Page 286 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024
P. 286
Where other festivals might be seen to be lacking ambition in their
programming, Aldeburgh remains steadfast in maintaining the
values established by Britten and securing near-capacity audiences
accordingly. By doing so it’s not so much risking the house with
lesser-known of works, as rewarding a curious audience with an
appetite for discovery with a seemingly never-ending menu of new
and exciting works. This year’s week-long Thoroughly Good visit
has seen several unexpected and pleasing introductions,
themselves the result of artists bringing their own passions to the
Festival.
Britten Pears Young Artist Programme Alumni baritone Jonathan Eyers
Baritone Jonathan Eyers brought unfamiliar songs from fellow New
Zealander Douglas Lilburn full of wistful nostalgia for the homeland,
and Gareth Farr’s witty poke at the ‘humble’ Kiwi from the
composer’s ‘Ornithological Anecdotes’. Gweneth Ann-Rand’s
powerful performance of Messiaen’s epic Harawi song cycle will
surely go down as a highlight of the year. The revelatory
performance of Judith Weir’s ‘blue hills beyond blue hills’ from the
