A classical concert series showcasing international talent, European premieres and unique Scottish performances take center stage at Perth’s 12-day arts festival, which kicks off later this month.
The Perth Arts Festival will host more than 40 events at cultural venues and outdoor spaces across the city from 22 May to 1 June. While the 52-year-old festival’s diverse programming showcases well-known acts such as comedian Rory Bremner and DJ Craig Charles, the festival’s classical music roots Still had a strong impact on this year’s lineup.
The festival kicks off on May 22 with a Scottish-language performance of the groundbreaking The Magic Flute by the Scots Opera Project. Featuring a cast of Scottish opera stars, the show reimagines Mozart’s classic opera performed in a mental hospital.
On 23 May, the Hebrides Ensemble, one of Scotland’s leading chamber music groups, made their festival debut with a new program, ‘The Auld Alliance’, celebrating the links between France and Scotland. On 24 May, the Tenebrae choir, conducted by Nigel Short, returned with A Prayer for Deliverance, exploring themes of rest and tranquility, and the audience Seats are almost sold out.
The Czech National Symphony Orchestra performs at the Perth Concert Hall on 25 May, one of only two performances in Scotland, with a program that includes Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Bruch’s Deep The beloved Violin Concerto, and with the talented soloist Chloe Hanslip.
In the middle of the week on May 29, the European orchestra Il Giardino d’Amore will give a wonderful performance of “New Four Seasons”. The concert takes the audience through the explosive energy and joyous diversity of Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Richter, providing a theatrical experience through costumes, lights and projections.
The Brass Band Concerts on Saturday 1st June are not to be missed and include the European premiere of a stunning animated film to accompany one of the world’s finest brass bands, The Fairey Band) performs Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” live. Dundee-born Iain Culross, principal cornet of the orchestra, will perform Alexander Arutunian’s superb and dynamic Trumpet Concerto.
Festival Director Helen Band commented: “We are particularly excited about our 2024 classical music line-up, which includes award-winning chamber ensembles, choirs and orchestras. This year we have introduced a new audio-visual dimension to our programme, which audiences Explore sound and animation together as part of an immersive classical music performance, from exhibition pictures to the new Four Seasons – you won’t see these unique concerts anywhere else in Scotland this season.
The classical line-up continues with Scottish Opera’s pop-up opera and children’s classics concert on Saturday 25 May, and two cross-genre midweek events on 27 and 28 May: New Focus Duo, pianist Euan Stevenson Classical Connections with saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski ponders the relationship between jazz and classical music, and an interesting talk by ENO Orchestra principal percussionist Mick Doran invites you into the real world of an orchestral musician.
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