FESTIVALS GUIDE 1969

All dates and programmes in this guide are, of course, subject to alteration.

CAMDEN: ends 1 June This year's festival has concentrated in par- ticular on Berlioz, it being the centenary of his death. We've missed Beatrice and Benedict, but his Symphonie Fantastique can still be heard— so can Joubert's Under Western Eyes. High- light of the remaining events, however, will be a recital by the Swedish organist Karl-Erik Welin: Cage's Variations 1 and four pieces by Swedish composers Gyorgy Ligeti, Jan Mor- thenson, Bo Nilsson and Bengt Hambraeus. All five works are first performances in the UK.

coonism: ends 31 May Major attraction on this—its second—year's schedule of events is an exhibition of unfinished works by Stanley Spencer, not previously shown, plus a specially commissioned children's opera by David Cox.

PITLOCHRY : ends 4 October Last year's audiences (the biggest ever) rated Boeing-Boeing above Hamlet: this year's, judg- ing from the programme, are again expected to be comfortably, though not exclusively, middle- brow. Arsenic and Old Lace, William Douglas Home's The Queen's Highland Servant, The Alchemist, R.U.R., The Jealous Wife, de Obaldia's Wind in the Branches of the Sassafras and an arrangement of Mystery plays by John Bowen. Several worthwhile concerts with the Bartok String Quartet, Shirley-Quirk and Ogdon.

GLYNDEBOEJRNE: 25 May-3 August Passing gracefully into its thirty-fifth year, Glyndebourne scarcely requires introduction. The four operas to be performed this year are a revival of the 1966 Werther by Massenet, pro- duced by Michael Redgrave, with Annon Lee Silver and Josephine Veasey new to the parts of Charlotte and Sophie; new productions of Cosi Fan Tutte and Debussy's Pillars et Milisande; and a revival of the 1967 Don Giovanni.

LITTLE FESTIVAL OF POETRY, CLEY-NEXT-THE-SEA

(Norfolk): 28 May-1 June A tiny festival, admirable none the less and eighteen years old. The programme includes a pilgrimage to Byron's home, a talk by Anthony Thwaite and a meeting led by Alan Brownjohn.

LLANDAFF: 1 June-12 June Llandaff's twelfth festival will also be its largest, partly in celebration of the royal in- vestiture near by : a round dozen concerts, in- cluding a first performance of Hoddinott's new horn concerto and an organ recital by Pierre Cocherau, organist of Notre Dame; other per- formers will include the English Sinfonia, the RPO, the Venturi Ensemble, the London Mozart Players and the Barrow Poets.

CHICHESTER: 1 June-14 September A limited concert programme to plump out the excellent theatre season (referred to else- where in this issue) includes performances by the Virtuosi di Roma, du Pre, Barenboim and Victoria de Los Angeles.

ALDEBURGH: 7 June-29 June As usual a strongly conceived and enticingly varied programme. Only a scattering of first Performances—Gordon Crosse's Purgatory (libretto by Yeats) and Grace of Todd (Rudkin), performed by David Atherton and the Eng- lish Opera Group; Knussen's 'Fire,' a Britten Suite and the first concert performance of his Children's Crusade. A strong vocal emphasis this year, with appearances by Pears, Harper, Tear, Williams, Shirley-Quirk, Baker. Others taking part are Malcolm, Ledger, Bream, Osian Ellis, Giulini, the Amadeus and Aeolian Quar- tets, the English Chamber Orchestra, and David Munrow's Early Music Consort. Performances of Purcell's The Fairy Queen, The Prodigal Son and a new production (by Colin Graham) of ldomeneo. Also Theatregoround,"Ballet for All' and the Cambridge Ballooning Club.

BATH: 13 June-29 June This will be the first Bath festival under the new directorial troika of Sir Michael Tippett, Jack Phipps and Colin Davis, and the pro- gramme remains as strong as ever, with new works from Tippett, Maxwell Davies, McCabe and a powerful list of performers headed by the three composers mentioned above. It includes Annon Lee Silver, Janet Baker, Josephine Veasey, Margaret Price and John Shirley-Quirk. Also Roger Smalley and Richard Rodney Ben- nett; Giulini, Arrau, the Academy of St Martin- in-the-Fields and the Allegri Quartet.

BOXHILL : 13 June-21 June A small festival, but not without a certain charm. Lady Jeans is the musical director and likes to concentrate on baroque music. Helping her concentrate will be Alena Vesela from Czechoslovakia, Alfred Deller, Christopher Hogwood and the Mannheim Quintet.

ENGLISH BACH FESTIVAL (Oxford and London): 16 June-13 July Under the inspired directorship of Lina Lalandi the English Bach Festival is, once again, an occasion of great distinction. The main themes of this year's music making will be the works of Bach, J. S. and his son C. P. E., and will celebrate moreover the anniversaries of Berlioz, Roussel! and Skalkottas, many of whose works will be having their first complete performance. Contemporary English and con- tinental music will be represented by Berio, Constant, Maxwell Davies, Goehr, Varese and Xenakis and there will be an impressive num- ber of first performances. A daunting list of soloists, conductors and orchestras includes Constant, Maxwell Davies, Goehr, Dorati, Marriner—the Holligers, Lalandi, Malcolm, Orloff, Szeryng, Tear, Watts, Young, English— the Lso and the Orchestre National de L'ORTF.

