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I was really
delighted to attend the English Music Festival at Dorchester-on-Thames
last week. This was one of the most valuable experiences of my
life. It was an extraordinary event - not only to hear old favourites
like Holst but also to be introduced to some new (to me) and superb
English composers. The music making was out of this world and the
several venues impressive. The English Music Festival is a marvellous
enterprise and it is long overdue. It deserves widespread support
and, with that, will doubtless become an important part of our cultural
life. There is such a wealth
of great English music that it is vital that the English Music
Festival continues to flourish. In the past we have been shy about
trumpeting our English music heritage, and have neglected great
swathes of the repertory, making it all the more important that
such a festival offers the chance to unearth and explore some of
the hidden riches. Long may it continue to do so. The English
Music Festival was quite the best and finest week's holiday we
have ever experienced… The English Music Festival
was a feast of exceptional music-making and an absolute joy to
attend. Works which have unjustly lain dormant for years were brought
magically to life in first-class performances, a reminder of how
foolish we've been in neglecting music of such craftsmanship, variety
and inventiveness. The Festival has to be seen as a turning-point
in the fortunes of English music and deserves to go from strength
to strength. I am
delighted to put on record my admiration for the 2006 inaugural
English Music Festival and the achievements of its founder, Em
Marshall. English music – particularly that of the 19th and 20th
centuries – has been shamefully neglected by promoters and broadcasters
in this country since the Second World War. At a time when we
are being urged by politicians of all parties to celebrate our
national cultural heritage, the role of music should surely be
central. BBC Radio 3, under its Controller Roger Wright, has
in recent years has begun to return to its Reithian traditions
of supporting English music after years of neglect, but most
concert promoters in this country continue to focus on a very
small number of works by an even smaller number of composers.
Em Marshall has a crusading spirit which she translated into
the organisation of the English Music Festival, providing an
opportunity for the public to hear performances of astonishing
quality and diversity. In the evocative surroundings of Dorchester
Abbey, much music which has had few professional performances
was revealed to be beautiful, powerful and deeply communicative
by a distinguished cast of musicians. It would be a tragedy if
this Festival did not become a regular event and I strongly urge
all those who value our national identity and culture to support
it in every way possible. In this country we are often poor at
celebrating our successes and quick to wallow in failure; this
Festival was a genuine success and it must be repeated. |
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It was
a great pleasure to perform with the Milton Keynes Symphony Orchestra
the Vaughan Williams Oxford Elegy, it is the most haunting piece
and somehow, to do it within the venerable walls of Dorchester
Abbey, added to its reverberations. I am so proud to have been
involved in the English Music Festival and wish it all success
for a burgeoning future. Without question,
the highlight of my musical life in 2006 - certainly as a listener
- was the English Music Festival held in and around Dorchester-on-Thames
in October. Not only was it superbly organised, but it was held
in utterly appropriate settings, such as Dorchester Abbey. The
standard of the performances that I attended was of the highest
order whether in recitals, choral or orchestral concerts. Perhaps
most importantly it provided for me, and other music lovers,
a unique opportunity to hear a range of classical music produced
over the centuries by inhabitants of this country, some of which
is rarely if ever heard and yet is almost all of high quality
and, in some cases, is genuinely first rate. My immediate response
to the Festival was that it must become a regular - even annual
- event, for this wonderful musical heritage is deserving of
the kind of exposure and support which other branches of our
artistic life receive. The inaugural English Music Festival provided
an excellent initial celebration of this rich inheritance. This
is the difference between us – some of us only dream of
such events: you [Em] made it happen. If you never organised
anything else you would have a most wonderful achievement to
look back on. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can say absolutely
truthfully that the festival was one of the main highlights of
my entire life. Each event was without exception (and I only
missed one) an outstanding treat. The standard of music making
seemed to me of a very high order, and it was clear that the
performers themselves appreciated the music as much as we did. It was a great pleasure to work with Em Marshall
for her new initiative the "English Music Festival".
There is so much to perform and celebrate in British music of many
ages, and her emphasis on the wealth of sometimes neglected 20th
Century music, whilst also championing older music and contemporary
composers is admirable, necessary and deserving of generous support.
The music of all these periods is a treasure trove to be proud
of and I wish her all the best for many future festivals. She is
playing a vital role in the music fabric of this country. |
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