Marian Consort © Robert Piwko 2023

Little Missenden Festival 2023 and 2024

Planning is already underway for the 2024 Festival to be held from 4th - 13th October. There will be many memorable events so please hold those dates! You can check for updates here and please do keep in touch through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or email us if you have any questions.

 

The 2023 Little Missenden Festival concluded on Friday 1 Dec with an intimate, beautifully-sung concert of Christmas choral music by Jacobean composers performed by the Marian Consort. There were also a couple of opportunities for the audience to lend their voices to the Christmas spirit...

Our main programme of events for 2023 concluded with a weekend demonstrating the variety and artistic excellence which we always aim to achieve at the Little Missenden Festival. Old and new choral music featured in an evening of glorious singing by the Corvus Consort, with appearances by three of the featured composers (see main picture). There was a fascinating insight into the painter Frans Hals with Albert Godetzky, a great evening of intimate jazz with Ant Law and Alex Hitchcock and, finally, an immensely moving concert of Romantic masterpieces by Schubert and Schoenberg given by the Rossetti Ensemble.

Over the previous days we enjoyed an exhilarating recital by Mahan Esfahani, one of the world's great harpsichordists, an entrancing programme of new works given by the Phaedra Ensemble, which included the UK premiere of a work by Gavin Bryars, and a hugely enjoyable gig with Tarren Duo stepping in at very short notice to play and sing old and new music in the English folk tradition. Variety is very definitely the spice of life!

The festival opened on Fri 6th Oct with a triumphant recital by Angela Hewitt. Her programme of Mozart and Schumann, played to an enthralled capacity audience, combined delicacy and passion in equal measure. Saturday saw a two-fold celebration of the music of David Matthews culminating in a hugely enjoyable performance of his vibrant and engaging piano quintet by the Carducci Quartet and Clare Hammond. And huge thanks are due to pianists Lucy Colquhoun and Matthew Fletcher who stepped in at short notice to make Sunday afternoon's concert not just possible but amazing. They accompanied dramatic and moving performances by Christine Rice and Robert Murray in works by Benjamin Britten, Leos Janacek and Rebecca Clarke.

 

The 2023 programme details remain available on these pages and as usual our wonderful photographer, Robert Piwko, captured most of the events. You can see some of his favourites from this year on this Facebook page. And we received some very positive comments from many of the artists taking part, a selection of which can be found here.

 

Finally, why not consider becoming a Friend of the Festival which will give you priority booking and help us maintain the highest artistic standards?

 

We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 Festival!