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The Grange Festival is held every summer in the heart of Hampshire at one of the country’s most magnificent neo-classical houses, Grange Park. Located on the Baring family’s estate not far from Winchester, it is arguably one of the most beautiful of all country house settings. Today, the Grange Festival is in the hands of the countertenor, Michael Chance, who took on the role of Artistic Director in 2017.
We will spend one full day exploring the ancient city of Winchester, the original capital of England, including highlights such as the historic Winchester College, which dates from 1382. We will visit the College and see the Chamber Court, the Scholars’ Dining Room, and the Gothic Chapel. We shall also visit The Great Hall, all that remains of Winchester Castle, and home to what is considered by many to be King Arthur’s Round Table. The highlight of any visit to the city is the magnificent mediaeval Cathedral where Queen Mary I married King Philip II on 25 July 1554. There will also be a visit Exbury Gardens, one of the finest woodland gardens in Europe. The estate which overlooks the Beaulieu River was purchased by Lionel de Rothschild in 1919. The garden provides year-round interest with its herbaceous and wildflower plantings and choice shrubs. The Centenary and the Sundial Gardens will be at their best at the time of our visit and a walk along the river is always a summer highlight. We stay in the 3* Winchester Royal Hotel in the city centre – one dinner will be served at the hotel, and two at Grange Park.
...when you travel with Kirker
21 June - Hospital of St Cross
Alkyona Quartet
Emma Purslow, Marike Kruup, violins
Claire Newton, viola
Jobine Siekman, cello
Haydn: String Quartet in C, Op.54 No.2
Britten: Rhapsody
Janacek: String Quartet No.2 ‘Intimate Letters’
Three very varied quartets by masters of the string quartet form make up this midsummer programme. Haydn introduces Hungarian gypsy music to the salons of Vienna, Britten’s piece composed in 1929 when he was a fifteen-year-old schoolboy at Gresham’s School and Janacek’s outpouring of his love for a woman, Kamila Stösslová, almost forty years his junior completes this wonderful concert.
The Alkyona Quartet are quickly establishing themselves as one of the country’s leading string quartets. They are currently String Quartet Fellows at the Royal College of Music. They also have a residency at Leighton House in Kensington, one of London’s most important chamber music venues. The quartet is studying with Simon Rowland-Jones, Kirker’s Music Director, David Waterman and others. They have a busy schedule with recent concerts at Oundle School, a concert for the London Chamber Music Society at Conway Hall and a tour to Australia in May.
23 June - The Grange Festival
The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky
First performed at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg on 29 March 1890.
Two singers from Ukraine, including the First Prize Winner of the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, Andrei Kymach and one of the world’s greatest singing actresses, Dame Josephine Barstow, star in Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
Conductor: Paul Daniel
Herman: Eduard Martynyuk
Lisa: Anush Hovhannisyan
Tomsky: Andrei Kymach
The Countess: Dame Josephine Barstow
Polina: Claire Barnett-Jones
24 June - The Grange Festival
Così fan tutte by Mozart
First performed at the Burgtheater, Vienna on 26 January 1790.
Conductor: Kiril Karabits
Fiordiligi: Samantha Clarke
Dorabella: Kitty Whateley
Gugliemo: Nicholas Lester
Ferrando: Alessandro Fisher
Despina: Carolina Lippo
Don Alfonso: Christian Senn
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra plays at all performances at The Grange Festival
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