Making music at Ruthven fest

Jun 9 2009 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

2009 is a year of anniversaries in the world of music – Burns, Handel, Haydn, Purcell and Schubert and Mendelssohn, to name but a few.

It also happens to be the 150th anniversary of the building of the present Ruthven Church by the River Isla on the Angus/Perthshire border.

This little kirk has been the setting for the Ruthven Parish Festival since 1990 so this year’s Festival being held this weekend is a celebration of 20 seasons of music-making at Ruthven.

The first concert this year takes place on Friday, opening in time-honoured Ruthven fashion with a wine reception in the marquee at 7.30pm.

The concert, beginning at 8pm, is entitled ‘A Celebration of Anniversaries’ and will feature work by Handel, Purcell, Haydn, Bach, Mendelssohn and Robert Burns.

The Ruthven Festival Musicians will be conducted by Howard Duthie with soloists Alison McDonald and Audrey Mattner. The concert is followed by a finger buffet.

On Sunday there is a wine reception from 3pm with the concert beginning at 3.30pm. Entitled ‘The Esterhazy Patronage’ the concert features the work of some of the composers employed and sponsored by this wealthy Austro-Hungarian family in the 18th and 19th centuries – among them Haydn and Schubert.

Continuing another Ruthven tradition of encouraging and featuring young musicians, the soloist in a performance of the Haydn Violin Concerto No 1 will be the brilliant young violinist Robert Torrance from St. Andrews.

The conductor is Alan Young and the concert will feature songs by Schubert sung by Astmar Olafsson. After the concert strawberries and cream will be served in the marquee.

Tickets for each concert are an all-inclusive £16 with school children admitted free of charge.

On Saturday, Dr Raimund Herincx will conduct a master-class for solo-singers. The audience are invited at £5 for the day.

For enquiries telephone 01828 632558 or e-mail ruthvenfestival@tiscali.co.uk