YORK: 20 June-13 July This year's is the seventh in the present series of triennial festivals centred on the York Cycle of mediaeval plays. For the first time since their revival after a four hundred year lapse they will be performed entirely by local amateur players. But, Mystery plays apart, this is almost cer- tainly going to be one of the finest of the year's music festivals: symphony concerts by the Halle, the Lso, the Bac Northern and the BBC Symphony orchestras—the latter two forming part of the Berlioz centenary celebrations—as well as recitals by Schwarzkopf, Janet Baker and the Tortelier family. Maxwell Davies will conduct his Shepherd's Calendar and the Pierrot Players will be giving his Flute Solo its first per- formance, as well as first performances of new works by Anthony Gilbert and Birtwistle. Other premieres will include works by Milhaud, Ber- nard Rands and Richard Orton—who will also be appearing- with Cardew, Tilbury and Feld- man in an evening of experimental music. Rodney Bennett and Tippett will be performing; so will the Nederlands Dans Theatre—and the festival will be the occasion for the much- bruited British premiere of Pirandello's When One is Somebody.

LUDLOW: 21 June-6 July Renowned mainly for its picturesque setting (Ludlow castle is meant to have been the site of the original production of Comus) the yearly productions themselves are of no very outstand- ing merit. This year the play is Romeo and Juliet; tither events include a concert by the Early Music Consort.

STOUR: 24 June-29 June A delectable occasion for lovers of mediaeval and renaissance music. Alfred Deller and his Consort play a principal part—note in par- ticular a recital of madrigals and chansons in the Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral and per- formances with the Concentus Musicus from Vienna of Purcell's The Fairy Queen and Han- del's leptha. High point of the proceedings tends to be the series of recitals given on veteran key- board instruments from the Colt collection— this year Huguette Dreyfus on an 1800 Kirck- man harpsichord, Barbara Holmquest on some venerable pianos. Alena Vesela gives an organ recital; David Munrow plays his crumhorn.

CHELTENHAM : 4 July-13 July The outstanding festival of modern music in the country, Cheltenham has designed itself a new and broader format this year to marks its twenty-fifth anniversary. The basic theme is still the presentation of contem- porary British music; with new works by Hod- dinott, Maxwell Davies, Cary, Berkeley, Gordon Jacob, John Metcalf, Brian Brockless, Alan Bush, Boucourechliev and Daniel Jones. But a special feature this year is the inclusion of French music and musicians, with emphasis on the works of Roussel], whose centenary it is, and performances of all the principal works written by Schubert during the prodigi- ous last year of his life. Most of the contem- porary composers will be there in person and far from inactive : other performers include Bliss, Boult, Shirley-Quirk, Preston and du Pit STRATFORD-UPON-AVON POETRY FESTIVAL: each Sunday from 6 July-7 September Into its sixteenth year and back under the direction of Douglas Cleverdon this remains one of the best-run poetry festivals in the country, with discussions, readings and guest appearances by (this year) C. Day Lewis and others; 7 September brings it to a climactic close with David Garrick's Ode, the London Mozart Players and Raymond Leppard.

SOUTHERN CATHEDRALS (WINCHESTER): 14 July- 27 July The cathedral choirs of Chichester, Winches- ter and Salisbury join forces biennially in ser- vices of worship and concerts. Works to be per- formed this year include anthems by Byrd, Gib- bons, Blow, Schutz, Harwood, Howells and Britten. Also the first performance of a com- missioned work by Mathias.

BATTLE : 16 July-27 July The festival, not up till now a particularly outstanding example of the species, will no doubt benefit from Neville Marriner's appoint- ment as musical director this year—and not least from the continued attendance of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

CAMBRIDGE: 17 July-31 July Despite an impressive line-up this festival somehow remains rather a damp squib, notable for its lack of any unifying theme. Amongst those taking part will be Emanuel Hurwitz, John Williams. Christopher Hogwood, the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Halle, Ballet Rambert and Prospect Productions, HASLEMERE : 18 July-26 July Directed by Carl Dolmetsch, this is the oldest (forty-five years) festival .in Britain after the Three Choirs. The Dolmetsch consort of recorders and viols plays a major part in all the proceedings, supported by other per- formers of note. The Dolmetsch library, seem- ingly a widow's cruse of rare, unheard MSS, this year provides us with the first modern perfor- mance of a Magnificat for four voices by Hoyoul. Other composers include Blow, Schulze, Weckmann, Boismortier, Vecchi, Guedron, Paisible, Porpora and so, eruditely, on.

