HOT on the heels of his televised efforts at conducting Vivaldi in Venice, the barrister, judge and television presenter Rob Rinder will be a special guest at this year’s Purbeck Chamber Music Festival, in conversation with festival artistic director, Natalie Clein, on Friday 30th August.

The music-loving lawyer and polymath will be discussing with the international star cellist “Why is music important in our lives?” The event, sure to be one of the highlights of the festival weekend, will be at St Mary’s Church, Swanage, at 5.30pm. It will be followed by a recital in the church at 7pm, when Natalie Clein will be joined by the festival’s other performers, including mezzo soprano Lotte Betts Dean, in a programme of works by Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Stuart MacRae.

The festival opens on Thursday 29th, at St Mary’s, Swanage, with Tales From the Enchanted Forest, works by the Norwegian composer and violinist Henning Kraggerud, Schubert, Beethoven, Dvorak and Brahms. The opening work, which gives the concert its name, will be performed by the young Kraggerud siblings, Alma on violin, Franz cello and Hector piano.

On Friday 30th at 11am, there is an all-cello programme, Cell’Ode to Joy, at Studland’s St Nicholas Church. Natalie Clein will be playing three of Bach’s matchless cello suites (1, 4 and 5). The other works will be Preludes by Gubaidulina and a cello duet setting of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, in which Natalie Clein will be joined by Kiki Skinner.

The busy Saturday begins at 11am at St Peter’s Church, Church Knowle, with Violin Extravaganza, featuring Priya Mitchell, violin, Henning Kraggerud, viola, and Aoife Ni Bhriain and Nurit Stark, violins, playing music by Mozart, Rosza and Veress.

St Mary’s Swanage, is the venue for Fathers and their Children, at 4pm, with works by JS and CPE Bach, Vaughan Williams, Sally Beamish and Joseph “Papa” Haydn, with Henning and Alma Kraggerud, Lotte-Betts Dean, Brett Dean and Einav Yarden.

At 6pm at St Mary’s, Judge Theodore Meron will be in conversation with Natalie Clein about his life experiences and his love of music, especially Schubert. The evening concert at 7.30pm will feature the festival musicians in a programme themed Youth and Experience, Joy and Reflection, with works by Schubert, Brett Dean and Mendelssohn.

The festival finale, Friendship Through Generations, will be held at St James Church, Kingston, on Sunday 1st September at 11.30am. The full line-up of performers will take part, and the concert is dedicated to Purbeck’s famous sculptor Tony Viney, who died in February. Tony was a renowned supporter and active participant in Purbeck’s visual and performing arts scene.

For more information visit www.picmf.org