HERE are four good reasons to hotfoot it to Perth over the next few weeks: Janacek's intimate love story of an opera, Katya Kabanova; the remarkable British-born pianist Freddy Kempf; that trusty old chamber music combo, the Nash Ensemble of London; and our own darling pin-up and crowd-pulling violinist, Nicola Benedetti.
They are all part of a Perth Festival programme that, on the face of it, smacks of deep-seated conservatism (it is true blue Perth after all) but which – given a second glance – contains enough crowd-pullers to hot up the interest in this annual art
s jamboree.
The Janacek opera is a case in point. English Touring Opera's perennial trek to Perth is essentially a tale of convenience. It suits all parties, as May coincides with the end of ETO's annual UK Spring Tour, which this year combines Mozart's Magic Flute with Janacek's tragic tale of female marital frustration. And Perth is always on the lookout for travelling acts that might be passing at the opportune moment.
But it's the inclusion of the Janacek that makes this year's ETO visit so enticing. First, it is a super opera, with a touring production by James Conway that has attracted favourable reviews en route to the Fair City. Be prepared, though, for the absence of the River Volga, into which the tormented Katya famously hurls herself, and which operates as a powerful metaphor. Its excision has upset more than a few critics. Such economical measures, though, are typical of ETO, whose scaled-down, cut-price existence often invites radical solutions. Secondly, this production acts as a coincidental benchmark for next year's small-scale touring production by Scottish Opera. If you don't know the work, and want to swat up on it beforehand, here's a golden opportunity.
Key attraction No 2: the neat and probably unintentional Czech connection between the single performance of Katya (Friday 22 May) and Freddy Kempf's appearance two days later with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. With his idiosyncratic musical risk-taking and dazzling pianism, Kempf has courted popularity and controversy in equal measures since he made headlines at the centre of a major row in the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, where the decision not to award him joint first prize led to instant public outrage and allegations in the Russian press that the judges were swayed by a bias towards those contestants who happened to be their own former pupils.
But the publicity was to work in Kempf's favour, spawning instant international recognition and a globetrotting career that included a sellout return to Moscow in 1999. For next week's Perth appearance he turns to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 1. The remainder of that programme sees the musicians of the Prague Symphony perform music close to their own hearts – Smetana's Ma Vlast and Dvorak's New World Symphony – under Czech conductor Petr Altricher.
Then comes Nicola Benedetti, for whom no introduction is required. Her Festival Finale appearance in Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 31 May with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor/pianist Andrew Litton will sell out, no question. She is Scotland's classical music sweetheart.
But the real fascination of this programme is the prospect of Benedetti performing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, a work she struggled with when she last performed it in Scotland with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. That was three years ago when she was just 18. Since then, Benedetti has matured as an artist, bringing greater maturity and assurance to successive Scottish visits and to her EMI recordings. (She is back next season with both the RSNO and the BBC SSO.)
But does she now have the Tchaikovsky firmly under her fingers? Is she ready for its daunting challenges? All will be revealed in Perth.
The final festival temptation is the magnificent Nash Ensemble, which forms the core of this year's chamber music programme. One of the delights of this long-standing flexible ensemble is its adaptability. One day it's a wind ensemble; the next a menagerie of all sorts, capable of encompassing any combination composers might throw at them.
For this visit, the make-up is pretty conservative – a string quintet. But the line-up is a starry one, including top-ranking cellist Paul Watkins and violist Philip Dukes and the BBC SSO's super-efficient principal viola, Scott Dickinson. Together with violinists Marianne Thorsen and Benjamin Nabarro, they explore the richness of the quintet genre, from masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, to Dvorak's "American" Quintet.
So much for the four festival top tips. But the recommendations don't stop there. What about such seasoned favourites as the King's Singers, whose repertoire remains as eclectic as it was when the original group formed just over 40 years ago? Or the sophisticated duo package of clarinettist Emma Johnson and pianist Pascal Rogé?
This year's Perth Festival is nothing if not eclectic, broadening its appeal with such summery delights as the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, the Tannahill Weavers, former Orange Juice singer Edwyn Collins, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and Tommy Smith (in a tribute to Steely Dan), and an irreverent evening with female entertainers Fascinating Aida. Theatre this year centres on Brute Farce's touring production of Moll Flanders.
As the main orchestral seasons wind down, and the lull before high summer's cultural activity sets in, Perth has all the action.
• Perth Festival runs from 21-31 May. Full programme details at
www.perthfestival.co.uk