Planning for the 60th King’s Lynn Festival in 2010 is progressing well,
but below see what you missed in 2009:
 

Festival Service
11.30am  St Margaret’s Church, King's Lynn
Preacher: Tom Sutcliffe
 

King’s Lynn Festival Chorus
European Union Chamber Orchestra
6.30pm (Please note early start time) 
St Nicholas’ Chapel, King’s Lynn
£22, £16 (including wheelchairs), £10

Michael Kibblewhite: Music Director for King’s Lynn Festival Chorus/conductor
Hans-Peter Hofmann: Director/Violin EUCO
Vicente Castelló: Oboe

Programme includes:
Fauré: Requiem
Haydn: St Nicholas’ Mass
Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C major, K.314

The beautiful St Nicholas’ Chapel, with its renowned acoustic is the venue for the opening concert as the Chorus teams up with one of Europe’s leading chamber orchestras to stage Fauré’s Requiem as part of the programme. A great favourite of choral audiences, the Pie Jesu and In Paradisum from this requiem, have been used in many film and television music scores.  The instrumental content features Mozart’s oboe concerto which is recognised as one of the more important concerti for the oboe.

Photo: Rio Hashimoto

European Union Chamber Orchestra
Hans-Peter Hofmann
Freddy Kempf (piano)
7.30pm Corn Exchange
£22

Holst: A Moorside Suite
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.14 in E flat, K449
Liszt: Angelus
Haydn: Symphony No.43 Mercury

The European Union Chamber Orchestra has a worldwide reputation as a musical ambassador for the European Union and its hectic annual touring schedule takes in an impressive list of countries. Freddy Kempf’s reputation as an explosive and physical performer has made him one of today’s most successful young artists and in demand as a soloist the world over.

Sponsored by: Andrew and Frances Schumann

Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick
8.00pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£11.50, £10.50 concessions

Winners of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for ‘Best Duo’ in 2007, this remarkable pairing played an important part in British folk music in the 1960s. More than 40 years on, performing both as a duo and as solo artists, they continue to be at the forefront of the folk music world.

Sponsored by: Morston Assets Limited

Photo: Joe Bangay

Emma Johnson  Clarinet
Andrew West  Piano
7.30pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£14.50

Mozart: Papageno’s Aria from The Magic Flute
Schumann: Three Romances, Op.94
Ireland: Fantasy Sonata
Weber: Grand Duo Concertante in E flat, Op.48
Johnson: Selection from Bedtime Stories
Reade: Prelude from The Victorian Kitchen Garden
Elgar: Canto Popolare from In the South
Bernstein: Scenes from West Side Story

Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established an international career as a soloist. She was BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1984 and her hugely successful career has shown her to be much in demand as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician around the world. International award-winning and sought-after accompanist Andrew West joins Emma for a delightfully mixed programme highlighting the versatility of the clarinet.

Sponsored by: Palm Paper Limited

Photo: Magali Delporte

Literary Dinner
Introduced by Dr Simon Thurley
Guest Speakers: Dame Stella Rimington and A. N. Wilson
7.00pm for 7.30pm
Town Hall
£30.50 per ticket or £244/£274.50 per tables of 8/9
All seats numbered and reserved

Dr Simon Thurley is the chief executive of English Heritage. He was written extensively on English royal palaces, the court and heritage issues and presented television documentary series including Buildings That Shaped Britain.  Dame Stella Rimington joined MI5 in 1968. Her long career included working in all the main fields of the Service and in 1992 she became the first woman to hold the post of director general. Her novel Deadline is the fourth book featuring agent Liz Carlyle. A. N. Wilson is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist. His latest book Our Times takes the reader on an exhilarating cultural, social and political journey from the coronation of Elizabeth II to the present day.

