Page 132 - Aldeburgh Festival 2022 FINAL COVERAGE BOOK

Founded by Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Eric Crozier in 1948, the Aldeburgh Festival originally
centred itself on the Borough’s cosy and intimate Jubilee Hall situated in Aldeburgh’s Crabbe Street
and built at the expense of local industrialist Newson Garrett to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of
Queen Victoria in 1887. Interestingly, Garrett also built the complex of maltings at the village of Snape
situated about five miles inland from Aldeburgh where Britten and Pears harboured the idea for years
of converting the old Victorian red-brick malt-house at into a concert hall.

Their dream came true when the Snape Maltings Concert Hall was graciously opened by Her Majesty
the Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, on 7th June 1969 marking the festival’s 21st edition.
Originally, Britten wanted a hall seating 1000 costing no more than £50,000 but had to settle for one
seating 830 costing £127,000. The opening gala programme - entitled ‘Music for a Royal Occasion’ -
included an instrumental piece by Henry VIII, a Byrd prayer for Elizabeth Im Purcell's ode ‘Come Ye
Sons of Art, two movements from Mendelssohn's ‘Scottish’ Symphony (dedicated to Queen Victoria)
plus three pieces from Britten's opera, Gloriana, focusing on the life of Elizabeth I.

Tragedy, however, followed the grand and royal opening when the Maltings became gutted by fire. A
new production of Mozart’s Idomeneo was all ready for the stage but immediately transferred to
Blythburgh church. Impatiently, Britten wanted the hall rebuilt just as it was and quickly, too.
Miraculously, this came about. The hall - completed by timber seating inspired by the auditorium of
the Festspielhaus at Bayreuth - opened in time for the 1970 festival. Once again, the Queen ventured
to Suffolk to open the rebuilt hall commenting that she hoped not to be asked back a third time.

However, the move to Snape paid off handsomely for the festival opening it up to a new and wider
audience while the venue could also attract much larger ensembles and orchestras as opposed to
Jubilee Hall.
The wisdom of books, the wisdom of music, the wisdom of art, are all employed and entwined within
the wonderful Maltings complex that Lowestoft-born Britten, whose early musical life was forged in
Norfolk, loved so dearly.

Always striving for the best, Britten and Pears brought to the Suffolk coast a host of international stars
and emerging talent that continues to this day especially with this year’s festival - the 73rd edition
running from Friday 3rd June to Sunday 26th coming three years after the 72nd due to the Covid
pandemic - which will enjoy an extended period of 28 days thereby making up for lost time!

The disappearance of time, however, happens to be a key element in Tom Coult’s new
opera, Violet (libretto by the acclaimed playwright, Alice Birch, known for her powerful female-centred
writing) while running out of time is the motivation for some large-scale works surrounding the climate
crisis.

Other programming strands include Britten and Women with an exhibition at the Red House, Dame
Janet Baker in conversation with John Bridcut and Sophie Bevan singing Britten’s Phaedra as well as
work by Britten’s female contemporary composers: Doreen Carwithen, Imogen Holst, Elisabeth
Lutyens, Elizabeth Maconchy, Priaulx Rainier and Grace Williams. There’ll also be a celebration of
the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme at 50.

And in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (the official day falls on Friday 3rd June coinciding
with the opening day of this year’s festival) the BBC Singers, conducted by Owain Park, will perform
on Tuesday 14th June a collection of short choral pieces by English composers created to celebrate
the Queen's coronation in 1953.

The programme will also include Britten’s dramatic anthem Sacred and Profane together with an
anthem written by the BBC Singers’ associate composer, Judith Weir, as well as world premières by