Established for its first 15 years as the Florestan Trio’s Festival in Peasmarsh, 2018 sees the Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival celebrate 20 years of performances of the finest chamber music in a beautiful corner of Sussex.
Our guests this year come from all over the world, with Co-Directors Anthony Marwood and Richard Lester joined by American violinist Mark Steinberg of the renowned Brentano Quartet, Taiwan-born violist Hsin-Yun Huang, a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, dazzling young cellist Edvard Pogossian, celebrated Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon, and the wonderful British composer pianist Huw Watkins.
In a carefully curated programme spanning 300 years, this year’s festival sees masterpieces from the 18th and 19th centuries, including Beethoven’s colossal Archduke Trio and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, performed by old friends of the festival the Navarra String Quartet, nestled amongst works from the 20th century and beyond.
The programme also includes a welcome return visit from the wonderful Britten Sinfonia, this year under the baton of Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director of Garsington Opera and the Paris Chamber Orchestra, for the popular orchestral concert in Rye, featuring Peasmarsh’s contribution to the 2018 Bernstein Centenary celebrations – his rarely heard Serenade (after Plato’s ‘Symposium’). Other festival highlights include a fascinating late-night concert exploring the evocative and meditative soundscape of Salvatore Sciarrino with Anthony Marwood, and the world premiere of a new suite of Commedia dell’arte inspired songs for young people and string quartet, commissioned for the 20th Anniversary Peasmarsh festival and composed by Sam Glazer.
Peasmarsh in late June is a magical festival – Sir David Hare, The Observer
The festival runs June 21-24 and booking for the general public is now open. For further details please visit www.peasmarshfestival.co.uk
Photo: Courtesy Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival