Master and Commander

Composer Raymond Dodd talks to us about his experience with the Lammermuir Festival and his new arrangement of the Fantasy String Quartet. You can listen to his work on Monday the 15th of September at 7.30 pm at Winton House, Pencaitland. Where his work will be perfomerd by the Maxwell String Quartet. Music featured in this Podcast: "Prelude Air Scherzo" by Raymond Dodd

Oboist François Leleux talks to us about coming back to be the artist in residence at the festival this year. He tells us about the 4 concerts he is going to play at and about the variety of this year’s program. You can see François Lelux at: The Opening Concert on Friday the 12th of September at 8.00 pm in St Mary's Church in Haddington François Leleux in recital on Sunday the 14th of September at 2.30pm in Lennoxlove House, Haddington François Leleux and Friends on Friday the 19th of September at 7.30pm in Prestonkirk Parish Church, East Linton Mozart Gran Partita on Sunday the 21st of September at 3.00pm in Stenton Church, Stenton. Visit www.lammermuirfestival.co.cuk for more details and tickets. Music featured in this podcast: Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto I. Allegro moderato with François Leleux, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding III. Vivace - Allegro with François Leleux, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding

Lammermuir Festival presents opera for the first time this year in collaboration with Ryedale Festival Opera. We talk to Christopher Glynn, Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival about this new production and new translation of Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea: a gripping tale of lust, power, ambition and betrayal in imperial Rome. The opera will be performed at The Lammermuir Festival this year on Saturday 13 September at 7.00 pm at the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh with the Ryedale Festival Opera, Eboracum Baroque and conductor Christopher Glynn. Visit www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk for more details and tickets. Music featured in this podcast: "Pur ti miro" with Sylvia McNair, Dana Hanchard, and English Baroque Solosit and John Eliot Gardiner "Prologue: Sinfonia" with City of London Baroque Sinfonia and Richard Hickox Coronation of Poppea photo from Ryedale Festival Opera: Emma Lambe

Welcome to Lammermuir Festival 2014 which runs from Friday 12 to Sunday 21 September 2014. One of the two Artistic Directors of the Festival, Hugh Macdonald gives us a flavour of what's to come during the ten days of music throughout East Lothian this autumn.

Soprano Christine Brewer is widely regarded as one of the finest performers of Richard Strauss' achingly beautiful Four Last Songs - his farewell to the world. She talks to us here about her journey with this work from hearing it for the first time to what will be her 96th performance at The Lammermuir Festival in September. She performs at The Lammermuir Festival this year on Saturday 20 September at 7.00pm in St Mary's Haddington with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marytn Brabbins. www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk for more details and tickets The concert will be recorded live by BBC Radio 3 for broadcast Music featured in this podcast: Christine Brewer, soprano and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Donald Runnicles (Telarc) Strauss: Four Last Songs Excerpts from: no 1: Frühling no 2: September no 3: Beim Schlafengehen Christine Brewer photo: Christian Steiner

On this week’s podcast we talk to Ruth Plowden, owner of Johnstounburn House and the lady behind Festival Gardens, a new addition to the Lammermuir programme that see some of the country’s finest private gardens open to the public exclusively for the Festival.

On this week’s podcast, composer Bill Sweeney, joined by some of the musicians involved in Tantallon, tells us why he was drawn to this project and what the audience can expect to see and hear.

This week we talk to Aonghas MacNeacail, the writer and librettist for Tantallon! These Lands This Wall, taking place at the Lammermuir Festival on the 17th September.

Festival Director James Waters talks about the inspiration behind the Master and Commander concert, featuring Robert Hardy and the Raeburn Quartet at Inveresk Church on Sunday 16 September.

Nicola from Mercat Tours tells us about the very special historical walking tour that she has created for this year's Lammermuir Festival. Discover Haddington's secret past of wicked witches, plague, murky murders, Jacobites and daring escapes on a family friendly tour from St Mary’s kirkyard to Lady Kitty’s garden.