The Clandeboye Festival is going digital, with a series of online concerts celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.
The festival will premier online from the 18 – 22 August via the Camerata Ireland website. Supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through its National Lottery funds, stay-at-home audiences will be treated to five concerts showcasing the full cycle of Beethoven’s magnificent piano concertos, with Artistic Director Barry Douglas as soloist and conductor.
Barry Douglas, Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland said:
“Initially, we were disappointed that it would not be possible to host a live festival at Clandeboye this year. We will sorely miss performing live for our supportive and committed audiences. However, we were determined to use this time to create something new, something special that encapsulates Beethoven’s spirit of creativity and ingenuity.
“As an orchestra, Beethoven holds such a special place in our hearts. We regularly play his music all over the world, and always relish in how it transcends barriers and creates connections. It’s vivacious, intense, and powerful, but also has a strong sense of personality and charm. During this difficult and testing period, many of us have been turning to art and music for comfort. We hope that our online Beethoven series will give audiences all over the world a sense of connection and joy during this isolating and difficult moment in time.”
Hosted by presenter John Toal, and recorded on site at Clandeboye Estate, Co. Down by a socially-distanced orchestra, Camerata Ireland have created a vibrant celebration of Beethoven’s music adapted for the world in the time of COVID-19. Despite the challenges of bringing an orchestra together in a socially distant environment, the musicians of Camerata Ireland were delighted to return to the concert hall after a four month hiatus.
Continuing his remarks, Barry Douglas said: “It has been such a privilege to perform alongside my colleagues and friends for the first time in months. We are grateful to both the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, our principal funder, and Randox our Global Sponsor for their support in making this project happen. There were a lot of practical considerations to be made while planning our set up: 2 metre spacing between each player, making face-masks available, and of course, liberal applications of hand sanitiser! The socially-distanced layout felt slightly unusual to begin with but we quickly relaxed into the joy of making music together once again. The result is really quite special, and we’re excited to share the finished product with you all in August.”
Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said:
“The Clandeboye Festival is an annual musical highlight of summer in Northern Ireland, offering audiences the chance to hear world-class artists perform an impeccably curated programme of classical music. Due to the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, many arts organisations, venues and festivals have had to adapt and bring their work online. We are delighted that Camerata Ireland is bringing the 19th Clandeboye Festival to audiences digitally and look forward to a series of concerts celebrating the music of Beethoven. The Arts Council is proud to once again support the Clandeboye Festival through National Lottery and public funding and wish the team every success for this year’s festival.”
This innovative recording project from the only all-Ireland chamber orchestra will be released over five evenings, from the 18 – 22 August, when the live Clandeboye Festival would have been taking place. ‘Clandeboye At Home’ will then remain online until August 2021 for audiences across the globe to stream on demand.
For further details visit www.camerata-ireland.com, or Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CamerataIreland
