PICMF PAST EDITIONS

LOve in all its forms

2025

YOUTH & EXPERIENCE

2024

FORGOTTEN VOICES

2023

FREEDOM

2022

LIGHT

2021

PICMF

2019

YOUTH & EXPERIENCE

I have sometimes wondered whether there should be a specific word for the ‘love of music’.
Music and the experience of living it together seems to cover so many of the forms of love
that were described so beautifully by the ancient Greeks and this is one of several reasons
why I chose this theme for PICMF 2025.
Perhaps the definitions in the programme are artificial; the beauty of music is that it can
cover many forms of love (and a myriad of other emotions too) in one note or phrase, but
I thought that giving each concert a focus in this way might be inspiring for all of us.
As always, I am joined by an incredible group of internationally renowned musicians and
alongside my instrumental colleagues this year, we have the unique Selene Muñoz who
comes to dance with us. I first witnessed her artistry last year at the festival of the Trio
con Brio Copenhagen who I’m thrilled are also here this year. I think you’ll all see how
music can flow through the human body this way. And Ligeti cello sonata for two cellos
plus dancer will be a first in the history of this piece! We also welcome Kate Kennedy and
her passionate book Cello: A Journey through Silence to Sound. Our joint performance will
open the festival and demonstrate Kate’s deep love of the cello as an instrument and how
it can inspire endless human stories.
I’m equally so excited to bring you two of my most beloved colleagues, Mirijam Contzen
and Gareth Lubbe – Mirijam for the first time and Gareth in a deeply welcome return to
the festival. We also welcome back dearest Julius Drake and Ruby Hughes in a beautiful
programme representing the familial love of Schumann which was so deeply part of his
imaginative world. And we also welcome Joe Browne to the festival for his passionate and
imaginative educational work as well as his saxophone improvisation.
We also will receive a new piece by Deborah Pritchard, who many of you will remember
was our composer in residence for our Freedom Festival in 2022. I feel very lucky to be
given a piece in this way and to bring it to life for the first time in front of you all with
Julius Drake.
Perhaps another reason I chose the theme was for my deep love both of the area and of
you – our incredible audience who continue to support the festival so passionately. Such
communal events are precious to me personally as a musician and I know my colleagues
feel similarly. I must also express my sincere thanks as ever to our patrons, angels and
friends who make the whole event possible on every level.
I wish you a wonderful festival full of imagination, inspiration and love of music in all
its forms.

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

YOUTH & EXPERIENCE

How do composers develop and change with life experience, inspiration and seismic cultural change. And how do we musicians mature through life in the same way? These were some of my thoughts as I was putting together the programme for this year‘s Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival. All of us, whichever stage of life we are at, can hopefully look to music and concert experiences as moments of beauty and even perhaps profundity. Such experiences have sometimes been markers along the journey. That’s one of the reasons I feel so lucky to have music and fellow musicians and audience members in my life. I very much hope each of you feel the same way. This year’s festival will be an extravaganza of incredible young talent and world-class established musicians. PICMF is honoured to have a world premiere from Brett Dean who will be playing in the string trio version of his ‘I Starred Last night, I shone’ together with me, Nurit Stark and Lotte Betts-Dean. Lotte will be gracing the stage with her beautiful talent once again, as will Nurit – both of them wowing the audiences last year. A highlight will surely be another solo performance by Nurit of the Veress Sonata ( “blistering“ was the word used in the Strad magazine by Charlotte Gardner after last year’s solo Bartok recital in Worth Matravers). I am also excited to present Einav Yarden for the first time here – a pianist and personality that will bring each of you joy I am sure! I am thrilled that violinist Priya Mitchell is also back in Purbeck and equally thrilled to welcome one of my most treasured colleagues, Henning Kraggerud and his phenomenal family. I was introduced to Aoife Ní Bhriain’s work through Nurit and welcoming her both playing Mendelssohn and some folk Irish fiddle improvisations will surely be a highlight. Tatu Kauppinen also comes to Purbeck for the first time and I know each of you will be in awe of his refined and deeply skilled musicianship. And then we welcome the new generation – Kiki Skinner, Alma, Franz and Hector Kraggerud. I am not sure we’ve ever welcomed such a wealth of talent in one go to Purbeck. And finally, we welcome Judge Theodore Meron, a man of the richest and deepest wisdom and human experience, and a particular lover of Schubert, and Robert Rinder, passionate about music in all its forms. We will be discussing music and its importance in our lives as time moves forward. Thank you each of you for joining us this year – you are an integral part of why we continue to bring this festival to you all each summer. I also want to thank all of our supporters and especially our past and current Friends, Angels and Patrons, we couldn’t do any of this without you. If you wish to help us carry on, please consider joining our Friends, Angels and Patrons scheme on page 40. We love widening the circle of Friends as much as possible! – Natalie Clein, Artistic Director