STARTER
Fan of ripe avocado and melon medley with prawns on curly endive and vine tomatoes OR
Cream of Norfolk asparagus soup with ciabatta

MAIN COURSE
Fillet of salmon in filo pastry with a warm hollandaise sauce, local Norfolk samphire, new potatoes and seasonal vegetables

VEGETARIAN OPTION (pre-ordered only)
Aubergine with sun-dried tomatoes in a Mediterranean couscous with petite vegetables

DESSERT
A symphony of Belgian chocolate

Cafetières of coffee and pots of tea with petit fours.

Sponsored by: Kenneth Bush Solicitors

Early Music Day
Family Event
The King, the Minstrels & the Restless Jester

11.00am  All Saints’ Church, King’s Lynn
£5 adults, £3 under 18s

All children must be accompanied by an adult

Entertainment for all families with children aged 3-8. At the court of young King Henry, the old minstrels and jesters are up in arms – their jobs are being taken and they must do battle with the new learned musicians, or starve! This hour-long costumed performance from Sara Stowe and Matthew Spring includes music by Henry VIII, an array of Tudor instruments and audience participation which will delight children and adults alike.

Photo: Eric Richmond

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
A Grand Tour of Italy
Kati Debretzeni  Director/Violin
Lorna Anderson  Soprano
Richard Lester  Cello
7.00pm  (Please note early start time)
St Margaret’s Church
£16.50 (unreserved)
Ticket Offer: See Late Night Early Music concert below

Corelli: Concerto Grosso in D major, Op.6, No.4
Handel: 3 arias from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV46a
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D major RV208 Il Grosso Mogul
Torelli: Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op.6, No.6
Vivaldi: Concerto for cello in A minor, RV420
Locatelli: Introduzzione teatrale in G major, Op.4, No.4
Vivaldi: Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincere RV630

St Margaret’s plays host to an evening in celebration of the great baroque composers as the orchestra takes the audience on a musical tour of Italy.  This world-renowned orchestra plays on period instruments to ensure that the audience hears the music just as the composers intended, and for this concert is joined by soprano, Lorna Anderson, for a selection of popular arias. 

Late Night Early Music
Ave Generosa
Songs of Hildegard of Bingen
9.30pm St Margaret’s Church
£6 (unreserved)

SPECIAL OFFER: £3 if bought as a double ticket with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Early Music specialists Sara Stowe, Matthew Spring and  Jennie Cassidy perform vivid songs from Medieval Europe by the visionary Abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), including settings of her own poems in hymns, antiphons and sequences. Take advantage of the chance to hear some rarely performed vocal gems in an historic and atmospheric setting.

Sponsored by: Michael & Alison Seaman

Music for an English Country House
Solstice String Quartet
3.00pm Park House, Sandringham
£14 (unreserved)

Haydn: Quartet Op.74, No.3 Rider
Beethoven: Quartet Op.18, No.3 in D

Established while studying at Cambridge University in 2003, this vibrant quartet has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most talented ensembles in the country. Winners of this year’s Royal Overseas League Ensemble Award, the quartet has a string of national and international performances to its name. Enjoy a light afternoon tea at this popular venue to round off the afternoon.

Sponsored by: Alan & Rosemary King  

Blake
7.30pm Corn Exchange
£25, £15 under 18s

From originally forming on the social networking site Facebook in 2007 to winning Album of the Year at the Classical BRIT Awards in 2008, it has been an extraordinary journey for this exceptional group, which now includes Norfolk-born Barney.  Bridging the gap between pop and opera their popular programme showcases their classically-trained voices yet appeals to a wide audience as the diverse content of their albums shows: Rachmaninov and Morricone sit comfortably alongside versions of Hallelujah and Moon River.

Sponsored by: The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk

Coffee Concert
Solstice String Quartet
11.00am Town Hall
£10.50 (£4 under 18s)
Price includes coffee and cake served from 10.30am
TICKET OFFER: £9.50 if all five booked together

Mozart: Quartet in B flat, K.589
Schumann: Quartet in A major, Op.41, No.3 

The coffee concerts, which begin today, are a particularly popular feature of the Festival every year, known not only as a platform to showcase rising stars, but also for the fine home-made cake and coffee!. The first one in the series offers a further opportunity to hear this most versatile and gifted string quartet perform more from their repertoire.

