Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite for Solo Piano
Stravinsky Three Movements from Petrushka
Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Suite for Solo Piano
Stravinsky Infernal Dance, Berceuse, and Finale from The Firebird
Back in Leamington by popular demand, Andrey Gugnin was introduced to the Festival in 2019 by the violinist Tasmin Little and they launched it with a memorable concert. Three days later, Andrey gave a lunchtime concert which ended with a performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which prompted an immediate standing ovation and invitations to return to the Festival – this is now his third solo concert for us.
Andrey studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and soon after leaving began to win an impressive number of prizes in Vienna, Sydney, Zagreb, and many others. Valery Gergiev invited him to appear with the London Philharmonic and Mariinsky Orchestras and he has performed in many of the most important concert halls across the world. We can certainly look forward to some fireworks in this Festival Finale!
This concert is generously supported by Peter Glanfield
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9.30pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £28 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £18 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
‘My Father’s Son’
Howells The Little Boy Lost
Britten ‘Midnight on the Great Western’ and
‘Proud Songsters’ from Winter Words Op. 52;
‘The Larky Lad’ from Who Are These Children?, Op. 84;
‘A Highland Balou’ from A Charm of Lullabies, Op. 41
Fauré Les Berceaux, Op. 23 No. 1
Tippett ‘Full fathom five’ from Songs for Ariel
Orr ‘Shy Geordie’ and ‘The Boy in the Train’ from Songs of a Childhood
Rzewski ‘No Good’ from Dear Diary
Tchaikovsky At the ball, Op. 38 No. 3
Libby Larsen Pregnant
Victoria Wood Litter Bin
Wolf Mörike-Lieder: 48. Storchenbotschaft
William Bolcom Waitin
Dunhill The Cloths of Heaven
Ireland ‘Baby’ from Mother and Child
Barber A Slumber Song of the Madonna
Mahler Rückert Lieder: 4. Um Mitternacht
Previn ‘Will there really be a morning?’ from Three Dickinson Songs
Legrand Little Boy Lost
“Although this recital uses the words of others, it might as well be autobiographical,” said Nicky Spence in an article about this very programme in Gramophone. An examination of parenthood through the eyes of two performers who have gone through this very process, this programme takes in a whole range of viewpoints on matters parental, each song carefully considered in relation to the others.
Winner of the BBC Music Magazine Personality of the Year 2022 and world-renowned opera singer Nicky is an artist and broadcaster of great integrity and one of Scotland’s proudest sons, who was made an OBE in the King’s inaugural Birthday Honours in 2023 for services to Music. Multi-award winning pianist Dylan Perez is much in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician, and coach specialising in vocal repertoire.
This concert is generously supported in memory of Martin and Barbara Rantzen
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 4pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £6.50 under-35s | £3 child/student
Miguez Violin Sonata in A Major, Op.14
Brahms Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100
Young Artist Spotlight Concert
Recently awarded the Grand Prize of both the Concert Artist Guild and Young Classical Artist Trust (YCAT) competitions, Brazilian violinist Nathan Amaral has also been collecting First and Special Prizes from plenty of other international competitions as well as being named one of Classic FM’s Rising stars under 30. Texas-born pianist Jonathan Ware is a previous YCAT winner who has also been collecting prizes across the globe.
Brazilian composer Leopoldo Miguez’s Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 14, written in 1885, offers lyrical richness while balancing evocative, nocturnal beauty and a Kreisler-like sweetness, and is the very definition of a forgotten gem to be rediscovered (or newly discovered for many), while Brahms’s Sonata is most certainly a favourite treasure.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 12 noon
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £6.50 under-35s | £3 child/student
Schumann Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter Op. 99
Howard Skempton Chorales and Inventions (2025)
Clara Schumann Notturno Op. 6 No. 2
Fauré Nocturne No. 6
Debussy L’Isle Joyeuse
Described by The Sunday Times as “a thoughtful, poetic player”, William Howard is one of Britain’s leading pianists and enjoys a career that has taken him to over 40 different countries. His performing life consists of solo recitals, concerto performances, and guest appearances with chamber ensembles and instrumentalists. In 1983 he founded the Schubert Ensemble, with which he performed for the full 35 years of the Ensemble’s existence (it gave its final concert in June 2018).
William is passionate about 19th-century piano repertoire, particularly Schumann and Fauré, and throughout his professional life he has also been active in commissioning new works and has taken part in over 100 premières. Our ‘Favourite treasures, Forgotten gems’ theme shines out in this recital’s wonderful programme.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 1pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £6.50 under-35s | £3 child/student
Guarneri Piano Trio
Čeněk Pavlík violin | Marek Jerie cello | Ivan Klanský piano
Beethoven Piano Trio No. 9 in B flat major, WoO 39
Beethoven Piano Trio No. 7 in B flat Major, Op. 97 ‘Archduke’
Dvořák Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 ‘Dumky’
The Guarneri Piano Trio, is one of best in the world and has given several memorable concerts in Leamington over the years. The Trio celebrates its 40th anniversary in its original line-up in 2026, a milestone in the lives of three outstanding artists.
