To open our 10th Festival we are privileged to be able to present a recital by one of a handful of the world's most respected, celebrated and sought after musicians. Mitsuko Uchida's inspirational and creative piano playing is unique, and she brings to us a fascinating programme to include a discovery of some of the lesser-known works by Schumann. A concert - literally - not to be missed.

The wonderful Sixteen return to us to perform Brahms' Requiem, in Brahms' own version for chamber choir and piano duet. These resources, particularly with the passion and precision of the Sixteen's singing, allow this well-known and deeply moving work to be heard with a degree of intimacy and clarity which is impossible in the orchestral version. The concert opens with one of the finest anthems for unaccompanied double choir in the English choral repertoire.

Vibrant, colourful and highly engaging playing from one of England's best known piano trios, Gould Piano Trio. A delightful programme, with Faure's dreamy trio, Schumann's reflective Adagio and Allegro, Jancek's energetic and unusual violin sonata, and the virtuosic and towering piano trio by Beethoven. A treat.

Jonathan Cohen returns with the extraordinarily wonderful instrumental playing of Arcangelo. The programme is a celebration of some of the most joyful and tuneful concertos by J. S. Bach - with a little help from Telemann - particularly featuring the strings, flutes and recorders. The programme ends with Bach's famous and exquisite double violin concerto, with slow movement that is simply a pure and painless love duet for the two violins.

For Festival Service this year, the music all comes from the English choral tradition, with Romantic and rich choral and organ writing from Harold Darke and Edward Elgar.

For the closing concert Peter Harvey, acclaimed in his own right as a bass of the highest quality in baroque and early music, brings the Magdalena Consort, a stellar line-up of singers, together with period strings, sackbuts and cornets, to perform Montiverdi's Vespers of 1610, one of the most loved, most creative, most substantial and most satisfying large-scale works of the period; the rich sounds and harmonies will truly ring round the church's gothic arches.

Last year some of the concerts were sell-outs before the event, so you might want to take advantage of priority booking by becoming a Dolphin.

We look forward to seeing you later this year.

Graham Kean and Elise Smith, Co-Directors

The Tetbury Music Festival - 2012