1 In the Land of Uz
Judith Weir’s cantata is the latest major new British choral work to feature at this year’s Proms. In the Land of Uz is described as a “dramatised reading” of the Book of Job, with a narrator and a chorus telling the story of Job’s trials and his ultimate triumph over them.
Southwark Cathedral, SE1, 12 August
2 Monteverdi trilogy
The highlight of the celebrations around the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth this year has been the concert stagings of his three operas that John Eliot Gardiner has been touring across Europe. Having staged them first in Bristol in May, he is back in Britain to present the trilogy at the Edinburgh international festival.
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 14-17 August
3 Bang on a Can All-Stars
What was started 25 years ago by three young New York-based composers as an annual showcase has become one of the world’s most important platforms for new music. Premieres from Bang On a Can’s three founders – Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe and David Lang – feature in the All-Stars’ late-night programme, alongside pieces by two composers who have influenced the group, Philip Glass and Louis Andriessen.
Royal Albert Hall, SW7, 17 August
4 Macbeth
Fully staged opera is a rare commodity at Edinburgh this summer, but a visit from the Teatro Regio of Turin provides some compensation. Its production of Macbeth is part of the festival’s celebration of its own 70th anniversary – Verdi’s Macbeth was the first opera to be seen there.
Edinburgh festival theatre, 18-20 August
