Stephen Ellery conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in 2012 during a masterclass with Maestro Valery Gergiev

Composers’ Festival thinks global

The forthcoming Composers’ Festival to be held at St Mary in the Castle on Friday and Saturday 24 and 25 August is thinking global while employing a host of local talent on some exciting new music including many world premières, writes Chris Cormack.

Well known local people involved include Jonathan Bruce, the principal organist at St Luke’s Silverhill who is festival co-ordinator and one of the composers whose work is to be premièred;  74 year old local composer Tom McLelland-Young, whose six songs for voice and harp will be performed; and Louise Denny. The renowned soprano Susannah Appleyard will sing one of Argentinian composer Polo Piatti’s new love songs, All Has Been Said, with lyrics by Kate Barnwell, who, like the others,  lives locally.

Composer Nobuya Monta

Renowned concert and film composer Nigel Hess will have works performed and, as festival patron, will give a keynote speech at 5pm on 25 August.  Jet-setting Stephen Ellery, chief conductor, will conduct the London Gala Orchestra and the Hastings Philharmonic Choir who will perform new works from Japanese composer Nobuya Monta. Monta is coming specially from Japan to see these songs – based on A E Houseman’s Shropshire Lad poems – performed together with his new Clarinet concerto.

Accessibility

The idea that composition consists of picking out notes in some mood of random, usually tuneless, ‘inspiration’ is grotesque. Music is a language that should communicate with humanity. Carols and hymns serve that purpose and the best are usually very simple. Think of Abide With Me. Music is more than just setting notes down on paper and saying “look how clever I am”. The desire for something ‘new’ is just silly when those who can’t write a melody would have us believe that this wonderful gift is a vulgar failing to be mocked.

[Mark Newberry, on an article by Nigel Hess supporting accessibility and communication in music that appeared in Classic FM Magazine, January 2011]

Such views are heavily represented among the composers participating in the festival. The festival’s composer in residence is the rising star Simon Proctor.

Composer Holly Finch has been specially commissioned to write a piece for voice and piano for the Festival. Holly will be performing the work herself on Saturday 25 August.

The festival also includes open rehearsals and opportunities to meet top rank composers and performers informally. Public discussions will be led by historical novelist & broadcaster Richard Sumner and Daniela Othieno around the festival theme of ‘Beauty’.

The Festival starts on Friday at 6pm and lasts all day on Saturday with concerts on Friday and Saturday evening and a matinee at 11.30 on Saturday, but please come at 10am so as not to miss anything! Day passes cost £12 and the festival pass for the 2 days is an amazing bargain at £20 !  Be there for all of it!

http://www.composersfestival.com/

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