Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
FESTIVAL’S TOP LINE-UP
The award-winning Deal Festival celebrates its 35th birthday this year and an amazing line-up of international artists is planned. The box office opens on Monday for the bursting programme of events during the 17-day-long celebration of all things art. The festival’s president, international trumpet player Alison Balsom, will launch it with a performance of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto with the Purcell School Chamber Orchestra. Courtney Pine with jazz pianist Zoe Rahman brings his legendary The Ballad Book and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain return by popular demand.
In the middle weekend Ronnie Scott’s Big Band will recreate two famous jazz albums: The Atomic Mr Basie and Ellington at Newport and world famous opera singer Sarah Connolly brings us masterworks by Schumann, Mahler, Copland and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (former president of Deal Festival). The final weekend of the festival sees Sir John Tomlinson and Counterpoise with Kokschko’ Doll which focuses on the sensational and dramatic affair between artist Oskar Kokschka and Alma Mahler.
For the final weekend Wiener Kammersymphonie returns from Vienna for a performance with Freddy Kempf which includes two of the greatest piano concertos by Beethoven in intimate versions of the period of chamber ensemble, Piano Concertos 4 and 5 (Emperor).
The 17 days of the festival are filled with amazing entertainment including two shows at the Astor – the Moulettes and the silent film Vampyr with live score by Minima and Stephen Horne.
There will be the Scott Brothers, acclaimed for their piano duet repertoire and animation, Contemporary Dance and Music at Turner Contemporary in Margate, Hamlet at Dover Castle which will be interpreted for the deaf, Academy of Ancient Music with GSMD and Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral plus a celebration of the life of Elizabeth Carter, member of the Bluestocking Circle who lived in Deal. This is written by local author Gregory Holyoake. Festival spokesman Willie Cooper said: “As a new venture this year many of the classical concerts will have free preconcert talks.
“There will be an unusual sound installation with music at the Pines Calyx, plus a celebration of the festival’s innovative education work.”