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Summer 2009 Highlights
This summer's Festival
begins on Sunday 5th July and features
a popular piano recital given by Havilland Willshire. He has yet to
decide on the precise programme but will most probably include works by
Haydn and Mendelssohn. These great composers are celebrated during the
remaining four or five concerts reaching a climax on the last night -
Friday 10th July - with what is now the traditional performance of
Mendelssohn's Octet, written at the tender age of 15!
This year of the homecoming is being celebrated in a thousand different
ways and Cantilena is extending the idea by performances of various
compositions written by Haydn (who set more than 200 of Burns' poems to
music) and Mendelssohn, who visited the country many times and even
went to the trouble of visiting 'Fingal's Cave' before composing his
very much loved overture of the same name.
Another 'homecoming' is the return of cellist Adrian Shepherd M.B.E.,
one of our two artistic directors. He was unable to be with us during
2008 for, as you no doubt know, his wife Jenny died in February of that
year. She was also the Festival Administrator and the emotional strain
made it impossible for him to be with us. However, fully restored, I am
told that he is raring to go this summer.
A recent addition to the festival - a concert on Wednesday 8th July in
Islay House at 8.00pm. A very Scottish homecoming includes 'musicke' by
the Earl of Kelly, Sir J.Clark of Penicuik, James Oswald, etc. plus new
works by living Scottish composers.
Click
here
for complete programme
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