Following on from 2012′s 10th Festival, we’re already getting ready to celebrate ten years since the first Festival back in 2003.  Over four days (10th – 13th October), the coming festival promises to bring you some exciting new ventures, as well as some spectacular venues in East Cork and Cork City.

Watch this space!

The programme books went to the printer last week, and alongside the details of each concert, they include photos and quotes, addresses from both Douglas Gunn and Sarah Cunningham, and a description of a rather unique harpsichord featured at one of our events.  The flyers and posters have been sent out to various venues around Cork City and East Cork, and more are on their way out now.  Our performers start arriving on Wednesday, and preparations have been finalised for the moving of numerous instruments, including a clavichord and no fewer than three harpsichords!

We have also received some lovely testimonies from people who have long been associated with East Cork Early Music:

I have had the great pleasure of appearing three times at the East Cork Early Music Festival in its first ten years. It is a lovely Festival whose organisers put together imaginative programmes, attract curious audiences and look after its performers very well. I have also been invited to give masterclasses at the Music School in order to help young students to learn more about early repertoire. I wish the Festival every success for the next ten years!

Adrian Butterfield

Professor of Baroque Violin, Royal College of Music

Of all the music festivals in Ireland the East Cork Early Music Festival has always lead the way in programming some of the most exciting and unique Early Music concerts. The festival also benefits from the wide variety and quality of the venues throughout East Cork.

Camerata Kilkenny

I’ve been lucky enough to perform in the East Cork Early Music Festival on a few occasions over the years and it has always been a wonderful and special experience for me. The warmth and generosity of the staff, the knowledge and enthusiasm of the audience and the brilliant ambience of Cork itself combine to make this festival unique. I congratulate the Festival on its 10th anniversary and wish it many more years of continued success!

Bill Carter

I came to Cork to play two concerts: an evening chamber concert in the School of Music and a viol solo lunchtime concert in Fota House. It was delightful to see such an enthusiastic audience attend the very well-organised concert series. Especially in the Drawing Room, a room perfect for a viol solo concert, in terms of acoustics, size and style was chosen for me to perform in. Looking out over green hills, market stalls and an immaculate garden seemed an ideal background for intimate music. I do hope that the East Cork Early Music festival is able to continue for many years to come, as the effort and dedication that goes into the organisation and the care of the artists and audience is not only evident, but recognisably huge. I look forward to watching the Festival -whether from a distance or from within – for at least another 10 years!

Suzanne Heinrich

The Irish Baroque Orchestra has been delighted to appear at the East Cork Early Music festival in recent years. The festival is a wonderful opportunity for audiences to enjoy excellent period performances and fascinating repertoire, and features some of the finest players on the Early Music scene today. We congratulate the festival on its 10^th anniversary this year and wish it every continued success for the future!

Stella Konik

Chief Executive Officer, Irish Baroque Orchestra

One of the most valuable developments in Irish musical life over the last decade or so has been the establishment and continued growth of the East Cork Early Music Festival. It has already enriched the lives of so many and will, I’m sure, continue to develop a love and appreciation of Early Music for those fortunate to live within travelling distance.

Dr. Geoffrey Spratt

Director, CIT Cork School of Music

I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in the East Cork Early Music Festival several times over the past few years. Aside from the impressive variety of concerts and venues built into the festival programme I’ve always been astounded by the incredible educational and outreach work associated with the festival. It strikes me that this is a fantastic way not only to enrich the musical education of local youngsters but also a vital way to invigorate and inspire future audiences. I have nothing but fond memories of my time in Cork appearing in the festival with The Flautadors, Ensemble L’Aia and as a soloist with the Irish Baroque Orchestra.

Ian Wilson

Born in Hanover to a family of harpsichord- and organ-builders, Antoine Vater moved to Paris in 1715 to practice his family’s profession. He quickly gathered a reputation as being one of the finest harpsichord-makers in France, and a number of well apprentices studied with him (including well-known maker Jean-Henri Hemsch).

Alongside his primary business of making harpsichords, Vater was also one of the Guardians of the Royal Harpsichords, charged with maintaining the large collection at Versailles, as well as acquiring new instruments. He moved to Rue du Temple in 1737, and the German composer Georg Philipp Telemann stayed here with Vater for the whole of 1738.

Three instruments by Antoine Vater are known to survive today: one (dated 1732) is at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, another (dated 1737) is in a private collection in England, and a third (dated 1738) is in Cork.

The 1738 instrument is owned by Pauline Mac Sweeney, harpsichord teacher at CIT Cork School of Music. It comprises two manuals (FF-e”’), with two 8′ registers and one 4′ register, and the design is very typical of French instruments of the first half of the eighteenth century.  Looking at the instrument, the influence that Vater had on his pupil, Hemsch, is quite obvious.

