Little Missenden Festival 2008

 

Festival news

 

Ursula Vaughan Williams

We reflect with sadness on the death last October of Ursula Vaughan Williams at the age of 96. She has been the Festival’s patron for many years, and is much missed – not only by us, but throughout the musical and literary worlds.  She was a very active champion, not only of her husband Ralph’s music, but also of English music in general.  She was moreover an estimable poet in her own right – Ralph’s Four last songs are settings of Ursula’s poems.  She outlived her husband by nearly 50 years.

 

We are planning to add a special Thursday evening concert to the 2008 Festival, in memory of Ursula, and in celebration of the music of her husband Ralph on the 50th anniversary of his death.  We plan to include a performance of his 1st String Quartet and Wenlock Edge alongside other settings of Housman’s Shropshire poetry by Ivor Gurney and Ian Venables (a Worcester-based composer with a growing reputation).

 

We also plan to show Tony Palmer’s acclaimed new film about Vaughan Williams, O thou transcendent, which was made with Ursula’s help.  Tony has agreed to come and introduce his film.

 

In other Festival events

•  Mark Bebbington will play RVW’s The Lake in the Mountains;

•  Gemma Rosefield and Nicola Eimer will perform his Six folk songs for cello and piano.  

 

On-line booking

We’ve been looking at the possibility of offering an on-line booking service and taking payments by credit card.  We’re still exploring the options, but we will probably decide to go down this route either this year or next.  If we do so the traditional method of booking will remain open for anyone who prefers to use it, or who doesn’t have internet access.  The change will cost us money (mainly in finance charges), but this is the way the market is moving, and on-line access could be valuable in enabling our small and specialised Festival to reach out further.  We will clarify the position well before 2008 booking starts.

 

Festival firsts

This year sees several Festival firsts.  We have our first film – Tony Palmer’s recent Vaughan Williams biopic, O thou transcendent.  The Askew Sisters will lead our first full-blooded foray into traditional folk music.  And although we have been featuring jazz in our programme for many years Norma Winstone will be our first jazz vocalist.  

 

There are also several first performances – the Festival has commissioned Matthew Taylor to write his 6th string quartet, and Rolf Hind will present the first performance of his new piece, King David.

 

The 2007 Festival

The 2007 Festival was extremely successful, both artistically and in box office terms.  Our thanks are due to all those who took part – either as performers or as audience.

 

Towards our 50th anniversary

2007 completed an unbroken run of 48 Little Missenden Festivals, so by 2009 we shall be clocking up our half century.

 

We’re looking for ways to mark this achievement, and we should be glad to hear from anyone who has memories (or memorabilia) from any point in the Festival’s history – particularly its early days.  Let us have your personal anecdotes.

 

We’re also planning a special programme for 2009 to celebrate 50 years of successful Festivals, to pay tribute to the founders and to thank all those who have organised, helped with, performed at or attended Little Missenden Festivals over such a long span of time.  We may want to publish something for the occasion – and we’d welcome help with researching, writing and/or promoting this.  Please contact John Buston if you have any suggestions or might like to help in any way (email j.buston@btinternet.com, phone 01494 864686).

 

Children and schools

The Festival is proud of the work we’ve been doing in local infant schools alongside our programme of events.  We started many years ago by just arranging for some of the musicians performing at the Festival to go into Little Missenden school and work with the children.  This evolved into more extensive workshops led by local composer Janet Davey, with the resulting work performed as part of the Festival.  By 2007 we were working in three schools, Prestwood and Hyde Heath infants, as well as Little Missenden.

 

Now we’re reviewing the programme.  We’re looking at the possibility of adding some junior schools to the mix, and bringing in some professional animateurs to work with the children.  Plans are still being developed – and of course we shall need to find funding to make it all happen.  Watch this space.

 

This year we will be reviving an earlier tradition by running children’s concerts. Obassno, who have featured in the Wigmore Hall’s Chamber Tots, will lead small interactive workshop performances of music on themes involving animals and insects.  Children will be able both to listen and to take part.

 

Red Lion

The Red Lion is thankfully operating again after the fire that knocked it out for the 2006 Festival.

Little Missenden Festival 2007