‘Greatest organist of modern times’ to join one of three festival recitals

Some of today’s most influential artists will take part in a number of recitals at this year’s Elgar Festival.

The first of the three recitals will take place on Friday 30 May at 1.00pm at Huntingdon Hall in Worcester, featuring composer and pianist Eric Elroy and American born soprano April Fredrick.

Bridging the Atlantic with an inspired blend of British, American and Anglo-American composers, the song recital begins with a selection of some of Elgar’s most beloved songs and includes a rare performance of Lennox Berkeley’s exquisite Counting the Beats. The programme commemorates the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Arthur Bliss, presenting songs that variously sample the cheeky, romantic and introspective sides of his personality. The 70th birthday of local composer Ian Venables is also marked with a performance of one of his early song cycles. The recital concludes with Eric’s own song-cycle of war-poems by Robert Graves, A Dead Man’s Embers, which has been hailed by Musical Opinion as a ‘masterpiece’ of contemporary song.  Tickets cost £10 each with under 18s able to attend for free; to book please visit www.elgarfestival.org/events/lunchtime-rectital.

Great Malvern Priory is the venue for the Organ Recital and Q&A with David Briggs – and host Dr Jonathan James – on Saturday 31 May from 2.00pm.  Considered by many to be the greatest organist of modern times, David Briggs talks about his life in music and how he’s brought the symphonies of Elgar, Vaughan Williams and even Gustav Mahler into the organ repertoire through his toweringly virtuosic transcriptions.  Briggs will then perform his stunning transcription of Elgar’s First Symphony alongside the master’s Organ Sonata and the evocative and beautiful Rhapsody by featured festival composer Ian Venables.  Tickets cost £15 each with under 18s able to attend for free; to book please visit www.elgarfestival.org/events/organ-recital-and-qa-with-david-briggs.

One of the most prolific and influential recording artists of all time, cellist Raphael Wallfisch – a leading exponent of British music for more than 40 years – will be joined by pianist Simon Callaghan on Sunday 1 June at 2.00pm at Henry Sandon Hall, Royal Porcelain Works in Worcester.  The duo will present a programme of lyrical music for cello which brings together the three composers at the heart of this year’s festival, John Ireland, Ian Venables and Edward Elgar.  Tickets cost £15 each with under 18s able to attend for free; to book please visit www.elgarfestival.org/events/cello-recital.

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of the Elgar Festival said: “We are absolutely overjoyed to welcome these influential artists and performers to this year’s Elgar Festival.  Each of the three recitals will inspire, stimulate and animate.  We look forward to welcoming you!”

The 2025 Elgar Festival event takes place between Saturday 24 May until Sunday 1 June.

The festival – which was launched in 2018 – was established by decree of Worcester City Council and is traditionally held on the weekend closest to Elgar’s birthday, 2 June 1857.

Themed ‘Celebrate with Elgar’, this year’s Festival will bring together world-class professional musicians and artists alongside local choirs and ensembles placing the music of Worcester’s most famous son alongside that of his contemporaries and some of today’s leading composers and arrangers.

Set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas, the festival is an annual celebration of Elgar’s music spanning symphonic and string orchestra concerts.

Highlights this year include Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 and John Ireland’s oratorio ‘These Things Shall Be’ performed by the ESO and joined by the 2025 Festival Chorus on Saturday 31 May in Worcester Cathedral. There are further performances by English String and Chamber Orchestras, several participatory events including ‘Come and Play Elgar 1’ and a Young Singers Masterclass.

There are several free events, relaxed concerts, an exhibition, choral events, a film screening, Q and As, a guided walk and a new performance partnership with students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Since it began – lauded as ‘Critic’s Pick’ in both The Guardian and The Times – the festival has doubled in size and scale and championed Sir Edward to as wide an audience as possible. It continues to grow annually through an innovative development programme of appealing and accessible events, working with hundreds of both internationally renowned professional artists and amateur musicians and performers of all ages to ensure Elgar really is for everyone.

For a full list of events, costs and booking information, please visit www.elgarfestival.org.