Laurence Power will bring the Wigmore Hall to High Wycombe next week for a special musical festival Jack Liebeck
Not many people know about the West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival, and it’s difficult to resist the temptation to keep it a secret. It’s such a little gem of an event it might lose its charm if it became larger and more commercialised.
Organised by one of the world’s leading viola players, Lawrence Power, it takes place in September in the historic Church of St Lawrence at the summit of West Wycombe Hill.
Power brings the Wigmore Hall to Wycombe, gathering together some of the most eminent instrumentalists to perform a mixture of well-known chamber works and some unfamiliar, but no less wonderful, pieces.
This year the festival will feature, among others, cellist Paul Watkins, pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips, and of course Lawrence Power on viola.
The programmes include familiar repertoire items like Brahms’s Piano Quartet and String Sextet, Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, as well as less frequently performed works by Telemann, Bridge, Chausson and Ravel.
One gets the impression from the freshness and the enthusiasm in the playing that the performers enjoy this festival every bit as much as the audience.
Add their collective virtuoso technique to the mix and you are simply blown away.
The festival takes place from September 18-20 at The Church of St Lawrence, West Wycombe Hill, Bucks.
The church is very small, so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets can be reserved by calling 01494 528 659 or 07948 897148, or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For programme details visit www.westwycombechambermusic.org.uk.
