Our third visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its remarkable music festival which we have supported from the start.
After two nights in the former Polish capital city of Cracow, with one of the best-preserved medieval centres in Europe, we cross the High Tatra mountain range on the ancient trade route to the towns of the Spiss region, once wealthy with trade and mining but overlooked for centuries. The Gothic and Renaissance houses frame late 15th century altar carvings in the churches by Master Paul, who rivals the well-known Veit Stoss in Cracow. In 2008 a British-Slovak couple established a music festival in their adopted town with leading musicians from all over the world performing in a Rococo theatre and the great church of the former regional capital Levoca. For the third festival, cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber is joined by two of the most remarkable younger generation pianists, Jonathan Powell and the Czech Ivo Kahanák (who recently made his memorable Prom debut), the award-winning Slovak cellist Jozef Lupták, the Stamic Quartet and the Slovak Sinfonietta. The bicentenaries of Schumann and Chopin are the focus of the 2010 festival.
We stay in a charming hotel in the former Jewish part of the Kasimierz quarter of Cracow; a renovated mediaeval house on the main square is our Levoca hotel. As well as the excursions and recitals we meet the musicians, have exclusive introductory talks and receptions.
| Cost: Ł1,380 to include return schedule flights, transfers and excursions, good tickets for all concerts, 2 nights in Cracow and 5 nights in Levoca, 5 lunches and 1 dinner. Single supplement Ł250. Deposit Ł300.
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 | Levoca - the UNESCO World Heritage Site by a local artist.
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Friday 1st
October
19.00
Theatre,
Levoča
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Stamic Quartet (Czech Republic)
Dvořák: String Quartet in d op. 34
Charles Ives: String Quartet no. 1 ('From
the Salvation Army')
Schumann: String Quartet in F op. 41 no. 2
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Saturday 2nd October
15.00
Dardanely Summerhouse,
Markušovce
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Klára Kolonits (soprano) acc. Dániel Dinyés (Hungary)
Lieder recital
to include Chopin, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann,
Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn and Liszt
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Saturday 2nd October
19.00
Theatre
Levoča
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Stamic Quartet/ Ivo
Kahánek (Czech Republic)
Smetana: String Quartet no. 2 in d minor
Schulhoff: String Quartet no. 2
Schumann: Piano Quintet in E flat op. 44
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Sunday 3rd October
15.00
Congress Hall, Levoča
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Ivo Kahánek
(Czech Republic)
Schumann: Kinderszenen op.
15 - Gideon Klein: Sonata -
Bohuslav Martinů: Three
Czech Dances - Chopin:
4 Scherzi.
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Sunday 3rd October
19.00
Theatre, Levoča
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Julian Lloyd Webber (cello) acc.
Pam Chowhan (UK)
JS Bach: Adagio in G from BWV 156- Debussy: Cello
Sonata – Fauré: Elégie,
op. 24 -
Delius: Cello Sonata – W. Lloyd Webber:
Nocturne -
Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in g minor, op.19
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Monday 4th October
15.00
Congress Hall, Levoča
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Jonathan Powell (piano) (UK)
Eugen Suchoň:
Kaleidoscope - Medtner: Sonata op.25 no.2 'Night
Wind' -
Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme by Chopin op.22
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Monday 4th October
19.00
Congress Hall, Levoča
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Jozef Luptak/Aperta
Trio (Slovakia)
Ronal Sebesta
(clarinet), Jozef Luptak
(cello) and Nora Skuta (piano)
Beethoven: Clarinet Trio in B flat op. 11 - Peter Zagar: Clarinet Trio -
Zemlinsky: Trio in E flat op. 4
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Tuesday 5th October
19.00
Congress Hall
Levoča
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Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Košice , cond. Zbyněk Müller /
Julian Lloyd Webber (cello) (UK)
To
include: Elgar: Cello concerto in e minor op.
85 -
Schumann
Symphony no. 2 in C op. 61 .
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