13 – 20 November 2021
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to the 2021 Bath Mozartfest, and to look forward to welcoming audiences to concerts in our beautiful home city once again. I’m delighted that they will also be livestreamed for those unable to join us, and to allow us to continue to reach the many music-lovers around the world who discovered us during the pandemic.
The music of Mozart is always at the heart of our festival and La Nuova Musica, conducted by David Bates, will perform an enthralling all-Mozart programme following the composer’s musical symphonic development, featuring fine soloists Rachel Podger and Alec Frank-Gemmill. Rachel will play again two days later, this time with Christopher Glynn at the fortepiano, presenting an intriguing series of completions of Mozart’s unfinished fragments.
We welcome internationally acclaimed chamber groups which this year includes Cuarteto Casals, Belcea Quartet, Nash Ensemble and Leonore Piano Trio.
Piano recitals feature with a first visit from this year’s young Leeds Piano Competition winner, Alim Beisembayev, and two of the UK’s outstanding pianists, Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne, who play as a duo in an enchanting programme including music by Debussy and Ravel.
Soprano Lucy Crowe and pianist Anna Tilbrook will present a fascinating programme entitled “Female Portraits” ranging from works by Clara Schumann, to Schubert’s Silvia and Cole Porter’s Miss Otis.
The popular weekday lunchtime concerts include clarinettist Michael Collins with flautist Adam Walker and pianist Michael McHale; the Sacconi Quartet; and members of the Nash Ensemble. A particular treat will be our afternoon concert introducing members of BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme, always a showcase for youthful talent.
Stile Antico’s beguiling unaccompanied choral music programme entitled “A Garden of Delights” promises to transport us with “songs of earthly and heavenly love” and, after a week of much musical joy, the English Chamber Orchestra will bring the “fest” to a close with Schubert’s 5th Symphony, testament to the composer’s own love of Mozart’s music.
I hope to see you in November for eight days of marvellous music making.
Amelia Freedman CBE, FRAM
Artistic Director