Our 15th festival was a landmark worth celebrating and, thanks to the tremendous support provided by our many donors and funders, we were thrilled to be able to mark it in the way we know best – by inviting some of the world’s finest musicians to perform great music in our beautiful, historic county.
We were honoured that the incomparable Véronique Gens agreed to sing for us, and we were delighted by Britten’s delightful ‘Albert Herring’ in a concert staging by Scottish Opera. We were thrilled to welcome Concerto Copenhagen, one of the finest baroque orchestras in the world, as Ensemble in Residence. The brilliant young Van Baerle Trio from Holland played all of Beethoven’s piano trios through our weekday morning Coffee Concerts. The brand new Valo String Quartet were partnered with the extraordinary Jeremy Denk who also contributed two more typically striking programmes, including an amazing Charles Ives event with violinist Maria Wloszczowska and a band!
Our devotion to JS Bach was undimmed, with Fretwork playing The Art of Fugue and Roman Rabinovich the ‘Goldberg Variations’. Our friends the Maxwell Quartet returned, along with Dunedin Consort, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Gesualdo Six, Tenebrae, Hebrides Ensemble, and many others. It was quite a party!
Hugh Macdonald & James Waters
Artistic Directors