Sponsored by: Muriel and Mike Brindle

Contemporary Consort
6.00pm Town Hall
£6.50

Sarah Thurlow: Director/Clarinet

Programme to include:
Robinson: Harriet in Flames
Pedro Faria Gomez: Elegia
Gerald Finzi: Prelude and Fugue
Jody Robinson: Blackberry Picking
Pedro Faria Gomez: Thanatos

Contemporary Consort returns to the 2009 Festival with composer and singer Jody Robinson who will discuss her work with Festival Artistic Director, Ambrose Miller. She will perform Blackberry Picking as part of the programme and later there will be an opportunity to meet the composer and musicians at a post-concert reception.

 

Instant Sunshine
8.00pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£10.50

It may sound like a holiday in the Seychelles or the latest high-fibre breakfast cereal but actually Instant Sunshine is a unique musical comedy team who have a delightfully fresh and understated approach to singing their own original humorous songs, such as My Dog Has Fleas, Corduroy Trousers and Lots in the Attic. With hilarious self-parody they take a sideways look at every day events in a beguiling and very funny style of their own.

Coffee Concert
Mitra Alice Tham  Piano
11.00am Town Hall
£10.50 (£4 under 18s)
Price includes coffee and cake served from 10.30am
TICKET OFFER: £9.50 if all five booked together

Mozart: Sonata in C major, K330
Ravel: Valses nobles & Sentimentales
Schumann: Carnaval in Vienna

Mitra Alice Tham composed her first tunes at the age of two and aged eight made her international debut in Japan. She is a diverse musician with an impressive repertoire as well as being a skilled composer and arranger. When asked while at the Purcell School, to compose instantly a piece of music based on a musical phrase given by The Prince of Wales, the result was described as ‘brilliant and excellent’ by Prince and aired on national radio the same evening.

Sponsored by: The King’s Lynn Music Society

David Starkey
7.30pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£10.50, concessions £9.50, under 18s £5
Family ticket: (2 adults and 2 under 18s) £25

Henry: Virtuous Prince is the first instalment of the highly-anticipated biography of Henry VIII, written by one of the UK's most popular, established and exciting historians, David Starkey. Published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne it is a radical re-evaluation of the monarchy's most enduring icon. The second volume Model of a Tyrant will be published later this year.  There will be an opportunity to put questions to Dr Starkey followed by book signing in Crofters after the event.

Sponsored by: Dr Donald Woodgate

Coffee Concert
Fiona Slominska  Flute
Louise Thomson  Harp
11.00am Town Hall
£10.50 (£4 under 18s)
Price includes coffee and cake served from 10.30am
TICKET OFFER: £9.50 if all five booked together

Programme includes:
J.S. Bach: Andante from Sonata in E minor
Mozart: Andante in C
Jongen: Danse Lente
Piazzolla: Bordel 1900 from Histoire du Tango
Nadermann: Rondoletto
Scott: Sonata for Flute and Harp

Fiona Slominska combines teaching at Oundle School and the junior department of the Birmingham Conservatoire with working on a freelance basis with several orchestras including The Hallé and BBC Philharmonic. Louise Thomson performs as both a soloist and with orchestras including the Manchester Camerata and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.  As a duo they have performed extensively throughout the UK. In March 2008 they reached the finals of the annual Royal Overseas Music Competition in London.

Sponsored by: Bow Brand International Limited

Photo: Nigel Barklie. Copyright 2008 Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
7.30pm Corn Exchange
£21.50, £12 under 18s,
£60 family ticket (2 adults and 2 children)

Ukulele fever is coming to King’s Lynn!  The internationally-renowned Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is an all-strumming, all-singing group which takes all kinds of music and puts it under the microscope of the ukulele. The performances are funny, ironic, thought-provoking and the work is often moving. The mixture of highbrow, lowbrow, accessible, arcane knowledge and wide appeal has cultivated an astonishingly broad audience.

