Deck the Hall: The Stories of our Favourite Christmas Carols
A wonderful, festive treat which offers new insights into our Yuletide musical traditions – with a few surprises along the way!
In this engaging book, Andrew Gant draws on his extensive professional knowledge as a conductor, composer and singer to reveal the fascinating and often surprising musical stories and social histories behind 27 Christmas carols.
Many of our best-loved carols are here, including the haunting In the Bleak Midwinter – regularly voted Britain’s favourite carol – alongside less familiar works from our rich heritage of folk songs.
As Andrew writes ‘some carols were born to Christmas, some have achieved Christmas, and some have had Christmas thrust upon them.’
Tickets £12.00
In association with
Join John Suchet for a special talk to mark the release of his new book In Search of Beethoven, a deeply personal account of his relationship with the great composer.
John charts a journey from Beethoven’s early years in Bonn to his adult life in Vienna, following in the composer’s footsteps and interweaving Beethoven’s story with his own.
In Search of Beethoven also sheds light on Beethoven’s ancestry and health, drawing on the latest research from Cambridge University and the Max Planck Institute, to offer fresh insights into his heritage, health struggles and pivotal events in his life, such as his interactions with Mozart.
John’s insightful storytelling and meticulous research show Beethoven in a wholly new light.
Tickets £20.00
In association with
Leamington Town Hall
Daniel Low-Beer talks about The Low-Beer story behind Schindler’s List and the Brněnec project. In association with the Friends of Czech Heritage. Donations to the project welcome.
Tickets: £8
Includes tea and cake served afterwards
Leamington Town Hall
A talk by David Beveridge
Following The Dvořák Society’s AGM, there will be tea and a 50th anniversary cake served before the talk starts at 3.30pm. David Beveridge is a musicologist and Dvořák specialist who lives in Prague.
Free entry | Donations welcome
Vaughan Williams 150: Musical Connections
Talk by Dr Ceri Owen | University of Birmingham
RVW expert Dr Ceri Owen discusses the works appearing in the Festival and RVW’s links to our other featured composers, interwoven with extracts from his letters to give a personal insight to the process of the great composer.
Anthony Philip Heinrich (1781-1861) was born in Bohemia but made his name in the United States, where he was dubbed ‘The Beethoven of America’. Heinrich was really the first “full time” American composer and a musician of great influence, chairing the founding meeting of the New York Philharmonic Society in 1842 and bringing Beethoven’s music to the fore across the pond.
Tickets: £8 including tea and cake served from 3.30pm
£1 Student Standby
Festival Saver Ticket available – call Leamington Music office on 01926 497000 for more details.
The creation of Czechoslovakia and music during the Great War
Tickets include tea and cake