The Easter Bunny!
The final stop on our festival pilgrimage through Beverley this weekend is the glorious St. Mary's Church, with its famous Pilgrim Hare, said to be the inspiration for the White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland! The closing concert on Sunday night brings together the winners of the 2009 Wigmore Hall Song Competion, our artistic director and pianist Libby Burgess and baritone Marcus Farnsworth, one of the great song singers of his generation, for a special performance of Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe. Schumann's song cycle is a devastating masterpiece, beginning with an awakening of love in the month of May and ending with a piano postlude of utter genius, bringing about an extraordinary closure to the bittersweet journey.
It is fitting that in a building with an enviable reputation as a chamber music venue, our closing concert - under the starry ceiling of St. Mary's - is another potent mixture of song and chamber music. It includes a performance by violinist Jamie Campbell, cellist Cara Berridge and pianist Libby Burgess of Brahms's Piano Trio in B Major, a ravishing work packed with passion and beautiful melodies.
In days of old, pilgrims often carried triptychs on their journies (the form allowed for ease of transport). So we are pleased to present below a triptych of three outstanding festival artists - Anna Huntley, Mary Bevan and Libby Burgess (all 'on the sofa') - to inspire you on your way.
We look forward to seeing you soon for a wonderful long weekend of music in Beverley. Tickets are still available so be sure not to miss out.
Best wishes,
Roland and Libby
PS Please note that under-18s gain free entry to all festival concerts.
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