Coffee Concert
Simon Hewitt Jones  Violin
Daniel Swain  Piano
11.00am Town Hall
£10.50 (£4 under 18s)
Price includes coffee and cake served from 10.30am
TICKET OFFER: £9.50 if all five booked together

Beethoven: Sonata in D, Op.12, No.1
Dvorak: Sonatina in G, Op.100
Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano

Highly successful musicians in their own right, Simon Hewitt Jones and Daniel Swain have recently toured the UK as a duo, performing at major venues including Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.

Jointly sponsored by Friends of the Festival and Paul Burall

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Chamber Ensemble
7.30pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£14.50

Programme includes:
Mendelssohn: Octet in E flat major, Op.20
Brahms: Sextet No.1 in B flat, Op.18

When it first performed in 1958, the ensemble had no intention of giving concerts or performing forever. This intention was short-lived, however, when one of its violinists, Sir Neville Marriner, exchanged his bow for a baton and the Academy’s debut performance took place in its namesake church in London in 1959. Fifty years on, the ensemble is known for its superlative performances and maintains a high-profile international concert schedule.

Coffee Concert
THE RUTH FERMOY MEMORIAL CONCERT
Brodowski Quartet

11.00am Town Hall
£10.50 (£4 under 18s)
Price includes coffee and cake served from 10.30am
TICKET OFFER: £9.50 if all five coffee concerts booked together

Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op.20 No.4
Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor, Op.80

The Brodowski Quartet have been described as ‘the new kids on the London scene’ by The Times. Last year the musicians who come from Germany, Wales, Scotland and England won first prize in the Royal Overseas League Competition and have enjoyed performing in some of the foremost venues in the UK and throughout Europe.

Sponsored by: Mary Roche
This concert is dedicated to the memory of Ruth, Lady Fermoy, founder of the King’s Lynn Festival

Illustrated Talk
Dr Paul Richards FRSA
King’s Lynn & The Hanseatic League 1271-1751

6.00pm • Town Hall
£6, £3 under 18s

King’s Lynn and Boston have the oldest and strongest Hanseatic connections amongst England's provincial ports and in 1271 Lubeck merchants were already acting as a group or hanse here. St Margaret's House in the Norfolk town is the sole survivor of several such trading posts owned by the German Hanse in this country from 1300- 1500. Today Lynn is the only English town to be a member of the New Hanseatic League founded in 1980 and the Wash port's association with 'The Hanse' past and present is being celebrated this summer.

Grappelli – A Celebration
Mike Piggott Hot Club Trio
8.00pm Guildhall (Arts Centre)
£10.50, concessions £9.50

Leading jazz exponent Mike Piggott pays tribute to the legendary Stephane Grappelli. The programme which includes the music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Django Reinhardt, is presented as an entertaining account of the maestro’s life, from the pre-war ‘Quintet of the Hot Club of France’, to his later collaborations with pianist George Shearing, Yehudi Menuhin and others.

Sponsored by: Ward Gethin Solicitors

Photo: Christian Steiner.

Berlin Symphoniker
Massimo Quarta (Conductor)
Derek Han (piano)
7.30pm Corn Exchange
£35, £27 (including wheelchairs), £22,
£18 side balconies, £5 standby

Beethoven: Prometheus Overture
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5, Emperor
Beethoven: Symphony No.6, Pastoral

The world-class Berlin Symphoniker provides a rousing end to the Festival with a powerful programme of Beethoven favourites. The orchestra will be conducted by leading Italian violinist/conductor Massimo Quarta. The concert will feature internationally-renowned soloist Derek Han who has been described as ‘elegant, polished and compelling’ and he plays what was to be Beethoven’s final piano concerto, composed as he struggled with increasing deafness.

Sponsored by: The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk