Page 322 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024

Peter Pears, left, and Britten.Credit...George Roger, via Aldeburgh Festival
“Understandably, particularly after Britten’s death, and later after Pears’s death,
there were people who wanted to properly protect what they felt were the sacred
flames, because they were nervous of whether this thing was going to carry on after
the two founders of this organization,” Roger Wright, the departing chief executive of
Britten Pears Arts, said in an interview. Those people “needn’t have worried,” he
added, “but there were bumpy times, and it’s very easy to forget that.”

In the end, the Aldeburgh Festival, which recently celebrated its 75th edition, has
produced many more editions without Britten than with him.

The festival has gained a reputation for consistency, with well-attended, well-
reviewed and richly programmed seasons. This year was no exception, including a
new production of the church parable “Curlew River” alongside “Sumidigawa,” the
Noh play that inspired it. (The show was filmed for a future BBC broadcast.)

There’s a quiet confidence to Aldeburgh’s programming, particularly in its support of
new work. There were more than 25 premieres at this year’s festival, and a good deal
of nearly new pieces from the featured composers, Unsuk Chin and Judith Weir. The
festival is also becoming more distinct in England’s classical music ecosystem, as the
aftershocks of funding cuts from local governments and national arts organizations
are still rattling programming across the country.