The 74th Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts has announced that acclaimed pianist Pavel Kolesnikov will perform seven concerts across his residency at the festival. In addition to being a featured musician, Kolesnikov has also helped to curate the festival, alongside renowned composers Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Cassandra Miller, and Roderick Williams.

Two of Kolesnikov’s performances will feature Samson Tsoy, his musical partner, and the pianist duo have created two programmes specially inspired by Aldeburgh’s Jubilee Hall. As well as their own recitals of Bach and Shostakovich, Kolesnikov and Tsoy will also collaborate with John Wilson’s ‘super orchestra’ Sinfonia of London for a performance of Scottish Ballad.

Kolesnikov’s other concerts include a response to Joseph Cornell accentuated by a celestial light show, a performance of his well received JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and a collaboration with Britten Sinfonia for the closing night of the festival.

The festival’s other piano highlights include the festival’s previous artistic director, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, performing Ligeti’s Etudes, a collection of solo piano music from the late 20^th century, and ‘Late Night Ligeti’ with fellow pianist Michael Wollny, playing jazz influenced improvisations using Etudes as the base. Skilled pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu will also be in attendance, performing an exciting UK premiere of Thorvaldsdottir’s Reminiscence.

The festival will take place from Friday 9 - Sunday 25 June 2023, and will include 35 world premiere performances and highlight the 100th birthday of Ligeti. Visiting orchestras to the festival will include the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Eva Ollikainen, and BBC Philharmonic with John Storgards as well as Ryan Wigglesworth who conducts the Knussen Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of a new work.

Highlighting music for string quartet is also a feature of the festival, with eight leading quartets performing throughout the festival. Other visiting ensembles include EXAUDI, Gabrieli Consort and Players, The Marian Consort & The King’s Singers who give two concerts: GLORIANA, focused around Queen Elizabeth I & II with music written in praise of both monarchs, and Wonderland, which places Ligeti’s six Nonsense Madrigals alongside Renaissance exploration of birdsong.

BBC Radio 3 will broadcast six of the festival’s concerts, including the UK premiere of AIŌN by Anna Thorvaldsdottir with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Chief Executive of Britten Pears Arts, Roger Wright commented: ‘as we reveal our plans for June 2023, we look forward to hearing music, familiar and new…here is a wealth of music, talks, films and visual art on offer across the 17 days and we can’t wait for June.’

Tickets for the Aldeburgh Festival will go on general sale on Saturday 28 January at 10am.