From 11 to 14 June 2026, cellist and artistic director Beatrice Philips leads an ensemble of 15 chamber musicians and soloists for the 2026 Lewes Chamber Music Festival with a wonderfully diverse programme, celebrating Kurtag’s 100th anniversary via the festival’s theme: Exploring musical legacy, along with locally sourced refreshments and great cake!
The music of Kurtág threads its way through the festival with various incarnations of Signs Games & Messages, plus 12 Microludes for String Quartet, Hommage a R. Schumann, Jaketok and his transcriptions of Bach cantatas for piano four-hands (written for Kurtág to play with his wife.).
And this music has provided other threads that run through the programme. Alongside Kurtág’s Bach, there are extracts from Bach’s Goldberg Variations in its original version and in transcription for string trio. Whilst Kurtág’s Hommage a R Schumann is written for the same instrumental combination as Schumann’s Fairtytale for piano, clarinet and viola. And further Schumann includes his Adagio & Allegro for horn and piano, Six pieces in canonic form, and Piano Quartet. Plus there is a suite for piano, violin and clarinet by Darius Milhaud, with whom Kurtág had lessons in Paris.
Other homages include Ligeti’s Horn Trio ‘Hommage a Brahms’, alongside Brahms‘ Sonata for viola and piano in E flat, and Sextet No.2 in G major. Other works include Ravel’s Piano Trio, and music by Sally Beamish, Dora Pejacevic, Martinu, Bartok and Webern. The Saturday evening concert includes Janacek’s String Quartet No. 2 ‘Intimate Letters’ and tenor Laurence Kilsby joins the festival for Britten’s Les Illuminations.
The gala concert on Saturday evening not only features a double length event with music by Kurtág, Schumann, Janacek and Britten, but refreshments which are the result of community efforts along with locally sourced wine. And the coffee for Sunday morning’s coffee concert is locally are the result of community efforts and locally sourced wine, whilst the cakes served are locally-made and have gained a reputation for being outstanding.
Full details from the festival website.
.jpeg?w=670&resize=670,446&ssl=1 "The Glyndebourne Prom: Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with a young cast on superb form")
-5.jpg?w=160&resize=160,160&ssl=1 "Cross-cultural cross currents: Jasdeep Singh Degun with Fantasia Orchestra in Terry Riley's iconic In C performed by string orchestra, piano, sitar and tabla at Smith Square Hall")
