This year’s Oxford Lieder Festival runs from 12 – 26 October in Britain’s oldest concert hall, the Holywell Music Room, and features an impressive array of artists that reflects the increasing stature of this international Festival. The line-up of singers includes a number of world-renowned names making their first festival appearance: Sandrine Piau (12 Oct); Christopher Purves (16 Oct); Cora Burggraaf (13 & 15 Oct); and Alice Coote (26 Oct). Familiar faces include Florian Boesch (14 Oct), Sarah Connolly (24 Oct) and James Gilchrist (19 Oct). The festival also includes a number of highly talented emerging singers including the winner of the song prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Andrei Bondarenko (22 Oct).
Lunch-time concerts feature musicians from Britain’s leading conservatoires, and late-night concerts in the romantic setting of New College Ante Chapel including duets with Wolfgang Holzmair (19 Oct) and a special programme looking at Finzi and Hardy, devised by pianist, broadcaster and writer/director Iain Burnside (20 Oct).
Other highlights this year include: Birgid Steinberger (13 Oct), leading a team of top singers in Hugh Wolf’s Spanish Songbook; Lucy Crowe (20 Oct) presenting an intriguing programme of songs written in or about London; Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin sung by Florian Boesch with Malcolm Martineau (14 Oct); Katarina Karnéus (23 Oct); and Stephan Loges & Susanna Andersson (26Oct). Tenor Robert Murray performs Janá?ek’s Diary of One who Disappeared (18th Oct).
There are talks before every evening concert, workshops, masterclasses and a master course for singers and accompaniments, this year led by Wolfgang Holzmair. Dominic Harlan, an exceptionally gifted pianist and communicator, leads an interactive family concert with two outstanding singers (14 Oct). There is an event for everyone in this glorious song festival in the beautiful city of Oxford.
Tickets £5 – £25 from 01865 305305 / www.ticketsoxford.com www.oxfordlieder.co.uk