn work, Die Jahreszeiten (August 11), gives the festival its theme of the seasons.

That theme is picked up in many offerings, including Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, conducted by the exciting Tugan Sokhiev (9 August) – one wonders how the keen rhythms of that work will fare in the cathedral’s resonant acoustic. There’s also Britten’s Spring Symphony (10 August) and, inevitably, I suppose, Vivaldi’s surely over-exposed The Four Seasons (9 August).

Several of the great oratorios are to be heard and each of those chosen by Mr Bowen is a perennial Three Choirs Festival favourite, and rightly so. The first major concert of the festival will be devoted to a performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius (8 August) while Handel will be represented by Israel in Egypt, a wonderful work, endowed with a profusion of exciting choruses. This performance will be given by the choirs of the three Cathedrals, a strong solo team and the period instrument band, Music for Awhile. The guest conductor will be the estimable Stephen Layton (12 August).

I had a number of reservations about the Worcester festival programme last year, not least the fact that the closing concert consisted of film music. I’m delighted to see Geraint Lewis has reverted to a major choral work for his final concert, as these are surely the raison d’être of the Three Choirs. Mendelssohn’s mighty Elijah will, in one sense, bring down the curtain on the 2009 Festival (14 August). But though the traditional aspects of the festival may end at that point there is another day of largely community-based events on 15 August, including a morning Gregorian Chant workshop and, in the evening, an event called The Gathering Wave, which will bring together adult and children’s singing groups from all over Herefordshire for an evening of music making in the cathedral.

There are fifty-one events in the festival calendar. One can’t mention them all so here is an unashamedly personal selection of other events. The festival moves from Hereford to the glorious setting that is Tewkesbury Abbey for an afternoon performance of Bach’s B minor Mass. This should be rather special as it will be given by Ralph Allwood and his justly celebrated Rodolfus Choir (10 August). A late-night concert in Hereford Cathedral by brass players from the Philharmonia should be interesting, though I wonder what Vaughan Williams’ ‘Tallis’ Fantasia will sound like in an arrangement for brass? (10 August). Organ enthusiasts will be keen to hear David Briggs in recital (12 August) while the fine British tenor James Oxley should be well worth hearing in Schubert’s Winterreise (12 August).

Last, but emphatically not least, one should note that the festival will have a composer in residence. John McCabe, whose seventieth birthday falls this year, is being feted by Three Choirs and there are several important performances. The early music ensemble Stile Antico gives the first performance of his Woefully Arrayed as part of a programme of music for Holy Week (11 August). The next McCabe opportunity will be the world première of the orchestral version of Songs of the Garden, a work that sets poems that chart the progress of the seasons through the year (13 August). If that’s anything like his wonderfully atmospheric Notturni ed Alba it should be well worth hearing. And finally, on the following evening Hereford will host the UK première of McCabe’s Les martinets noirs, a piece for two violins and orchestra (14 August). John McCabe is one of Britain’s most distinguished composers and it’s good to see him honoured in this way by the festival.

As usual the festival week will include Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral choirs on most evenings. It will be a busy week for the choristers and lay clerks who, along with the Festival Chorus, will provide the vocal backbone of the festival. The instrumental spine will be provided by the Philharmonia Orchestra, which will be in residence throughout. Geraint Bowen has assembled an enticing and varied programme. Let us hope that Hereford is blessed with fine weather during the week. Fine music is guaranteed.

Full details of the Festival are available at http://www.3choirs.org/  Bookings can be made either online or by contacting the Festival Office, c/o 10, Castle Street, Hereford, HR1 2NL United Kingdom. Telephone 0845 652 1823 (NOTE: This number is available only from Monday 18 May.)

John Quinn


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