Chester Summer Music Festival

May 23 2008 by Peter Spaull, Liverpool Daily Post

WHEN the Chester Summer Music Festival ended last year many thought they had seen the last of it. But as before, it has risen from the ashes albeit in a rather shorter form. Now it is supported not only by the local councils but also by the Arts Council, who have not always appeared so committed.

Artistic director Andrew Cornall has set up an intriguing seven-day programme not short of star names.

The "in" tenor of the moment Alfie Boe appears at the Cathedral on Sunday night July 20 with La Passione, an exploration of the tradition of Italian Song, with a group which may even include a mandolin. But the Festival centres around John Harle, the internationally renowned composer and saxophonist, who talks, creates and plays throughout the week.

His highlight is on the final Friday when the Festival Chorus and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko give the first performance of his Earthlight, which explores the journey from darkness to light, from destruction to peace. Petrenko, making his first appearance in Chester, introduces Spring Cantata by Rachmaninov, and completes the programme with Vaughan Williams’ Tallis Fantasia and Debussy’s little faun.

Harle also appears as soloist in music by film composer Enrico Morriconi, when he plays with the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under Matthew Wood at the Whitby High School, Ellesmere Port on Sunday afternoon. Marche Slav, Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite and Bizet’s Carmen are also programmed. Harle gives a masterclass, talks about his work and the mystery of composition in a Festival lecture and plays from Dowland to Duke Ellington at the Wesley Church.

This is also the venue for a cello and piano recital on Monday by Guy Johnston and Kathryn Stott. The other important evening event is by I Fagiolini in the Cathedral in semi-dramatised secular music about love and war by Monteverdi.

Then there are the traditional lunchtime events. Philip Ruishforth plays the organ of the Cathedral on Thursday 24, there are song recitals in St Mary’s by Emma Morwood and Adrian Ward on Monday and Tuesday and Sally Pryce on Harp in St Johns on the Wednesday and Rob Buckland and Simone Rebella saxophone and percussion are in St Mary’s on Friday 25.

The Festival runs from July 19 to 25, programmes are to be found around Chester, or available from 01244 320 722, and booking is at 01244 304 618.

Let’s hope that this year the Festival will be supported not only by local music lovers but also by the local tourist industry, as an encouragement for visitors to stay in the city for more than one night.

Incidentally, if you are in Budapest tomorrow week, you can hear the Chester Music Society Choir under Graham Gordon Ellis singing in the Matyas Templom with organist Simon Russell. Their mainly English programme includes Parry, Holst, Harris, Vaughan Williams and Britten and a little Haydn. Diva on the Danube indeed.