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Event 6: Coffee Concert - Orkney Traditional Music Project
King Street Halls, Kirkwall, 10.30am
Orkney Traditional Music Project makes a welcome return to the Festival programme for an hour of informal music-making.
Ticket includes light refreshments after the concert.
Approximately 1 hour
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Tickets
£6 full
£4 conc*
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 Event 7: Simon Armitage - poetry reading
Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, 11am
Simon Armitage is one of Britain 's most widely known and popular poets. He has received numerous awards for his work, which includes nine poetry collections, several novels and an acclaimed translation of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He has also written extensively for stage, radio and television.
‘Armitage creates a muscular but elegant language of his own out of slangy, youthful, up-to-the-minute jargon and the vernacular of his native northern England. He combines this with an easily worn erudition, plenty of nous and the benefit of unblinkered experience…' Sunday Times
Ticket includes a light buffet lunch at 12.15pm in the Stromness Hotel Approximately 1 hour
Sponsored by
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Tickets
£10 full
£6 conc* |
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Event 8: Chopin as Symbol
Adrian Thomas
Professor of Music, Cardiff University
New Phoenix Cinema, Pickaquoy Centre, 11.30am
The Polish poet Leopold Staff once wrote a short poem called 'Townie', which ended with the line, 'I am afraid of becoming Chopin'. In Chopin's bicentennial year, this talk looks at the legacy of his music for both writers and composers. Adrian Thomas is a specialist on Polish music and a member of the Honarary Committee of the 'Fryderyk Chopin 2010' celebrations in the UK.
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Tickets
£6 full
£4 conc*
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Approximately 1 hour
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| There is a regular public bus service between Kirkwall and Stromness. For details, contact the Tourist Information Centre, tel. 01856 872856 |
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Event 9: Royal String Quartet
Ewa Kupiec piano
Stromness Town Hall, 2.30pm
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Tickets
£13 full
£8 conc*
Unres.
£11 full
£6 conc* |
| Beethoven |
String Quartet op. 74, ‘Harp' |
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Szymanowski |
String Quartet no.1 |
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Chopin |
Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor (piano & string quartet version) |
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The award-winning Royal Quartet play one of Beethoven's most beautiful string quartets plus two works from their native Poland - Szymanowski's exotic, impressionistic quartet and Chopin's romantic concerto, a work very dear to the composer's heart. The distinguished Polish pianist, Ewa Kupiec, joins the Royals for a rare performance of the chamber version of this lovely piece. |
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Approximately 2 hours |
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Event 10: Side by Side
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and
Orkney Schools Orchestra
Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, 6.30pm
Stephen Bell conductor/presenter
David Flack horn
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Tickets
£8 full
£5 conc*
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| Copland |
Fanfare for the Common Man |
| Arnold |
Scottish Dances (1st and 3rd movements) |
| Grieg |
‘Anitra's Dance' and ‘The Hall of the Mountain King' from Peer Gynt |
| Maxwell Davies |
‘The Twittering Machine' from Five Klee Pictures |
| Mozart |
Horn Concerto no.3 (3rd movement) |
| Elgar |
‘Nimrod' from Enigma Variations |
| Lutoslawski |
A Little Suite (3rd and 4th movements) |
| Chopin |
Grande Valse arr. Stravinsky |
| J Strauss |
Radetzky March |
This very special event is the culmination of a 6-month project for young musicians. Orkney Schools Orchestra joins the BBC SSO to form a combined orchestra of 130 players for this family-friendly concert presentetd by Stephen Bell, a conductor renowned for his ability to communicate with audiences of all ages.
Sponsored by 
Approximately 1 hour |
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 Event 11: Bester Quartet
Jewson's Shed, Junction Road, Kirwall, 7.30pm
Bester Quartet is a reincarnation of the legendary Krakow Klezmer Band. One of Poland's most passionate and creative bands, the Quartet blends the traditional Jewish music of Eastern Europe with elements of Balkan music and contemporary jazz. Bester Quartet has become a phenomenon on the world music scene and performs to sell-out audiences at prestigious venues worldwide.
'The sheen of their ensemble sound, the virtuosity of their solos and the intelligence and drama of their performances easily persuade listeners to hang on to every note. When Bester and Dyyak played two-accordion passages, with Tyrala's violin singing imploringly in its high register, the effect was haunting.' Chicago Tribune
Approximately 1 hour 15 mins
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Tickets
£12 full
£7 conc*
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Event 12: Hebrides Ensemble
Håkan Vramsmo baritone
St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, 8.30pm
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Tickets
£13 full
£8 conc*
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| J Strauss II |
Emperor Waltz arr. Schoenberg |
| Krasa |
Passacaglia and Fugue |
| Mahler |
Songs of a Wayfarer |
| Prokoviev |
Overture on Hebrew Themes |
| Schubert |
songs |
| J Strauss II |
Roses from the South arr. Schoenberg |
Mahler’s bittersweet songs of love and loss are
framed by Prokoviev’s irresistible, klezmer-inspired
overture and the string trio by the brilliant Czech
Jewish composer Hans Krasa. Schoenberg’s
arrangements of Strauss’s dazzling waltz melodies
evoke the musical splendour of 1880s Vienna.
‘The Hebrides Ensemble confirmed its reputation
as Scotland’s finest contemporary music group...
Fluency, technical brilliance and a sense of
the personal and the epic characterised the
performance.’ The Daily Telegraph
approximately 1 hour 40 minutes |
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Event 13: Andy Cant!
Jewson's Shed, Junction Road, Kirwall, 10pm
Andy has been the creator and guiding spirit behind some of Orkney's – and the Festival's – most memorable tunes and performances. Here at last Andy is given carte blanche with his own show. His multiplicity of styles, the thickness of his contacts book and the breadth of his imagination suggest that audiences should expect the unexpected!
Approximately 1 hour 15 mins
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Tickets
£10 full
£6 conc*
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Festival Club: Alistair Savage Trio
Albert Hotel, Kirkwall, 10pm
£6 at door or £20 Club Pass in advance |
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| *Concessions are available for schoolchildren, full-time students and people who are registered unemployed. Postal, internet and in-person bookings open Monday 19th April. Phone bookings accepted from Tuesday 20th April. Information on priority booking for supporters available here. |
