Last week’s festival of classical music in Farley was amazing. I knew it would be, as I have been for several years and have always been enthralled by the talent on display. The intention of the festival is to give young musicians of exceptional talent and promise a platform to show off their abilities in the ancient village church, and this year lived up to the promises of the programme. I went on the Thursday to hear Luca Gliozzi play Bach, Haydn and Caetani and Katya Grabova performing Chopin and Beethoven, both with style and panache on the magnificent concert grand shipped down specially from the Royal Academy of Music. It still seems as unreal now as it did the first time that I went to a concert in the church – to be able to walk across summer meadows to a 17th century church and experience music of superb quality is such a privilege. And, when the music takes a breather, the bird song in the churchyard outside sneaks in as through the doorway to remind the audience that this is no London venue in a sterile urban environment. This is deeply rural Wiltshire, with fields rather than car parks and farms instead of tall buildings. Simply amazing.
There was a bit of history behind this year’s village festival too, as it is 300th anniversary of the death of Sir Christopher Wren, whose Master Builder (Alexander Fort) built both the church and the almshouses in Farley at around 1680. At the time Wren, together with Stephen Fox (who was born in the village) were collaborating on the building of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. Fox was a prominent politician in the court of Charles II, and evidently provided the financial muscle to make things happen. His village of birth benefited greatly, giving the village a unique heart to this day. The Grade 1 backdrop to the festival creates an utterly unique atmosphere and setting for wonderful things to happen.
The festival always concludes with evensong on the Sunday. This year, for the first time, a contingent of the BWS Choir were in attendance to sing through the service and they gave a memorable performance. They thoroughly earned their canapes at the end and made quite an impression on the audience, as it was probably the first time a school choir had sung in the festival. I am hopeful that we can build further on the relationship between Bishop’s Music and Farley Music, as both sides have a huge amount to gain – in particular the opportunity for youngsters to perform and give pleasure to a whole new audience.
SDS
