Early and late

That title, the National Centre for Early Music, doesn't tell half the story, does it?

No, the former St Margaret's Church in Walmgate is a broad church indeed, welcoming the Spring Festival of Baroque Music, a World Sound season, folk and jazz events, a summertime Celebration Of British Song, and the York Late Music Festival.

The York Late Music Festival, in March, will run earlier in the year than the York Early Music Festival, in July, but before the York Early Music Christmas Festival at, er, Christmas. What's going on there?

'Late' and 'early' do not refer to when the festivals fall in the year but to the music itself. Late music is as cutting-edge as a knife factory and as new as tomorrow or ahead of its time yesterday. Early music is the stuff of sackbutts, forte pianos and viols.

Give a quick rundown on York Late Music Festival 2004, please.

Put together as ever by York composers David Power and Steve Crowther for a March 5 to 21 run, its highlights will include a celebration of the work of Wilfrid Mellers and Bernard Rands and new commissions by Power, Crowther, Ian Dixon and Christopher Long.

Among the Late arrivals will be The Joyful Company of Singers, March 6; pianist Andrew Ball, March 7; Black Hair, March 11; Ensemble Bash, March 13; The Homemade Orchestra, March 20; and Fitzwilliam String Quartet, March 21.

The Times reckons York Early Music Festival to be "Britain's most prominent early music festival". Why?

In its 27th year, the festival pulls in the big names and the rising talents of the early classical repertoire, and not for nothing was an old York church chosen to be the National Centre for Early Music.

Running from July 2 to 10, this year's event will celebrate the music of Biber and France "from the coolness of the cloister to the heat of the courts of Louis XIV".

Making an Early impression will be Andrew Manze, violin; Richart Egarr, harpsichord; the Gabrieli Consort & Players; Binchois Consort; Ensemble Clement Janequin; Rose Consort of Viols; Sonnerie; the Dufay Collective and Ensemble 415.

The National Centre for Early Music will be forging links with the University of York this season. Explain further.

The university will promote a Baroque Day on February 21, from 10.30am at the NCEM, as part of the Spring Festival of Baroque Music.

Pamela Thorby, recorder, and Simon Jones, violin and director, will lead the day of concerts, coffee, Bach and his contemporaries. Also taking part will be Gary Cooper, harpsichord, and the University Baroque Ensemble.

On February 22, at 8pm, Catherine Bott will introduce BBC Radio 3's transmission of Concordia's concert of Royal Consorts by Marin Marais and Henry Purcell. This will be the first live broadcast from the NCEM outside the confines of the York Early Music Festival, and the broadcast will be heard across Europe too.

The University of York is involved in the World Sound Season too, along with the Asian Music Circuit. What global goodies lie in store?

The university and AMC are jointly promoting Lhamo Opera's performance, at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall on May 21, as part of the Tibetan company's first visit to Britain.

Other highlights will be the Bhangra and Bollywood music of the Kuljit Bhamra Band, February 28; Kala Sangam's rural tales from South Asia, May 8; qanun player Abdullah Chhadeh's new project, May 23; Uzbekistan singer Sherali Jurayev, June 11; and the return of Tango Siempre, June 25. Only Tango Siempre have played at the NCEM previously.

The peachiest event of all should be A Summer Garland, A Celebration Of British Song, on June 5. Just look at the cast list.

Tollerton soprano Lynne Dawson, baritone Stephen Varcoe, University of York music department luminary Peter Seymour, countertenor James Bowman and tenor Ian Partridge are taking part.

So too are mezzo sopranos Yvonne Seymour and Hilary Summers and pianist Nicky Losseff in a day-long event promoted by the University of York. Musical settings of First World War poems at 10.30am lead off the performances, followed by Shakespeare's Songs, a discussion on British song, Britten's Canticles, and With Great Pleasure, the singers' choice of composers.

See next week's York Twenty4Seven for details of the jazz and folk programme. Box office: 01904 658338.

Updated: 16:10 Thursday, February 05, 2004