Salisbury Festival 2013

The 2013 Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival took place from Friday 24th May – Saturday 8th June. The 41st Festival celebrated the vibrant arts of Catalunya, in what Festival Director Maria Bota described as “a vibrant, powerful, feisty and witty Catalan programme.”

Human castles were built outside the Cathedral spire in Catalan tradition by the Castellers of Vilafranca. World famous Catalan artists performed, including Pep Bou, Nats Nus, Los Galindos, Cobla St Jordi, Jordi Savall and Carles Santos. The city was adorned with breath-taking installations from Girona’s Flower Festival and there were  opportunities to sample Catalan cuisine.

The Festival programme featured events for everyone to enjoy:

• Close Encounters, on the opening Saturday of the Festival began the Festival in spectacular style. The day featured free entertainment for all in Salisbury Cathedral Close, including the classic Festival Playday, a wide variety of new, world-class street theatre and installations, Catalan cooking and more. The Fireworks took place in the evening.
• The Festival hosted an exciting range of family events, including Festival favourites Illyria who returned with a performance of Dick King-Smith’s Babe the Sheep-Pig. There were plenty of events to engage children of all ages, from re-workings of classic fairytales to entirely new experiences and workshops for hands-on creativity.
• The 2013 literature programme boasted John McCarthy, Kate Humble, Dan Snow, A C Grayling and others, presenting a wide range of subjects for discussion and debate. The vice-president of Futbol Club Barcelona, Carles Vilarrubí, also gave a talk.
• The glorious setting of Salisbury Cathedral hosted a number of spectacular events, featuring highlights of the classical music programme. The Cathedral was transformed by Circa and I Fagiolini, who brought a combination of beautiful music and exhilarating acrobatic feats into this sacred space in How Like An Angel. The Festival showcased performances in numerous other fantastic settings in and around the city, including Old Wardour Castle and Wilton Church from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Fretwork, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Allegri Quartet, the Tallis Scholars and more.
• The Festival presented a range of musical styles across Salisbury, from a rich classical programme to fun, popular Catalan bands including Astrio and La Troba Kung-Fú. The ever-popular Salisbury Live  hosted local bands in pubs throughout the city.

Festival highlights:

• Shakespeare’s great tragedy King Lear was brought to the magical setting of Old Wardour Castle, offering a world-class performance in a romantic and memorable setting.
• The charismatic violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman  returned to the Festival with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto and to conduct Mahler’s Fourth Symphony at Salisbury Cathedral, joined by his soprano daughter Arianna Zukerman.
• The Tallis Scholars  brought their immersive sound and fresh interpretations to the Cathedral, with the theme of Metamorphosis, embracing music from Palestrina to Arvo Pärt.
• Russian piano virtuoso Mikhail Rudy  presented Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Stravinsky’s Petrushka at Salisbury Playhouse, enriching his engaging performance with designs by Kadinsky and puppetry from the award-winning Little Angel Theatre company.
• The exquisite, musical wordsmith and storyteller Mark Padmore completed his Schubert song cycle series in Wilton Church with the powerful Die Winterreise, his recording of which won the 2010 Gramaphone Solo Vocal Award.
• The much-loved Opera Project returned to the Festival by popular demand, celebrating their 20th year and Verdi’s 200th anniversary with La Traviata, performed in English at Salisbury Playhouse.

Related:

Photos of Salisbury International Arts Festival 2013

Pigeon Whistles