Paxton House |
A beautiful venue for chamber music
Music at Paxton Audience enjoying a concert in the Picture Gallery at Paxton House |
When the previous concert series stopped it was felt that something should continue and Helen got involved in creating a festival rather than another concert series. Though the house is in the countryside, it makes a good festival destination with the combination of lovely historic house and contents already open to the public with lots of ancillary facilities.
The house was originally built in 1758-1763 to designs by John Adam and has later ceilings by Robert Adam, his son, and furniture by Chippendale. A later extension added in the Regency period includes the picture gallery, so the house possesses one of the UK's foremost collections of Chippendale and William Trotter furniture.
On a wing and a prayer
Regarding finance (always an important point with small festivals), Helen admitted that money was tight, describing them as being run 'on a wing and a prayer'. They have only one full-time member of staff (Helen) and rely heavily on volunteers with all the money going on the best artists possible. Wisely they rely on a variety of sources for their money rather than just one including Creative Scotland and various trusts (as well as collaborating with Live Music Now) and there is a large body of friends whose support provides a cushion over the year, and of course the box office.
Most of the audience has travelled over 10 miles
The audience comes from a variety of areas, research last year showed it has a 50/50 split across the border. Some people come specially for the festival and there is now an East Coast trail festivals in Scotland (including East Neuk, and St Andrews) which co-operate. Paxton encourages people to come for the weekend and stay in a B&B. Even the locals travel to the concert, Helen explained that in the Borders most people are used to travelling and that most of their audience has travelled over 10 miles. The festival ensures that there is plenty of catering with buffet suppers at weekends and luxury afternoon teas, so that people get a complete package.
As this year is the 10th festival, there will be champagne on Saturdays. This will be served in the main house, so that people can have a nose around as concerts are in the picture gallery, which has a separate entrance.
Supporting new music and young artists
In programming they do try to support contemporary artists and have performed commissions from Nigel Osborne and Anthony Payne. This year there will be a new Eddie McGuire piece (performed by the Spencer-Strachan Duo), a short piece by James McMillan and the last concert will feature a Brett Dean piece, Epitaphs for String Quintet, being performed by the Hebrides Ensemble as part of a varied programme with Mozart and Brahms..
Natalie Clein photo Sussie Ahlburg |
Benjamin Grosvenor |
Dowland's Table is being performed in the afternoon, with Natalie Clein's concert in the evening with a nice gap for afternoon tea between, thus giving the audience a chance to have a relaxed experience. As it is a Sunday, the evening concert starts early so that the audience can get home, another example of the festival's thoughtful planning (I know this from experience, having visited festivals where time for eating was an optional luxury, or where little thought had been given to how and when the audience would get home).
The festival is collaborating with Live Music Now, presenting a double bill of two contrasting duos, Elisabeth Juen (clarinet) and Elena Ivanova (piano) in Brahms, Werner Schulze and Joseph Horovitz, and the Spencer-Strachan Duo in Bach, Edward McGuire and Ravel. The young mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley, accompanied by Joseph Middleton, will be performing a programme which ranges from Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben to Flanders and Swan.
Paxton House |
Full information and listings for this year's festival from the Music at Paxton website.
Elsewhere on this blog:
- Finely crafted: Till the stars fall - CD review
- Heroic indeed: Bryan Hymel Heroique - CD review
- Show-stopping: Jessic Pratt at Rosenblatt Recitals - concert review
- Vivaldi's Women in action: A visit to the Pieta - concert review
- Post-minimal modes: Michael Vincent Waller - CD review
- Day two, Baroque women as performers and composers: London Festival of Baroque Music - concert review
- London Festival of Baroque Music: Bach Collegium Japan - concert review
- Tintinnabuli: The Tallis Scholars in concert - concert review
- Keeping the balance: Iestyn Morris talks about Peter Pan - interview
- Vital and engaging: Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque - concert review
- Straight or swung? Cole Porter songbook - CD review
- Interesting mix: guitarist Christina Sandsengen's Shades and Contrasts - CD review
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