Oxford May Music Festival 2026

2.00pm (1 hour 30mins)

James Francis Brown - String Trio

Edward Elgar - Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84

Jack Liebeck - violin

Joshua Fisher - violin

Ben Roskams - viola

Thomas Carroll - cello

Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir - cello

Olga Zado - piano

We begin the Festival with contrasting pieces. James Francis Brown wrote his trio in 1996 when he was 27; it is full of the optimism and energy of youth. In contrast, the Elgar is a piece from his twilight years, redolent with the trauma and sorrow of the Great War.

7.30pm (2 hours 15 mins including interval)

Camille Saint-Saens (arr. Joseph Havlat) - L’Assassinat du duc de Guise
Willi Löffler (arr.) - Golden Classics of Early Film Music
- Wir machen Musik
- Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh’n
- Adieu, mein kleiner Gardeoffizier
- Das gibt’s nur einmal
- Das Karussell
Dmitri Shostakovich (arr. Joseph Havlat) - Suite from “The Gadfly”
- Galopp
- Romanze
- Volksfest
Dario Marianelli - Pride and Prejudice Suite (Selection)
- Jane Eyre Suite
- Anna Karenina Suite (arr. Havlat)
Leonard Bernstein - “West Side Story” Suite
- Mambo
- I feel pretty
-America

Jack Liebeck - violin
Olga Zado - piano

Oxford May Music goes to the movies! In addition to classics from Saint-Saens, Shostakovich and Bernstein, our Musical Director plays works from Dario Marianelli, who wrote a violin concerto for him; Jack recorded the movie sound track for several of Dario’s works.

2.00pm (1 hour 30mins)

Johann Sebastian Bach - Chaconne from Partita in D minor, BWV 1004
Ernest Bloch - Three Nocturnes for Piano Trio B57
Bohuslav Martinu - Five Madrigal Stanzas, H297 (Selection)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintet in G minor, K516 (1st mov.)

Brian Foster - lecturer
Jack Liebeck - violin
Joshua Fisher - violin
Ben Roskams - viola
Sarah-Jane Bradley-- viola
Thomas Carroll - cello
Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir - cello
Katya Apekisheva - piano

This lecture-concert is the book launch for “Einstein - A Life in Science and Music”, published by Oxford University Press in February. The lecture outlines Einstein’s passion for music, illustrated by pieces he played and composers with whom he had a particular connection.

7.30pm (2 hours 15 mins plus interval)

Dorothy Howell - Air, Variations and Finale for Oboe, Violin and Piano
Robin Holloway - Quintet for Cor Anglais and String Quartet, Op. 135
Pavel Haas - Suite for Oboe and Piano, Op. 17
Eleanor Alberga - “Fleeting” for Oboe and Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - “Grand Partita”, K361 (arr. Schwenke)

Nicholas Daniel - oboe
Jack Liebeck - violin
Joshua Fisher - violin
Ben Roskams - viola
Sarah-Jane Bradley- viola
Thomas Carroll - cello
Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir - cello
Katya Apekisheva - piano
Olga Zado - piano

Nicholas Daniel is an old friend of the Festival and makes a welcome return, along with another old friend, the Mozart “Gran Partita” arranged for oboe, strings and piano. The rest of his progamme is an eclectic mix of contemporary pieces and those from the 20th century.

11:00am (1 hour)

Peter Tchaikovsky - “The Seasons”, Op. 37a
Elena Langer - “Seasons”

Katya Apekisheva - piano

Katya intertwines one of Tchaikovsky’s most charming compositions with a new work, premiered in 2025, by Elena Langer. Langer’s “Seasons” is inspired by the poetry of Philip Larkin.

2.00pm (1 hour)

Samuel Barber - Adagio for string quartet, Op. 11
Johannes Brahms - String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18

Jack Liebeck - violin
Joshua Fisher - violin
Ben Roskams - viola
Sarah-Jane Bradley- viola
Thomas Carroll - cello
Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir - cello

Barber’s famous and beloved Adagio is paired with the Brahms’ sextet. Both of works of youth. The Adagio is part of a string quartet but has gained another independent life in an arrangement for string orchestra which is among the most popular in the orchestral repertoire. It was written when Barber was 24 years old. In contrast, Brahms was a hoary 27 years old when he composed the Sextet.

6.00pm (1 hour 30 mins)

Rainer Hersch entertains with his own unique blend of music and humour

The Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner is arguably the greatest artistic achievement by a single person working alone but, apart from a few vague plot lines mostly mistaken from Lord of the Rings, the average punter has no idea what it’s about. Wagner’s ground-breaking score is an acknowledged masterpiece but, apart from the Ride of the Valkyries (No. 38 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame), most people wouldn’t recognise it. Well, at over 15 hours, taken over four days, who’s got the time, right? Rainer Hersch is on a mission to change that. With the aid of no more than a piano, a funny slide show and his own wit (see below), he is going to boil the whole wobbling edifice of Richard Wagner’s TotalArtWork down to just 60 minutes – boom, finished, now get on with your day. And whether you are a died-in-the-wool Wagnerian or a total first timer, we guarantee you will get the jokes. What can you expect to learn from WAGNER’S RING ‘FPWCBBTSTI’? Is Richard’s Donner the same as the one from the Marvel series or is he in fact companion to Dasher, Dancer, Blitzen, and Rudolph? What exactly is a Leitmotiv and how does it differ from a Heavy motif? Is Götterdämmerung actually German for ‘God-dammit!’ …this and more. But mainly just enough to bluff your way round your next group of opera aficionados who have previously regarded you as some sort of village idiot for never having been to the Wagner shrine in Beirut… BEYREUTH!