30 March 2007
City of London Festival 2007 features Slave Trade
Abolition
The magnificent architecture of London’s Square Mile provides an
impressive backdrop to the City of London Festival (Monday 25 June
– Thursday 13 July).
This year’s Festival will draw inspiration from the 200th
Anniversary of the parliamentary Abolition of the Slave Trade.
Among the highlights is a newly commissioned opera by Julian Joseph
and Mike Phillips. This tells the remarkable story of George
Bridgetower, son of a slave, who was a violin prodigy, studied with
Haydn, played with Beethoven (including the première of the
Kreutzer Sonata) and settled in London under the patronage
of the Royal Family.
There will also be an exhibition on Bridgetower’s extraordinary
life running at the Tower Bridge Exhibition Centre, and is closely
tied to projects and workshops taking place in local schools. The
aim is to provide the community with an understanding of the
historical time in which Bridgetower lived and provide a greater
sense of culture to the story of the abolition of the slave
trade.
South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir will celebrate the joy,
harmony and power of Gospel in the audacious surroundings of St
Paul’s Cathedral in a performance entitled "Amazing Grace". The
inspiration for Amazing Grace is derived from John Newton, a former
slave ship captain and famous abolitionist, and his hymn of the
same title.
The works of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who was the son of a
slave and went on to become a French soldier and violinist, will
also be presented. This composer, almost unknown within the United
Kingdom, became known as the "Black Mozart", producing and
performing many string quartets and violin concertos.
Sir Willard White, the celebrated bass, offers his tribute to
Paul Robeson in a programme which offers some of Robeson’s most
memorable folksongs and spirituals, including Down by the River and
Mood Indigo.
For further information:
Press Officer Emily Caket
Tel 020 7796 4949
Email
emily.caket@colf.org
To book tickets please call, 0845 120 7502, or book online at
www.colf.org
Event details:
1 June – 31 August
Tower Bridge
Bridgetower Exhibition
Tickets £5.50 per adult, School groups go free.
Thursday 28 June, 7.30pm
Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, EC4
Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth, Stephanie-Marie Degand perform a
collection of classical pieces including Saint-George’s Violin
Concerto No 2 in D. Tickets £10, £15, £25
Monday 2 July, 6.00pm
Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn EC1
Mike Phillips will present a lecture on Bridgetower and his role in
relation to black musicians and British culture.
Admission Free
Monday 2 July, 6.00pm
Psophos Quartet
The talented young string quartet play works including
Saint-George’s Quartet Opus 14
Tickets £10
Monday 2 July, 7.30pm
Mansion House, Walbrook, EC4
The Dante Quartet, Simon Crawford-Phillips and Timothy West will
present the Kreutzer Sonata, a violin sonata that was originally
dedicated to Bridgetower, and originally performed by him. The
performance will also include Bridgetower’s Piano Quintet.
Tickets £10, £20, £30
Thursday 3 July, 8.00pm
St Paul’s Cathedral, EC4
The Soweto Gospel Choir performs works based on the hymn Amazing
Grace.
Tickets £10, £15, £20, £30
Thursday 5, Friday 6, Saturday 7 July, 7.30pm
LSO St Luke’s, EC1
The English Touring Opera perform Julian Joseph and Mike Phillips’
collaborative composition "Bridgetower: A Fable of London in
1807".
Tickets £10, £15, £25
Wednesday 11 July, 7.30pm
Fishmonger’s Hall, London Bridge, EC4
Sir Willard White and Neal Thornton perform a Tribute to Paul
Robeson.
Tickets £20, £30, £40