AUTUMN IN MALVERN
By
Christopher Morley
This year’s Autumn in Malvern Festival is already well
underway, having begun on September 23 with Bach’s The Art of Fugue, introduced
and performed by Iain Simcock on harpsichord and organ.
The next musical event has a decidedly Swedish flavour, bringing
the Nicolai Chamber Choir, closely associated with Stockholm’s St Nicolai
Cathedral, presenting “A Garland of Choral Music” in tribute to the great 19th-century
soprano Jenny Lind, “the Swedish nightingale”, who retired to Wynds Point close
to the Herefordshire Beacon just outside Malvern (September 29, Great Malvern
Priory 1pm).
Described by Musical Opinion magazine as “Britain’s greatest
living composer of art song”, Worcester’s Ian Venables provides the focus for
tenor Nick Pritchard’s “Ivor Gurney to Ian Venables – a journey through English
song” at Christchurch, Great Malvern on October 7 (7.30pm). The journey begins
with Ivor Gurney, the Gloucestershire poet and composer whose life was
shattered by trauma and injury sustained during the First World War. Songs by
Rebecca Clarke, Britten and Finzi lead us to Venables himself. Who also
introduces the programme together with Nick Pritchard. Simon Lepper is the
pianist.
Elmslie House in Great Malvern is the venue for the
Worcestershire Saxophone Quartet playing “Three 20th-century
Saxophone Quartets”, among which is that by John Rushby-Smith, a major figure
in BBC Radio 3 before he retired to Ledbury (4pm, tea and cakes available from
3.15pm).
One of Autumn in Malvern’s best-loved fixtures is the annual
concert from the Aldwyn Consort of Voices, who this year present a programme
marking the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd. Works on
offer range from those of Byrd and his contemporaries right up to the present
day, with Roxanna Panufnik and James MacMillan. The musical performances are
complemented with poetry readings delivered by Peter Sutton (Great Hall,
Malvern College 3pm).
This year’s Autumn in Malvern festival concludes with another
well-loved annual visit, that by the European Union Chamber Orchestra,
performing in Malvern College’s Great Hall on October 29 (3pm). Their programme
this year begins with Barshai’s string orchestra transcriptions of Prokofiev’s
Visions Fugitives, continues through Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major K414
(soloist Yuzhang Li) and two string pieces from Walton’s incidental music for
the film Henry V, and ends with Tchaikovsky’s ineffable Serenade for Strings.
There are of course the usual exhibitions, talks and walks
providing the tapestry of Autumn in Malvern. All details on 01684 892277.
ends