Director Nick Gray introduces this screening of his classic documentary of the true story of Delius and his amanuensis Eric Fenby, introduced by the film-maker. It is a twentieth century legend of the young man from Scarborough assisting the Bradford-born, blind and paralysed composer complete his life’s work. The film features a contribution from Yehudi Menuhin and an appearance of Tasmin Little when she was a student at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Tea and cake available afterwards with a chance to meet Nick Gray.
Tickets: £6
Schubert arr. Piatigorsky Introduction, Theme and Variations in B flat D968a
Prokofiev Ballade Op 15
Delius Cello Sonata
Schubert Sonata in A minor ‘Arpeggione’ D821
Regular visitors since the 1990s, Raphael Wallfisch and John York were celebrating 35 years as a duo on their last visit to the Festival in 2017 and Raphael returned in the Autumn to play the Bach cello suites in a fund-raising concert in Warwick. This concert begins with an arrangement of Schubert’s music by the great American cellist, Igor Piatigorsky, with whom Raphael studied, and adds some exhilarating Prokofiev to the Delius Sonata and Schubert’s ‘Arpeggione’.
Tickets: £16 reserved, £13 unreserved sides.
Concert generously supported by Peter Glanfield
Lucy Russell and Marcus Barcham Stevens violins
Alan George viola, Sally Pendlebury cello
Schubert Sehnsucht D636
Schubert Quartettsatz (ii: Andante) D703
Schubert Gute Nacht from ‘Winterreise’
Roderick Williams Fremd bin ich (première)
Delius Late Swallows
Schubert Quartet in G D887
The Fitzwilliam Quartet returns to Leamington with a concert that reflects three strands of the Festival programme. It involves Roderick Williams, described as a national treasure by BBC Music Magazine, as performer and composer, with the première of a work he has written specially for the Quartet and which is a further extension of his Schubert crusade that has seen him perform all three song cycles for Leamington Music. The Quartet in turn champions Schubert’s quartets, in particular the greatest and last of them all in G major. Delius is also part of their mission and leads us to the BBC documentary to be shown on Sunday 5 May in the afternoon.
Tickets: £24 and £19 reserved, £14 unreserved sides.
Brahms Sonatensatz WoO2
Delius Violin Sonata No 2
Prokofiev Violin Sonata No 2 in D Op 94a
Schubert Moment Musicale No 4 in C sharp minor D780
Strauss Violin Sonata in E flat Op 18
Szymanowski Notturno e Tarantella Op 28
There can be no finer beginning to the thirtieth Festival than a concert from Tasmin Little, and we look forward to welcoming Andrey Gugnin to Leamington for the first time. Tasmin has for years delighted audiences in the area, playing at Charlecote Park, in Leamington, Leamington Hastings, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Arts Centre and Warwick town. A pupil of Yehudi Menuhin, she has championed Delius and, more recently, Szymanowski and includes both of them in the wide-ranging programme that opens the Festival. Awarded the OBE in 2012 and with appearances all over the world, she can, ”justly be regarded as Britain’s finest violinist.” (The Independent). She has performed with Andrey Gugnin in Australia and throughout the UK, and we have a solo recital from Andrey to look forward to as our Monday lunchtime concert.
Tickets: £24 and £19 reserved, £14 unreserved sides.