Afternoon on 3 - Summer Festivals 2010 - Episode 2

This week Afternoon on 3 celebrates the riches and diversity of 2010's musical summer, with performances from leading festivals in Europe and beyond, by some of the world's great singers, instrumentalists and ensembles. You can hear the best concerts from 25 festivals in fifteen countries - as far afield as Finland, Moldova and Canada. At the heart of the week will be concerts from top festivals in Austria and Switzerland, including the Martha Argerich Project in Lugano and Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Styriarte Festival in Graz. The Thursday Opera Matinee is Bellini's Norma, conducted by Fabio Biondi with his period-instrument ensemble Europa Galante at the Chopin and his Europe Festival in Warsaw. Large choral works will be a particular feature throughout the week - from Bach's B minor Mass through Haydn's Creation and Beethoven's Missa solemnis to Rachmaninov's Vespers and a celebration of Arvo Pärt's 75th birthday in his native Estonia. Presented by Jonathan Swain Schumann: Violin Sonata no. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 Renaud Capucon, viola Martha Argerich, piano (Martha Argerich Project, Lugano, Switzerland) Smetana: Vltava from Ma Vlast Chamber Orchestra of Europe Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor (Styriarte Festival, Graz, Austria) Jean Gilles: Diligam te, Domine Miriam Feuersinger, soprano Vincent Lièvre-Picard, countertenor Valerio Contaldo, tenor Christian Immler, bass Yves Bilger, organ Ensemble Orlando Fribourg La Cetra Laurent Gendre, conductor (International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg, Switzerland) Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (highlights) Lawrence Power, viola Julien Quentin, piano (Verbier Festival, Switzerland) Nielsen: Sinfonia espansiva (Symphony no. 3) Odense Symphony Orchestra Alexander Vedernikov, conductor (Carl Nielsen Festival, Odense, Denmark) Arvo Pärt: Sequence of works for soloist, choir and cello ensemble Arianna Savall, soprano Vox Clamantis Ensemble Cello Octet, Amsterdam (Arvo Pärt Festival, Tallinn, Estonia) Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence Alina Pogostkina and Alina Ibragimova, violins Gilad Karni and Maxim Rysanov, violas Jan Erik Gustafsson and Jonathan Cohen, cellos (Kaposvár International Chamber Music Festival, Hungary) Jean Gilles: Requiem Miriam Feuersinger, soprano Vincent Lièvre-Picard, countertenor Valerio Contaldo, tenor Christian Immler, bass Yves Bilger, organ Ensemble Orlando Fribourg La Cetra Laurent Gendre, conductor (International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg, Switzerland).