The ensemble bears the family name of the makers of both string instruments used by the Trio. Čeněk Pavlík plays the famous ‘Zimbalist’ violin by Guarneri del Gesù from the precious collection of Luigi Tarisio, while Marek Jerie plays a cello made by Andrea Guarneri in 1684.
This will certainly be a tour-de-force performance of the great Trios by Beethoven and Dvořák and is one absolutely not to be missed!
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9.30pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £28 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £18 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Penelope Appleyard soprano
Jonathan Delbridge square piano
Sense & Musicality
While away an hour in the drawing room exploring Jane Austen’s relationship with music, emotion, and romance, in celebration of the author’s 250th anniversary.
Sung by early music specialist Penelope Appleyard and accompanied by Jonathan Delbridge on a Broadwood Square Piano (1814) very similar to Austen’s own, listeners are transported to an early 19th century domestic scene. Music includes Jane’s favourite pieces, works from the Austen family collection that she played and sang, music by the only composer named in her work, pieces that are thought to have inspired the novels, fashionable music she heard in concert, themes from film & television adaptations, and a new song, Ode to Pity – a rare musical setting of an Austen poem, commissioned specially for this programme.
Delivered imaginatively in period dress with narration, extracts from her works and letters, and an introduction to the square piano, this thoroughly researched programme has something for fans of music, history, and literature!
The finer details…
Interval: None
Estimated finish: 9pm
Tickets
Unreserved: £23 full price | £11.50 under-35s | £3 child/student
Sacconi String Quartet
Ben Hancox & Hannah Dawson violins
Robin Ashwell viola | Cara Berridge cello
Simon Callaghan piano
Ravel String Quartet in F major
Bliss Piano Quartet
Franck Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14
The Sacconi Quartet are fast becoming Festival favourites and, considering they have been captivating audiences with their unanimous and compelling ensemble for over two decades now, it is easy to see why. They come this year with Simon Callaghan, whose impeccable playing we last enjoyed with the Greenwich Piano Trio in the 2023 Festival.
For our final concert, this is a true Festival programme in every way: arriving at the culmination of our celebrations of Maurice Ravel and Arthur Bliss, and finishing with one of the greatest Piano Quintets of all time.
Join us after the concert for a celebratory glass of wine!
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £28 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £18 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Deniz Sensoy violin | Alessio Enea piano
Debussy Beau Soir
Ravel Tzigane
Amy Beach Romance, Op. 23
Franck Violin Sonata in A major
This is the launch of our new ‘Young Artist Spotlight’ concerts, destined to be a sparkling feature of the Leamington Music Festival going forward. Turkish violinist Deniz Sensoy has already achieved notable recognition for her talent – she was named one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars for 2024, awarded the 2024/25 London Symphony Orchestra Conservatoire Scholarship, and recognized as a Britten Pears Young Artist among other accolades.
This is a perfect programme to complement our celebrations of Ravel who took inspiration in his early days from Debussy, and no violin recital in a French-infused Festival would be complete without Franck’s awesome Violin Sonata.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 1.30pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Roderick Williams baritone | Andrew West piano
‘A taste of exotic’
Schubert Kennst du das Land (Mignons Gesang), D321
W. Denis Browne Arabia
Bliss Siege
Rebecca Clarke A Dream
Amy Woodforde-Finden Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar (Kashmiri Song)
Duparc L’invitation au voyage
Sally Beamish Four Songs from Hafez
Harry T. Burleigh Five Songs of Laurence Hope
The return of another Festival favourite (and a National Treasure to boot!). Roderick Williams never ceases to delight with both his performances and his thoughtful programming. This time he features the music of Leamington-born composer William Denis Browne among other works inspired by distant lands.
Generously supported by Helen & Stan Ireland and Diane Holt
The finer details…
Interval: None
Estimated finish: 1pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
£23 (full price) / £11.50 (under-35s)
£3 (students & children)
Bliss Masks
Ravel Sonatine
Bliss Triptych
Poulenc Improvisation No. XV, “Hommage à Edith Piaf”
Poulenc Napoli – suite for piano
Coventry-born, and a noted pupil of Aldo Ciccolini, The Times has called Mark Bebbington “truly a remarkable pianist”. His international career has taken off in recent years, and we welcome this great champion of British music back to Leamington. Mark continues our Festival Ravel celebrations and begins for us those of Arthur Bliss who died 50 years ago this year.
Generously sponsored by Wiglesworth
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 1pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
