St Magnus Festival performances feature on Radio 3

A series of concerts recorded at the St Magnus International Festival in June will feature on BBC Radio 3 next week.

The lunchtime programmes begin, on Tuesday, with a performance of the Goldberg Variations by Norwegian pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, recorded in Stromness Town Hall, and music by Finnish harmonica ensemble Sväng.

The concert on Wednesday, December 9, will feature Hadland and the Engegård Quartet performing Schumann and Beethoven in St Magnus Cathedral.

The Lithuanian Čiurlionis Quartet and the Engegård Quartet feature on December 10, performing Mendelssohn’s Octet, again in the cathedral.

The final concert, on December 11, will feature Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet, performed by the Čiurlionis Quartet in Balfour Castle, along with some more virtuoso harmonica playing by Sväng.

A festival spokesman said: “Each year the BBC broadcasts several hours of music from the Festival which generally includes wider information about Orkney, so this is a great shop window for us”

The programmes are  part of Radio 3’s Northern Lights season and are introduced by Jamie Macdougall at 1pm each day.