The best of the rest…

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival

9-12 August

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has arranged the third edition of his festival around music written in the shadow of World War One. Soprano Anna Prohaska and baritone Matthias Goerne join the starry line-up.

Tel: +47 (0)53 482999

Web: baroniet.no/en/rosendal-festival Settimane musicali al Teatro Olimpico 1-17 June

Architect Andrea Palladio’s iconic buildings add to the appeal of Vicenza’s ‘musical weeks’. Highlights this year include Rossini’s melodramatic opera L’inganno felice

(The Fortunate Deception).

Tel: +39 (0)444 302425

Web: www.settimanemusicali.eu

Rheingau Musik Festival

23 June – 1 September

This year’s festival includes Debussy and Ravel from Les Siècles and François-xavier Roth (below), plus Lehár’s The Merry Widow with resident artist Annette Dasch.

Tel: +67 (0)23 602170

Web: www.rheingau-musik-festival.de/en/ Stresa Festival 14 July – 9 September There’s room for the heroes and heroines of bel canto at this year’s Stresa Festival, supplied by Barbara Frittoli’s Lyric Singing Academy. Five young participants will step forward to join the Italian lakeside festival. Tel: +39 (0)32 331095

Web: www.stresafestival.eu

Istanbul Music Festival 23 May – 12 June Artist tributes and performer-driven projects flow from the Istanbul melting pot to deliver everything from dates with soprano Diana Damrau, mezzo Joyce Didonato and pianist Daniil Trifonov to traditional music.

Tel: +90 (0)216 556 9800

Web: muzik.iksv.org/en

Chopin and his Europe 10-13 August Devised by musicologist Stanis¯aw Leszczyn´ski and presented under his direction since 2005, this year’s programme, comprising 50 concerts from 500 musicians, traces a musical timeline from Chopin to Paderewski. Tel: +48 (0)22 4416142

Web: festiwal.nifc.pl/en

Leipzig Bachfest 8-16 June

John Eliot Gardiner hatched the idea for the Leipzig Ring of Cantatas, 30 of Bach’s best sacred works performed over a weekend, with a starry line-up of guests and the St Thomas Boys Choir. Tel: +49 (0)387 12114191 Web: bachfestleipzig.de