Bath Mozartfest

Introduction to the 2010

Bath Mozartfest

It is a pleasure to invite you to another Bath Mozartfest, the 20th celebration of the music of Mozart, and great music in general, in this historic and hospitable city. I am grateful for the continuing support of the A M Purnell Charitable Trust, for the contribution made by our other generous funders, and for the help I have received from the festival’s staff and volunteers and its board of Directors, led by our new Chairman Sir David Bell.

I have once again been able to invite to Bath some of the world’s finest musicians. They include two leading string quartets: the outstanding Belcea Quartet in our two opening concerts, joined respectively by Julian Rachlin on viola and the eminent pianist Stephen Kovacevich; and the exciting Jerusalem Quartet. Two pianists will also be eagerly awaited: Angela Hewitt, in one of the all-Bach recitals for which she is celebrated; and András Schiff, performing two all-Mozart programmes, the first of solo works, the second shared with his violinist wife Yuuko Shiokawa.

Anniversaries have provided some focal points in planning the festival. The 400th anniversary of the publication of Monteverdi’s magnificent Vespers will be celebrated by the Gabrieli Consort & Players in the appropriate surroundings of Bath Abbey. The bicentenary of the birth of Robert Schumann will be marked by the inclusion of his Piano Quintet in the Nash Ensemble’s wide-ranging concert, and by Album Leaves, a fascinating evening of speech, song and instrumental music, tracing his passionate relationship with his wife Clara.

Orchestras are not forgotten, of course. The English Chamber Orchestra will return with its Music Director Paul Watkins, and with two of Paul’s Nash Ensemble colleagues as soloists in Mozart’s masterly Sinfonia Concertante. And there will be a rare visit to Bath by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits in an attractive programme of Mozart and Tchaikovsky, featuring Bath Camerata and the remarkable clarinettist Michael Collins.

All these main events will be supplemented as usual by a series of weekday lunchtime concerts given by some extraordinarily talented young artists. This year there will also be two special early-evening events: a programme in BBC Radio 3’s Discovering Music series, and an instrumental prologue to Album Leaves.

A rich programme, then, which I hope you will find attractive whether you are already a regular patron or joining us for the first time. My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming you to the 20th Bath Mozartfest.

Amelia Freedman CBE, FRAM Artistic Director

Previously – Bath Mozartfest 2009

Last year’s Mozartfest attracted the best audience figures in the festival’s history, with 93% of all tickets sold  for the 15 concerts over  9 days, which in turn generated record ticket revenue .  Reviews in the media praised the variety of concerts on offer,  and the quality of  the musicians from across the world.   From chamber music in the Assembly Rooms and Guildhall to choral and orchestral works in the Abbey and the Forum,  the festival showcased  not just the richness and diversity of  Mozart’s music, but also the magnificence of the city of Bath itself.

Next November  (12th-20th) sees the 20th anniversary of the Mozartfest, with demand for tickets expected to be at an all-time high.  Priority booking is available through membership of the Bath Mozartfest Society, full details of which are available on this website.  The full musical programme will be published next summer.