THE highly thought of Primrose Piano Quartet and rising singing star Jess Dandy, both feature in Ulverston International Music Festival’s spring offering this weekend.

Staged at the Victory Hall, Broughton-in-Furness, from tomorrow until Sunday (March 3), the spring festival is a musical exploration of the fascinating and turbulent love triangle between Johannes Brahms and the Schumanns, Clara and Robert, three of the leading musicians and composers of the Romantic era.

The open concert under the heading ‘Robert’ stars UIMF’s artistic director Anthony Hewitt performing Schumann works such as Two Novelletten, Phantasiestücke, his Tocatta, and the German composer’s Impromptus on a theme of Clara Wieck. Saturday’s midday concert (1pm) focuses on Clara and Robert with pianist Pascal Pascaleff, at the keys playing Clara Schumann’s Three Romances, and two pieces by her husband, Fantasiestücke and Kreisleriana.

Later on Saturday, (7.30pm) the theme is Love and Obsession with the Primrose foursome and Barrow-born Jess in the spotlight. Featured are Johannes Brahms Two Songs for Contralto, Viola, and Piano and his Piano Quartet in C minor, plus Schumann Songs as well as Robert’s Piano Quartet.

The weekend gathering concludes on Sunday (4pm) with the Primrose quartet and pianist Anthony, as well as two other outstanding musicians: violinist, Alicja Humeniuk, and viola player, Yue Yu. Their programme includes Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano and two works by Brahms, his String Quintet No 2 in G Major and Piano Quartet No 2 in A Major.

Named after the great Scottish violist, William Primrose, the Primrose Piano Quartet was formed in 2004 by pianist John Thwaites and three of the UK’s most renowned chamber musicians from the Lindsay, Allegri, Edinburgh, and Maggini quartets.

As for stunning contralto Jess, she won the London Bach Society Singers Prize 2017 and the 2018 Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform and is a Britten-Pears Young Artist and Heidelberger Frühling Scholar.

Tickets from Broughton-in-Furness Tourist Information Centre on 01229-716115 (Thursday-Saturday, 10am-1pm) or Ulverston’s Coronation Hall on 01229-587140.