Discovered in a barn in Toulouse (where it was presumably stashed during the French Revolution), it was missing its jacks and stand, as well as most of the keys, and the soundboard had at some point been kicked in by a cow. The instrument was bought by harpsichord-maker Michael Thomas, who delicately restored it to full playing order. The string tension is low, to minimise stress on the soundboard, which gives the instrument a remarkably resonant and harmonious sound.

Over the past ten years, students in Cork City and County have had master-classes with internationally renowned musicians such as Dame Emma Kirkby, Rachel Podger and Rachel Brown, to name but a few.

This year, in association with County Cork Arts Officer, Ian McDonagh, Eimear Reidy (Cello) Emmanuelle Weeger (Recorder) and Claude Meneux-Poizat (Harpischord) will provide workshops for Primary and Post-Primary students from County Cork.

These workshops will take place on Monday 1st – Thursday 4th October at County Hall, Cork.

We can also confirm that Rachel Podger will be giving a Masterclass on Thursday 4th October at CIT Cork School of Music.

Thursday 4th October

Stack Theatre, CIT Cork School of Music @ 1pm
PIERRE GOY
East Cork Early Music presents the inaugural recital of Cork School of Music’s new clavichord, featuring Pierre Goy.

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music @ 8pm
RACHEL PODGER & BRECON ENSEMBLE
Concertos by Bach and Vivaldi for Violin, Cello and Harpsichord, featuring Vivaldi Concerto for Three Violins, RV 551.

Friday 5th October

Aula Maxima, UCC @ 1pm
RACHEL PODGER
Acclaimed Baroque violinist Rachel Podger presents a programme of solo music by Bach, Telemann and Biber. Features Bach Partita No.2 in D minor, concluding with the magnificent Chaconne.

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music @ 8pm
JOGLARESA
‘SONGS OF SIN & SUBVERSION’
An Early Music programme linking to the 21st Century. Joglaresa explore thematic and musical links between songs from the crusades to the present day.

Saturday 6th October

St. John the Baptist Church, Midleton @ 1pm
VATER ENSEMBLE
‘PARIS 1738’
Tom Ó Drisceoil, an up-and-coming Irish harpsichordist, presents a programme of French and German Chamber music set in the home of Parisian harpsichord maker Antoine Vater.

The Grainstore, Ballymaloe @ 8pm
PETER WHELAN & ENSEMBLE MARSYAS
A programme of chamber music by Handel, Vivaldi, Boismortier, Mattheson and Zelenka, for two oboes, bassoon, harpsichord and violone.

Sunday 7th October

Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh @ 1pm
PETER WHELAN & ENSEMBLE MARSYAS
Peter Whelan and Ensemble Marsyas present a programme of chamber music by Handel, Platti and Fasch for oboe, bassoon and harpsichord.

East Cork Early Music Festival 2011

Wednesday 5th October  – Sunday 9th October

Wednesday 5th, 8pm

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music

Madrigal ’75 Chamber Choir & Ensemble

Bach: Cantata 150

Motets by Bach & Schutz

Thursday 6th, 8pm

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music

London Handel Players with Emma Kirkby

‘Arias for Mrs Arne: An Evening at the Pleasure Gardens’

Friday 7th, 12pm

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music

Dr David Ledbetter, Lecturer

An introductory talk on Bach’s Six Partitas for Harpsichord.

1pm

Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music

Malcolm Proud

J.S. Bach: Partitas 1, 2 & 5, BWV 825, 826 and 829. 

8pm

The Grain Store, Ballymaloe

Irish Baroque Orchestra Chamber Soloists

Programme to include music by Rameau, Marais & Couperin.

Saturday 8th, 1pm

Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh

Róisín O’Grady (soprano), Sarah Groser (viola da gamba)

& James Taylor (harpsichord)

Cantatas by Clérambault, Rameau & Montéclair.

8pm

Fota House

Malcolm Proud

J.S. Bach: Partitas 3, 4 & 6, BWV 827-8 and 830.

Sunday 9th, 1pm

Fota House

The Hibernian Muse: Emma Elkinson (baroque flute),

Eimear Reidy (cello) & Anna Savelainen (harpsichord)

Music by O’Carolan, Froberger, Telemann & J. S. Bach.

Please see the event page for the full programme of the concert with Pamela Thorby, recorders, Rachel Podger, violin and Malcolm Proud, harpsichord. The concert takes place in The Curtis Auditorium at 8pm and the masterclass is earlier in the day from 10am to 12pm.

After all the fun and games- we’re then looking forward to sitting back and enjoying the virtuosic programme ‘Angel’s and Devils’ at the CIT Cork School of Music at 8pm.

The following link is Jordi Savall’s interpretation of Corelli’s ‘La Follia’- can’t wait to hear the Stylus Phantasticus version!