Brighton Festival May 3 – 25 2008: A preview by Bill Kenny (BK)

Brighton Festival returns to England’s favourite city-by-the-sea on 3 May 2008.  One of the most progressive mixed arts festivals, Brighton has an unrivalled programme packed full of theatre, dance, music, performance, books and debate, family and outdoor events with a wide range of appeal, over three weeks in May.

Brighton Festival has a growing reputation as the most exciting commissioning and producing arts festival in the UK creating work specifically for and about Brighton. It offers a unique programme celebrating both locally based Brighton creative talents as well as showcasing the best national and international artists. The Festival also delights in exploring unusual spaces in Brighton for its site specific performances and this year events will take place in Dyke Road Grave Yard, Tru nightclub, Wild Park and St Anne’s Wells Gardens as well as major venues like Brighton Dome, Theatre Royal Brighton, Fabrica gallery and The Basement.

This year’s classical programme includes:
 

·           Vaughan Williams: commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Vaughan Williams death, Richard Hickox and the City of London Sinfonia give a rare performance of the tragic one act opera Riders to the Sea and renowned baritone Gerald Finley sings the stunning song cycle Songs of Travel (11May)

·           Tavener extravangza: UK Premiere of Sir John Tavener’s new mass Sollemnitas in Conceptione Immaculate Beatae Maria Virginis which is his longest ever meditation on the Blessed Virgin, is performed alongside a performance by Stephen Isserlis of the hauntingly beautiful The Protecting Veil (20 May)

·           Ian Wilson feature: Irish composer Ian Wilson receives three premieres; two lunchtime events with Slava and Leonard Grigorian giving the world premiere of a new guitar duo (17 May) and the Cappa Quartet performing the UK premiere of Veer (19 May). Then we have the World Premiere of The Handsomest Man in the World, a companion piece to Messian’s Quartet for the end of time (19 May)

·           Tokyo String Quartet: this concert will see the world-renowned Tokyo’s at Glyndebourne giving a recital including Haydn, Webern and Beethoven (4 May)

·           Bootmaker’s Daughter: during Mary Tudor’s reign, 16-year-old Thomasina , the youngest of the 17 Lewes martyrs, was burnt at the stake. In this unique event, her story is brought to life in a new candlelit music/theatre production as an ensemble of actors join forces with the Cardinall’s Musick conducted by Andrew Carwood (7-10 May)

·           Messiaen Anniversary Concert: marking the centenary of Oliver Messiaen’s birth Ian Wilson presents the UK premiere of a compelling new companion piece for the Quartet for the End of Time – Messiaen’s hauntingly beautiful work for small ensemble – narrated by Gavin Friday (19 May)

·           The Philharmonia Orchestra:  The final classical event of this year’s Festival will see Sir Andrew Davies conduct the Phiharmonia performing Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 2 Resurrection and Jonathan Harvey’s electro-acoustic Tranquil Abiding. Soloists include soperano Susan Gritton and mezzo Susan Bickley (25 May)
 

·           Lunchtimes: the quality and variety of our lunchtime  concerts reaches a new level with recitals from Andrew Kennedy (23 May), Elizabeth Watts (17 May)  and Mark Padmore (7 May) as well as other performers including Sarah Williamson (5 May) Ilona Timchenko (9 May), Daniel de Borah (12 May), Pei-Sian Ng (14 May), Cappa String Quartet (16 May), Slava and Leonard Grigoryan (19 May) and Andrew Zolinsky (21 May)
 

·           Theatre/Performance: One of this year’s Festival commissions, Happy Together, sees composer Orlando Gough and his vocal group The Shout join forces with choreographer Luca Silvestrini (Protein Dance) in a highly entertaining promenade performance inspired by the city’s reputation as a the perfect hen and stag party destination. (15-17 May)