The Cranborne Chase Chamber Music Festival 2022

Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of playing in the inaugural year of The Cranborne Chase Chamber Music Festival alongside my chamber group, The De Kooning Ensemble, with Elliot Kempton (viola), Evie Coplan (cello & Festival Artistic Director) and Bram Mulders (piano).

Our first concert was at the beautiful St Andrew’s Church in Fontmell Magna and featured a mighty programme of the Mozart Piano Quartet in G Minor, Schumann Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Paymai Piano Quartet and Suk Piano Quartet. We received a wonderful welcome from the audience as soon as we walked on stage, the lighting in the church setting the scene perfectly for the powerful opening declaration of the Mozart.

Following on from the charming and comic finale, we came to the expressive Schumann Piano Quartet. Rumour has it that this was the main work that drew people to our concert, and so it was extremely important for us to take the audience on an emotive and satisfying journey that would leave them feeling intrigued for the second half.

The Paymai is a work that was commissioned for the Ensemble two years ago and frequently features in our programmes to shine a spotlight on current contemporary composers. Based on drones, it proves to be quite meditative for both audience and performers, giving time and space for the upcoming whirlwind of Suk’s Piano Quartet.

The Suk holds a very special place in my heart as it is the first piece the Ensemble explored. However, it is not a very well-known work and so in addition to the sentiment, I absolutely love sharing this piece with audiences as it is such a firecracker and the response we received on Saturday evening surpassed all expectations!

Our concert the following evening was a private event in the sublime Chettle House. The room that we held the concert in had the most wonderful backdrop with the local church and grounds in the background and despite the big concert-hall-like-acoustics, the atmosphere was very intimate with the audience wrapped around us, really inviting every person in to experience the music. An evening based around vocal songs and melodious lines, we played the Schubert String Trio in B-flat, the slow movements of the Quartets from the previous evening as well as some solo pieces. The mixture of ensembles paired with the theme of repertoire added to the ambiance of the room, giving a salon-style feel to the evening. I had the pleasure of performing two pieces; the waltzing Liebesleid (“Love’s Sorrow) by Kreisler followed by the magically emotive Romance for violin and piano by Amy Beach. Beach’s Romance is one of most wonderful pieces, one I endeavour to continue exploring and further intensify! Her writing allows for so much expression, taking the listener on a journey filled with passion, delicacy, and complexity.

The festival was an incredible event to be a part of, filled with magnificent music making with inspirational colleagues, heart-warming receptions from audiences, and heaps of kindness and appreciation from all those involved. I would like to extend a special thanks to Judy & Richard Coplan for their incredible hospitality throughout the weekend, ensuring we were well rested and well fed!

I am already looking forward to next year’s festival – exciting things are coming!