Salisbury International Arts Festival announces highlights for 2010
On Monday 7 December the Salisbury International Festival launched eight wonderful highlight events as trailblazers to the 2010 Festival, 21 May to 5 June.
With a main cultural theme of Russia, an artistic focus on stories and an environmental theme of chalkand stone the 2010 Salisbury International Arts Festival promises to weave this colourful thread through performance, visual arts, literature and music and envelop Salisbury and the surrounding area in a colourful and vibrant celebration of the arts.
2010 also marks the 25th year of Friends Provident’s support of the Festival. This wonderful relationship with our Principal Sponsor has enabled the Festival to flourish and grow into the vibrant and internationally renowned event it is today. Plans for further celebrations will be revealed in the New Year.
Maria’s says of the 2010 festival:
‘I am thrilled to present my second Salisbury International Arts Festival. We are honoured to be working in such a glorious landscape, from the ancient circles of Stonehenge, the romance of Old Wardour Castle, our beautiful chalk downs through to the inspiring Salisbury Cathedral. These locations offer incredible settings for artists to respond to and be inspired by.
Our themes of Russia, Stories, Chalk and Stone will weave their way through the programme.
We open on 21 May with a very special evening event in the Market Place, free for all - do hold the date in your diaries.
A highlight of our Russia theme is a rare appearance by the Russian Patriarchate Choir, by candlelight, in Salisbury Cathedral, bringing us an evening of Russian Orthodox music from the sixteenth century to today, including some of Rachmaninov’s Vespers.
The Cathedral is also the setting for an evening with the remarkable violinist Pinchas Zukerman, long time collaborator with Itzhak Perlman. He performs Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and conducts Tchaikovsky’s wonderfully Russian-infused Fourth Symphony, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And we celebrate the Festival with a magnificent Finale on our closing night in the Cathedral Close.
Inspired by the theme of ‘stone’ and the question ‘If the stones could talk, what would they say?’, we present the UK début of Israeli theatre company Orto-Da with a UK première of ‘Stones’, in which six mime artists create a musical, surrealistic, comic living statue and tell us a powerful story.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Company returns to the Festival in the breath-taking location of Old Wardour Castle, against the stunning backdrop of the ruins, with A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
We present the world première of a new quartet by Alec Roth, performed by the world-class Allegri Quartet.
And, as part of a residency by The Imagined Village Project focusing on the stories and songs of our land, we feature the multi-award winning folk fiddler and singer Eliza Carthy.
As so successfully received in 2009, activities will be scattered throughout the city and surrounding areas, enabling audiences to trip over the festival in unexpected and unanticipated ways – we look forward to seeing you there!’
These 8 highlight events offer a flavour of things to come. The advanced ticket sales are welcomed by our huge Festival fan base who know that it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the world class artists the Festival brings to Salisbury.
Ends
For more information contact:
Rosa Corbishley, Communications and Development Manager
rosa@salisburyfestival.co.uk
01722 332241
Priority Booking only (Festival Friends) 8—14 December 2009
General advance booking - from 15 December 2009
Box office opening hours
Monday–Friday 10am–2pm
87 Crane St, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2PU
Telephone 0845 241 9651
www.salisburyfestival.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
The Highlight events are:
Free Opening Event in the Market Place
We are keeping our power dry on the details for now – check back in March, but meantime, hold the date!
Friday 21 May, evening
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman @ Salisbury Cathedral
Saturday 22 May 7.30pm
Charismatic violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman performs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the splendour of Salisbury Cathedral including a delicious programme of Beethoven’s violin concerto, music that Zukerman has made his own, and Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, a barnstormer of a piece which powerfully introduces the 2010 Festival’s Russian focus.
Proudly supported by the Friends of the Festival and sponsored by Fawcetts
The Allegri Quartet with a world première by Alec Roth*
Sunday 23 May 7.30pm
St. Thomas’ Church, Salisbury
Hauntingly beautiful and accessible music is composer Alec Roth’s forte and the Allegri Quartet is certain to capture every nuance of the score. Roth has received unparalleled high praise from national press for the Festival’s four year project on which he worked with renowned author, Vikram Seth. Here his talents turn to a commission for one of the world’s very best string quartets, the Allegri Quartet. They will also play a Haydn quartet and one of Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartets, op 59 no 2 which uses a Russian melody also used by Modest Mussorgsky in Boris Godunov.
*commissioned by James and Lis Woods
‘Stones’ by the Orto-Da Theatre Group
Saturday 29 May 8pm
UK Début and UK Première
Salisbury Playhouse
If the stones could speak, what would they say? Award winning Israeli theatre company, Orto-Da, brings the UK première of Stones to the Festival: telling the thought-provoking story of a granite block which, sculpted as a monument for the victory of Hitler in Europe, finds itself after World War II as a monument to Jewish warriors in the Warsaw ghetto. Six mime artists create a musical, surrealistic, comic living statue which deals with the myth of victory and the human spirit using commedie dell’arte, clownery, dance and circus.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre at Old Wardour Castle
with A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Thursday 27, Friday 28, Saturday 29 May 6.30pm
The magic of Old Wardour Castle creates a perfect setting for Shakespeare’s tale of fairy frolics. Used in Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves, the castle’s high walls and wooded countryside present an ideal backdrop for the Globe Theatre to transform into a feast of magic, music and humour. This is Shakespeare up close and personal; superb acting, inventive and imaginative and all in a setting to die for…
Proudly presented by Friends Provident
Eliza Carthy Band as part of The Imagined Village Project Residency
Sunday 30 May 7.30pm
If you think you know about English folk music, think again! The Imagined Village Project, brainchild of producer and musician Simon Emmerson, has recast age-old traditions into the shape of the twenty-first century. The Project features an extraordinary array of talent. This performance includes the fabulous Eliza Carthy performing with her trio.
The Russian Patriarchate Choir by Candlelight
Friday 4 June 8pm
A full but hushed Salisbury Cathedral. A dozen Russian basses with their deep, sonorous voices echoing around the stone. The Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow was founded after the collapse of the USSR to bring the old Russian choral tradition to a wider audience. Their programme encompasses the centuries and evokes images of high, gold-encrusted domes and dark starry nights, folklore passed through song and the beliefs of Russian Orthodoxy.
Festival Finale in the Cathedral Close
Saturday 5 June – Gates open at 7pm
The climax of the Salisbury International Arts Festival, the Festival Finale will be a fantastic evening for families and friends. Bring a picnic and your favourite people as the event promises wonderful live music, street performers, things to see and do – all capped off by a stunning choreographed fireworks display launched against the unique backdrop of Salisbury’s world-famous Cathedral.
Supported by Friends Provident
Further Notes
- The 37th Salisbury International Arts Festival runs from Friday 21 May – Saturday 5 June 2010
- The 2009 Festival featured 11 premieres and exclusives of which 9 were commissions by Salisbury International Arts Festival. Over 30% of performances sold out and over 15,000 people enjoyed 11 free events during the 16 days of the Festival
- The annual 16 day Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1974 with a performance by Paco Pena and is a leading commissioning and producing Festival which attracts over 55,000 attendances each year and contributes £3m to the regional economy
- Salisbury International Arts Festival 2009 was named ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ at the South West Tourism’s ‘Tourism Excellence Awards’
- Salisbury International Arts Festival is supported by Principal Sponsor Friends Provident, Wiltshire Council and Arts Council England – South West.
- Salisbury International Arts Festival’s Principal Sponsor, Friend Provident has been supporting the Festival for a wonderful 25 years
- The full Festival programme will be announced 1 March 2010.