KING'S LYNN: 25 July-2 August Nineteenth anniversary of this engaging festi- val. Essentially a musical occasion, one or two unusual events have nevertheless crept into the programme : the world premiere of Max Adrian's solo performance Gilbert and Sul- livan, visits from Lord David Cecil, Patrick Garland, and poetry reading by C. Day Lewis. Leppard conducts Helen Watts— amongst others—in the rarely heard St Nicho- las Mass by Haydn and in Britten's St Nicholas Cantata. The Academy of St Martin-in-the- Fields will be supporting Joyce. Leppard, Ave- ling and Ward in a notable concert of works for two, three and four .harpsichords by Bach and Vivaldi; other performers are the ECO, Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin and Janet Baker, ROYAL NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD (FLINT): 3 August- 9 August The first Eisteddfod on record was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176. In its present form it aims to preserve, foster, 'and indeed strengthen' the language and culture of Wales. Druidical goings-on—crownings, chairings etc—empha- sise the competitive nature of the occasion; though there will be various concerts, with guest appearances by Margaret Price and Geraint Evans in a 'Noson Brahms'—'Brahms Night.'

HARROGATE: 5 August-16 August Harrogate's fourth festival, and the most ambitious to date. An impressive programme of music includes Kiss, a specially commis- sioned work by Richard Orton, and British premieres of Stockhausen's Kurzwellen and Schurnann's Chuenchl. Amongst the perfor- mers will be Stephen Bishop, Josef Suk, Peter Pears and Owen Brannigan. In the drama line we have an adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People by Stan Barstow and Brecht's Antigone. John Calder is bringing his Third International Literary Conference to the festi- val and amongst those who've agreed to come along to do their things are William Bur- roughs, McLuhan and Marcuse.

THREE CHOIRS (WORCESTER): 24 August-29 August The oldest festival in Europe, carrying its 242 years with remarkable grace and self-con- fidence. As its name suggests, the music per- formed is predominantly choral, employing the combined choirs of Worcester (playing host this year), Gloucester and Herefo-d cathedrals. Guest singers are Elizabeth Harwood, Janet Price, Bryan Drake, Watts, Bowen and Shirley- Quirk. First perform-nce ef a new setting of Psalm 150 by William Mathias, Jonatiaan Har- vey's L,:dus arroris, a comm;-sioned p:ece by Elizabeth Ma..sonchy—as well as works by Maxwell Davis, Daapiccola, Janacek, Elgar and Beethoven's Mk.sa.,olctrxds.

EDINBURGH: 24 August-13 September The twenty third festival promises to be a trifle less interesting than last year's, ti1ough' for opera lovers it could be something of a treat. Special attention is being paid to Ital:an music, with the Teatro Comnnale of Florence (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) getting a good deal ot the limelight: Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Ros- sini's 11 Signor Bruschino, Don;zetti's Marfa Stuarda, Verdi's Ri-oletto as well as two con- temporary operas: 1. Prigio:tiero by Dallapic- cola and Sege Canzoni by Malipiero. Other contemporary Italian composers whose works will be played are Petrassi, Nono, Berio, Dona- toni. Amongst the orchestras engaged to play them are the NPO, the tzo, I Musici, the Bartok String Quartet, the Aeolian Quartet, the Music Theatre Ensemble and the Czech Philharmonic. There appear to be only three first performances during the festival—Hamilton's Pharsalia, Goehr's Nazredin and a Brecht/Kipling pr.,- gramme. And f -)r dramaphiles, Prospect Pro- ductions, the Theatre on the Balustrade from Prague, puppets from Sofia and Dame Sybil Thorndike.

ABBEY DORE: 10 September-14 September A small festival in the Chilterns, flourishing manfully thanks to the enthusiasm of the local community (pop. 365). Amongst those taking part will be Gervase de Peyer, Osian Ellis, John Williams. The concerts are held at two equally delightful abbeys—Dore and Belmont—and there will be exhibitions and a review.

WINDSOR: 17 September-27 September New to the festival calendar, Windsor looks as if it will be getting off to a delectable start under the joint directorship of Ian Hunter and Yehudi Menuhin. Preliminary plans include a spectacular performance in Windsor Castle of Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks (plus fireworks). The Menuhin Festi- val Orchestra will give two concerts in St George's Chapel, one of Handel with Simon Preston, the other with George Malcolm and a commissioned work by Lennox Berkeley.

LITTLE MISSENDEN: 27 September-5 October A small but highly appealing festival: con- certs are held in the Saxon church, where the John Alldis choir will be performing music by Vaughan Williams, Messiaen, Byrd, Debussy, a setting of Robert Frost songs com- missioned from Richard Benger and a new arraneement of Psalm 22 by Drakeford.

STROUD: 12 October-26 October Considering its small size, the fact that Stroud is now into its twenty-second year argues considerable local devotion. Exhibitions, drama, poetry and music, and premiere of a commissioned opera by Antony Hopkins.

CIIELTENHAIsf : 10 November-15 November The Festival of Literature is held in the E eryman Theatre, with talks, discussions and distinguished visitors. The Cheltenham Lecture Will be given by Arthur Koestler.