Huntington Estate Music Festival

2013 Festival

For 23 years the Huntington Estate Music Festival has featured some of the best-known and most-loved chamber musicians in Australia (and indeed the world), including Richard Tognetti and the ACO, Yvonne Kenny, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Hesperion XXI, Anthony Marwood, Sacha Madzar and long-time Huntington favourites, the Goldner Quartet. It's also been a pleasure to introduce a succession of previously unknown virtuosi whose charisma and talent have shone from the stage - from cellist Jian Wang (2006), violinist Alina Ibragamova (2007) and tenor Andrew Goodwin (2009), through to Ray Chen (2010) and Narek Arutyunian (2012) - to name just a few from recent years.

The unique intimacy and informality of The Huntington Estate Music Festival offers unparalled audience access to our talented musicians - whether through the popular "In Conversation" pre-concert discussions hosted by Artistic Director Carl Vine, or by simply having a chat over a post-concert glass of wine under the trees.

The full line-up with artist biographies will be announced soon.

Artists Confirmed for 2013

This year’s Festival celebrates the universal language of music, bringing together the finest artists from across Australia and around the world to share in a joyous week of performing (and eating and drinking!).

From the UK we welcome the Doric String Quartet, praised by the Financial Times (UK) for their 'subtle lyricism and perfect matching of colour and phrasing’. Their inventive exuberance is compelling in live performance, as Carl Vine discovered attending their concert in London recently, and we’re delighted to host their major Australian debut.

This year offers an almost unprecedented opportunity to experience the magic of pianist Freddy Kempf in the intimacy of the Barrel Room. Usually found in the great concert halls of Europe and the USA, this London-born musical wizard’s performances will undoubtedly be a highlight of 2013. As BBC Music Magazine put it, 'Wonderful delicate playing and a fine sense of style’.

Amongst these globe-trotting artists, we are thrilled that renowned tenor Andrew Goodwin can make a most welcome return to Mudgee, alongside his regular recital partner and fellow St Petersburg Conservatory graduate (and Young Concert Artists Trust alumnus), Daniel de Borah.
'Magnificent…flawless control…crystal clear tone…’ CityNews on Andrew Goodwin
'I was immediately impressed by his pianism, his musicianship and his ability to draw the listener into his musical world.’ Stephen Hough on Daniel de Borah.

As always, Huntington counts itself lucky to be able to draw on a constellation of fine Australian string players. This year we welcome back violinists Paul Wright and Sophie Rowell, violist Sally Boud and cellist Molly Kadarauch. It wouldn’t be Huntington without the talents of at least three of the Goldner Quartet: Dimity Hall, Irina Morozova and Julian Smiles.

The 2012 Festival revealed the talents of the young ANAM chamber orchestra; 2013 presents the Academy’s wonderful Director: leading clarinettist, 'the excellent Paul Dean’ (Sunday Times UK). Pianist Ian Munro is always a popular figure at the Festival: 'a flawless interpreter, his playing full of imaginative colour and supple elegance’ (The Australian). This year will also feature him as a composer, with the world premiere of his new Piano Trio, commissioned by longstanding Huntington attendees John and Jo Strutt.

We're delighted to announce our International Soloist for 2013, Ramon Ortega Quero, the oboe player from Spain - for more information click on the link. www.ramonortegaquero.com/en/biography

The performers will present a rich collection of repertoire in 2013. To highlight just a few among the many:

  • Freddy Kempf brings his evocative talents to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata op 109, and Dvořák's Piano Quartet no 2.
  • The Doric String Quartet offer the rich Romanticism of a piano quintet by Korngold ('Mahler's true heir'); their recordings of this composer earned a Gramophone 'Critic's Choice' and five stars from all leading European record magazines.
  • Paul Dean's swoon-inducing clarinet in Mozart's eternally lovely 'Kegelstatt' Trio.
  • Andrew Goodwin and Daniel de Borah show why their interpretations of Russian songs are so acclaimed, not least by Russians!
  • Dimity Hall and Paul Wright in Telemann's sparkling musical 'imagining' of Gulliver's Travels
  • The power and richness of combined strings in two melodic masterpieces of octet writing: the folk-infused op 7 by Enescu and the summery, uplifting op 176 by Johann Raff.

Here is the list of the currently confirmed works in alphabetical order. This website will be updated with the program early June:

  • BEETHOVEN An die ferne Geliebte, op 98
  • BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata no 30 in E flat major, op 109
  • DVOŘÁK Piano Quartet no 2 in E flat major, op 87
  • ENESCU Octet in C major, op 7
  • Ivor GURNEY Ludlow and Theme
  • Gordon KERRY Piano Quintet World Premiere
  • KORNGOLD Piano Quintet in E major, op 15
  • MOZART Clarinet Trio in E flat major, K498 'Kegelstatt’
  • Ian MUNRO Piano Trio World Premiere
  • MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition
  • RAFF Octet in C major, op 176
  • TELEMANN Intrada-Suite for 2 Violins, TWV 40:108, 'Gulliver's Travels'
  • SCHUMANN Myrthen, op 25 (selection)
  • WARLOCK The Curlew