The 2019 Aldeburgh Festival will take place on 7–23 June and will feature three Artists in Residence: composer Thomas Larcher, tenor Mark Padmore and conductor and soloist Barbara Hannigan, each of whom curated a part of the festival. 

Hannigan will feature in the festival as conductor, singer and reciter, as well as mentoring singers in a young artist programme. On 17 June, with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw, she will perform a concert of Satie’s voice and piano works. She will also lead the Ludwig Orchestra in two concerts as both conductor and soprano.

The first of these (21 June) places works by Schoenberg and Grisey beside two Bach solo cello suites performed by Alisa Weilerstein; the orchestra is also joined by Kate Howden (mezzo-soprano), James Way (tenor) and Antoin Herrera-Lopez Kessel (bass) for the second (22 June) for a full performances of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella as well as Haydn’s ‘La Passione’ Symphony and Gershwin’s Suite from Girl Crazy. 

Hannigan will also both conduct and narrate in a morning concert of works featuring the poetry of Edith Sitwell, with Walton’s Façade and Britten’s Canticle III ‘Still Falls the Rain’ (23 June). 

The Hunting Gun
Austrian composer Thomas Larcher’s first opera, The Hunting Gun, will open the festival. Based on a post-war novella by Japanese writer Yasushi, the opera was originally commissioned by the Bregenzer Festival in Austria, and will receive its UK premiere at Aldeburgh, performed by the newly-formed Knussen Chamber Orchestra and EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth and directed by Karl Markovics.

Works by Larcher will feature throughout the festival, including performances by Albion Quartet, Heath Quartet, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Quatuor Diotima, Ardeo Quartet, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and pianist Paul Lewis. He will also be joined in performance by Paul Lewis and tenor Mark Padmore in a performance of his own work with Bach and Schubert (9 June).

Poetry and music
Padmore will perform in a total of seven concerts, leading the Poetry and Music series which includes performances of Britten settings of poetry by John Donne (8 June) and William Soutar (14 June). He will also lead a series of masterclasses on ‘Singing Britten’ with the participants of the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme. 

Other highlights of the festival include multiple performances of Brian Irvine’s Dumbworld/Irish National Opera video and sound installation Drive-by Shooting, a screening of Charlie Chaplin shorts with live piano improvisation by Neil Brand, performance art by Bastard Assignments, and a tribute to Oliver Knussen. There will also be ‘Listening Walks’ throughout the festival, guided by sound artist Mike Challis. 

For further information and tickets, visit www.snapemaltings.co.uk.