A Note from the Chairman – June 2023
I spent most of May in England attending Stanford recording sessions in Cardiff (discussed last month) and the 2023 English Music Festival in Dorchester and Elgar Festival in Malvern and Worcester.
The English Music Festival is now in its 16th year. It was founded by Em Marshall- Luck and is held in and around Dorchester, Oxfordshire each year on the May Bank Holiday Weekend. For me, Em has put together a winning formula of talks, concerts and recitals exclusively focused on English music. Composers and works which rarely appear on normal concert programmes in the UK get plenty of air time during this event.
The Festival opened with a concert in Dorchester Abbey by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted this year by Martin Yates. The main work was Stanford student Ernest Moeran’s Cello Concerto with Raphael Wallfisch as soloist. The programme also included world premieres of works by Paul Lewis, William Lloyd Webber, Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Alwyn and another work by Delius. It was good to hear the Moeran Concerto live and the other works in the concert.
The next morning we were back in Dorchester Abbey for another generously programmed recital of works for Violin and Piano with Em’s husband Rupert as the violin soloist with Peter Cartwright on the piano. This included two world premieres, of works by Robin Milford and Richard Blackford. There were also Violin Sonatas by Delius, Howells and Ireland and the Five Pieces for Violin and Piano by Holst. I have heard quite a lot of music by Robin Milford at the EMF over the past few years. I fin
d his music very attractive and have been pleased to be able to explore it in the context of the Festival.
For the evening concert , which was also in the Abbey, The Holst Orchestra and Choir were conducted by Hilary Davan Wetton. The programme included Herbert Howells Requiem , Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro and music by Dyson, Armstrong Gibbs, Ireland, Vaughan Williams and Holst.
I was not able to attend the Festival on the Sunday because of other commitments, but I returned to Dorchester on the Monday morning for a song recital by Daniel Norman and Sholto Kynoch. This included Finzi’s “ A Young Man’s Exhortation” and Ireland’s “The Land of Lost Content” as well as songs by Ethel Smyth and Frederick Delius. It was very good to hear excellent performances of all this music.
Later during my stay in England I was able to attend an Elgar Festival concert in Great Malvern Priory. The programme included Elgar’s King Arthur Suite and the recently orchestrated Requiem by Ian Vemables, as well Elgar’s Mina and Visions of Piers Ploughman, by Michael Berkeley , composer in residence for the Festival. The English Symphony Orchestra (ESO) was conducted by Kenneth Woods. This was an excellent and well attended concert. Ian Venables’ Requiem came across as an attractive work and was well received by the audience.
The Saturday evening Gala Concert in Worcester Cathedral was again with the ESO conducted by Woods. The programme included Elgar’s The Music Makers and Symphony Number 1 and Michael Berkeley’s The Secret Garden. This was a wonderful programme.
On the Sunday, I attended a conversation about Elgar and Composition, between Michael Berkeley and Kenneth Woods, and an enjoyable lunch with members of the Elgar Society in the Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum. In the afternoon there was a chamber recital in the Hall at the Porcelain Museum where the ESO Chamber Players played Elgar’s String Quartet and Michael Berkeley’s “Torque and Velocity” for string quartet.
During the Elgar Festival I was able to talk to Ian Venables, Michael Berkeley and Kenneth Woods both about the music performed and Stanford’s music and his work as a teacher of composition. And also to Stuart Freed, Chairman of the Elgar Society.
The final event of the Elgar Festival was a service of Evensong in Worcester Cathedral late on Sunday afternoon. This included music by Elgar as well as Stanford’s wonderful setting of Psalm 150. At the end of the service a wreath was placed by members of the Elgar Society beside the Elgar Memorial in Worcester Cathedral.
