NEWS

The Doric String Quartet make their debut at the Edinburgh International Festival (21 August) where they join forces with Australian-born composer Brett Dean to give the first European performance of Dean’s String Quartet No. 3 "Hidden Agendas” (co-commissioned by the festival). Dean himself joins the Doric players for the soaring melodies of Brahms’s powerful, orchestral-scale Second String Quintet to close.

Avi Avital sets off for South America this week with a 5 concert tour with the Orchestra L’Arte del Mondo performing a programme of Bach, Vivaldi, Bartok and De Falla.

Elena Schwarz conducts a series of concerts with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (20 – 23 August) including Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto

This week finds the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam in residence at Aldeburgh’s Snape Maltings. They will spend the week collaborating with recorder player Erik Bosgraaf, soprano Michaela Riener and composers Josephine Stephenson and Antti Auvinen, developing a new performance project entitled “The Rape of Artemisia”.

On 17 August, Gustav Adolf’s Square in Stockholm becomes the main stage for Stockholm Culture Festival. Anja Bihlmaier conducts the Royal Swedish Opera Choir and the Royal Swedish Orchestra for a free open air concert.

Steven jets off to New York for the Mostly Mozart Festival performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 2 with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra under the baton of Louis Langrée (9 and 10 August).

Vadym Kholodenko heads to the International Piano Festival at La Roque d’Anthéron and performs Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 1 with Tatarstan Symphony Orchestra (11 August)

Miguel Harth-Bedowa conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga for an evening of South American Sounds including Ginastera Harp Concerto and Piazzolla’s Tangazo (9 August)

Vadym gives a solo recital of Mozart, Beethoven and Godowsky (7 August) at the Ljubljana Festival and is then joined by Alena Baeva (violin) for a performance of Schubert, Schumann and Strauss (8 August)

Steven steps in today (5 August) to replace Beatrice Rana to give a recital of Messiaen and Schubert as part of the Edinburgh International Festival at Queen’s Hall.