29 May 2024
By Tony Forde
tony@TheCork.ie
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is renowned for its innovative programming, presenting contemporary works alongside some of the most famous, well-loved, music in the repertoire and this year’s programme features world premieres by Roxana Panufnik and Sam Perkin as well as a three part co-commission by the Festival’s composer-in-residence, Bushra El Turk.
On Monday, July 1st at 7.30pm, the audience at Bantry House will finally get the chance to experience the premiere of Roxana Panufnik’s The Faithful Gazelle. Clarinettist Matthew Hunt joins the Signum Quartet to perform this music which is based on a classic Afghan folk tale. It was commissioned in 2021 but has been twice postponed due to the pandemic.
On Wednesday July 3rd at 7.30pm in St Brendan’s Church, Dudok Quartet perform Bushra El-Turk’s String Quartet Three Tributes. This is a set of pieces that take the form of three portraits of Levantine female singers who lived during the Nahda period, a cultural renaissance in the Arab speaking world that took place between the mid-19th century and the early 20th century. This is a co-commission with Borletti Buitoni Trust and String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam.
The world premiere on Thursday July 4th is performed in the Coffee Concert in St Brendan’s Church at 11am. Composer Sam Perkin celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the County Cork Harpsichord in his new work for harpsichord and lute, performed by Camerata Oresund, Marcus Mohlin and Peter Spissky.
For further details of these performances, go to www.westcorkmusic.ie/cmfprogramme
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is generously supported by the Arts Council, Failte Ireland, Cork County Council and Crespo Foundation.