There is great news for music lovers as Painswick Music Society’s much-delayed 75th anniversary season takes place this autumn, with four wonderful concerts in St Mary’s Church by world-class artists.
The cellist Steven Isserlis opens the season with his brilliant young accompanist, Mishka Rushdie Momen, and they are playing a programme of sonatas by Chopin and Saint-Saens. The Orchestra of the Swan, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, is one of the UK’s leading chamber orchestras and their programme, An English Idyll, comprises Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto and works for strings by Elgar, Holst and Britten.
The ever brilliant Nash Ensemble are playing two great string quintets by Beethoven and Dvorak, and the final concert is by the charismatic baritone Roderick Williams accompanied by Iain Burnside. Roderick has chosen a programme of English songs with a distinct Cotswold theme by, among others, Gurney, Finzi, CW Orr, Howells and John Sanders, which will no doubt bring the season to a memorable conclusion.
The dates and times are:
- Thursday, September 16, 7pm: Steven Isserlis (cello), with Mishka Rushdie Momen (piano)
- October 9, 3pm: Orchestra of the Swan
- November 6, 3pm: Nash Ensemble
- November 13, 2pm: Roderick Williams (baritone) with Iain Burnside (piano)
Memberships and tickets can be bought online at painswickmusicsoc.co.uk or from Edward Bowron: tickets@painswickmusicsoc.co.uk or by calling 07789 006006. Memberships giving access to all four concerts cost £50, and individual tickets are £20, and £5 for under18s and students.
Due to the Covid19 pandemic, the concerts will inevitably be a little different from previous years, and stewards will be on hand to manage them in a safe manner. Programmes will last about an hour with no interval, and the committee regrets that it is not able to offer the customary post-concert refreshments this year. On entry, audience members are requested to use the hand sanitiser provided and, unless exempt, to wear a face covering.