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

FORGOTTEN VOICES

“There was such an abundance of music to choose from this year. The theme of forgotten voices opens up a world of possibilities. There are so many composers from different centuries that are either rarely or never performed. Whether for reasons of gender, repression, or sometimes just fashion, it seems we have lost too many interesting voices on the modern concert stage. I hope my programming this year will introduce each of you to at least one new name – and universe. I feel incredibly lucky to bring to Purbeck this year, such a group of world-class performers. I first heard the Danel Quartet live last year at a chamber music festival in Denmark, where they played a Weinberg quartet I had never heard. It was one of those performances that will stay with me always because of the incredible intensity both of the performers and the music. It means so much to bring them to Purbeck and to include some work by this still underperformed genius. I am also deeply happy to have Marianna Shirinyan back in Purbeck – her charisma and deep musicality will touch each of you, I am sure. The same is true of my treasured colleague Nurit Stark and I am very excited to bring these two powerful women together on stage! And talking of powerful women (and of course we will be hearing the music of several), I am also very excited to have Katharina Ziemke and Vivi Lachs bring their unique worlds to us. Katharina Ziemke will paint live as we play Bosmans and Clarke, forming images with the music, and I am incredibly excited to see what will be produced on stage! And Vivi Lachs will bring the forgotten world of the Yiddish dance hall to life for us in words, song and hopefully some dance. Finally, I am thrilled to finally have the stunning Kate Royal come to sing at the festival. I wish each of you many moments connecting with forgotten voices during the festival, whether in a concert or whilst walking on the south coast path.” – Natalie Clein, Artistic Director

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

FREEDOM

“The word ‘freedom’ has, perhaps, nuanced and different meanings for each of us. For the lucky ones, it’s a concept we can make our own as our lives progress. For others, it’s something that’s not taken for granted but rather to be yearned for. As a cellist and a musician I have always been fascinated by the balance between discipline and freedom and the seeming contradiction that the more discipline I find, the freer I can be. There will be free improvisation (with Stephan Braun, Hayden Chisholm and Max Baillie) which also needs the greatest of control, and a new work by Deborah Pritchard.” – Natalie Clein, Artistic Director

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

LIGHT

“When thinking of a theme which to base my ideas of programming thisyear on, the image of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ kept coming back tomy me. The idea that we could commune together again on stage and asaudience members and that live music making is essential to our lives and asource of ‘Light’ and hope for many of us. Life was not simple for most of the composers whose works you will hear this weekend, but through strugglesvery different in nature, a deeper understanding and beauty is revealed.” – Natalie Clein, Artistic Director

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

Solitary Nature

“When building a programme for this year’s Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival, I was inspired by the solitary nature of listening to music, as well as its polar opposite – the chance to commune in something together. This takes place on both sides of the stage – as performers we also move between a state of creative solitude and direct communication through music. The music you will experience over the next four days explores both worlds – from the solo player exploring Bach, Hindemith, Vasks to the collective joy found in Tchaikovsky, Boccherini, Mendelssohn and more.“ – Natalie Clein, Artistic Director

ARTISTS | VIDEOS | PROGRAMME

We are currently updating our website. The pages presenting the editions 2018 and before are coming soon.