BRITTEN SINFONIA AT CHELTENHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL

For this opening concert an all-star selection of players pair two groundbreaking pieces of chamber music. Mozart’s beloved quintet was written for the newly-invented clarinet, which captured the composer’s imagination with its unusual ability to mimic the human voice. Thirty-five years later, a 16-year-old Mendelssohn pioneered a new ‘symphony-like’ genre with his virtuosic string octet. Opening this year’s 80th anniversary Festival will be a new commission by Deborah Pritchard, winner of the British Composer Award, who has been hailed by Gramophone for her music which "will take your breath away".