Winchester Chamber Music Festival Festival 2021

A vibrant and eagerly anticipated event on Hampshire’s cultural calendar, Winchester Chamber Music Festival features the acclaimed London Bridge Trio and guest artists. The LBT cellist, Kate Gould, is the Festival’s Artistic Director. Since its foundation in 2007 the Festival has grown and become more ambitious in its programming whilst staying true to bringing top quality chamber music to as wide an audience as possible.

A thank you message from Artistic Director, Kate Gould

Well, what a joyful time we all had last weekend! I was absolutely thrilled to be back in Winchester performing wonderful music to all the familiar faces with their smiling eyes above the masks. It felt like old times mingling outside in the sunshine and we have been blessed to have discovered the beautifully refurbished St Paul’s Church is an ideal venue for future festivals. The whole team worked tirelessly to ensure everyone’s safety and the weekend was a huge success.

It was, of course, an even bigger treat than usual to play with such great musicians and have the chance to delve into the musical content together in preparation for the concerts.

We decided to embrace the power of film and create a film for use in schools about the string quartet, focussing on Dvořák’s String Quartet in F, Op. 96, American. It will be sent out to all schools in Hampshire but we thought it might have wider appeal, so are posting it here too.

Do continue to watch this space. We’re busy plotting next year’s big splash …

Best wishes

Kate Gould

Live music returns to Winchester – a review by Hilary Webster

Last Friday there was a definite buzz in the socially distanced queue outside St Paul’s Church in Winchester. An excited masked audience, starved of live music, top quality musicians eager to play in a live concert again and a beautifully newly renovated church made for a heady mixture. Combine this with a deftly crafted programme whereby repeated concerts were tailored to showcase wonderful playing of both familiar favourites and unknown gems and we were ready to enjoy a remarkable 13th Winchester Chamber Music Festival.

It is hard to single out pieces or players but memorable moments include:

The first few glorious notes played by Robert Plane at the start of the Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, the poignant hushed ending of the Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time so beautifully played by violinist, David Adams, and the lilting, gentle slow movement of the rarely heard Fauré Piano Trio from the London Bridge Trio. Pianist Tim Horton’s rendering of the Weber Piano Quartet was sparkling in its exuberance, the energy and musical generosity of Gary Pomeroy – no retiring viola player here – and the panache of Lucy Gould’s violin playing in Bartok’s Contrasts, all are equal contenders.

St Paul’s Church is now all set to become a favourite venue for music in Winchester. Light and airy, it has an excellent acoustic and all the facilities that concert organisers can usually only dream of. All that is missing now is a grand piano worthy of the venue, but the Festival had hired a wonderful Fazioli for the weekend, thanks to the generosity of one of its many supportive Friends and Patrons.

Thank you to Artistic Director, Kate Gould for her wonderful ’cello playing and especially for bringing such a vibrant and memorable festival to her home city of Winchester.

If you missed these marvellous live concerts there is a chance to hear them all online from June 18. Tickets available from Programme 2021 (Online)

And why not dip into some online talks and messages to get in the Festival spirit

Why is Joe Cutler’s piece called Slippery Music? Find out here from the composer himself.
Listen to a fascinating pre-concert talk about Messiaen’s Quartet from the End of Time

Programme notes are available for free download here