Aldeburgh Music, Benjamin Britten’s legacy, has revealed that it is about to acquire the concert hall and heritage complex the composer caused to be built at Snape Maltings. It is Roger Wright’s first big move since he joined Aldeburgh from the BBC last year. Press release below.
Aldeburgh Music in negotiations to purchase Snape Maltings
The owners of Snape Maltings, the Gooderham family, have announced today that they are in
the final stages of negotiation with Aldeburgh Music for the sale of the site’s freehold and
commercial portfolio. The sale, which is significantly supported by funds from Arts Council
England, is due to be completed on 18 March 2015.
The sale comprises the award-winning Snape Maltings independent retail and residential
properties, including shops, galleries, two cafés, the overall site freehold and further maltings
buildings which have yet to be restored. Aldeburgh Music’s campus currently includes Snape
Maltings Concert Hall, the Hoffmann Building – which houses the Britten Studio – the
Britten–Pears Building and the Dovecote Studio.
The combination of Aldeburgh Music’s world-class, year-round arts programme and the
Gooderhams’ highly successful retail and catering business, monthly farmers’ markets,
exhibitions and the annual Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival (now one of the UK’s largest food
festivals) has seen Snape Maltings develop into a vibrant cultural village enjoyed by both
Suffolk residents and visitors to the county.
The fortunes of Snape Maltings have been inextricably linked to the Gooderhams and
Aldeburgh Music for nearly five decades, since George Gooderham bought the site in 1965 and
rented the largest building to Benjamin Britten and the Aldeburgh Festival to be converted into
Snape Maltings Concert Hall. The most active period of collaboration has taking place from
2006: since then the Maltings masterplan has seen a further 30% of the site redeveloped,
which has included the opening of Aldeburgh Music’s Hoffmann Building, the House & Garden
shop, Café 1885 and 35 residential properties.
The timing of the sale comes at the culmination of 50 years of ownership by the Gooderhams
and follows the successful delivery of their vision to secure Snape Maltings’ position as one of
Suffolk’s leading and best-loved destinations. Aldeburgh Music’s continued ambition to fulfil
the vision of its founder, Benjamin Britten, by engaging the entire site, will ensure that the
spirit and unity of Snape Maltings is maintained.
Aldeburgh Music’s purchase has been made possible by a combination of re-investing its
endowment, the receipt of an individual donation, and a vital £2m contribution from Arts
Council England’s CDEL allocation. CDEL (Capital Department Expenditure Limit) is part of Arts
Council England’s grant in aid from DCMS and can only be used to buy capital assets, buy
stocks, repay debt or acquire long-term financial assets.
Roger Wright, Chief Executive of Aldeburgh Music, said:
“Without exceptional funding and support from Arts Council England, it would not have been
possible for Aldeburgh Music to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to protect the
future of the Snape Maltings site. Owning the whole site opens a myriad of possibilities,
crucially the fulfilling of Britten’s vision for a creative campus with a new level of public
engagements. While creating a new source of income for Aldeburgh Music’s artistic
programme, we have every intention of building on Johnny and Alesha Gooderham’s inspired
work to preserve Snape Maltings and develop it as a destination venue. I look forward to an
open discussion about the way in which partnerships can develop the site’s potential for
audiences and the arts in general, and am particularly grateful for the support of the Arts
Council at this significant time in the history of Aldeburgh Music.”
Johnny Gooderham, Managing Director and owner of the Maltings, said:
“I have been fortunate to have been responsible for the Maltings since the age of 24, during
which time the site has seen its most extensive period of development. It is gratifying to see
how Snape Maltings has become such a special place for so many people of all ages and
interests, from the cyclists who visit our teashop to the customers in our shops and galleries
and the walkers who enjoy this unique landscape. This is a most natural unification of two
great assets and it will secure a robust and captivating future for the Maltings.
It is important that the recognition for the achievements to date is shared amongst our staff,
whose dedication and endeavour have been instrumental in making the Maltings the place it is
today.
Aldeburgh Music is now the most natural custodian to take the Maltings forward. By
combining the existing aspects of music, visual arts, food and drink, festivals and heritage, we
have every confidence that Aldeburgh Music will deliver an enriched future for the site.”
Hedley Swain, Area Director for the South East, Arts Council England, said:
“We are pleased to be able to support Aldeburgh Music’s future resilience through the
purchase of Snape Maltings’ retail and residential buildings. It will ensure that Aldeburgh
Music is able to protect the future of the site and continue to deliver great art and culture for
everyone.”
Alan Britten, nephew of Benjamin Britten and President of the Friends of Aldeburgh Music, said:
“If owning Snape Maltings had been even a half a possibility, I feel sure my uncle would have
snapped it up immediately.”
Lincoln Center today sold the naming rights to its main concert hall for $100 million. The winning bidder is David Geffen, co-founder of Asylum Records and Dreamworks. Geffen has shown no previous interest in orchestral music.
Geffen said: ‘As a native New Yorker, I recognize that Lincoln Center is a beacon to artists and musicians around the world. To be involved with such a beloved and iconic institution is deeply satisfying.’
The announcement of David Geffen Hall comes days after a new chairman of Carnegie Hall, Ronald Perelman, called for more rock content in the venerable concert hall. The writing is on Manhattan’s walls.
Our colleague Michael Johnson has written an extraordinarily fascinating piece about the tragic life and death of this great artist below. Click here to read.
The theatre has introduced a wristband system for people queueing to buy tickets, its director Vladimir Urin announced. The idea is to stop large numbers of tickets leaking onto the black market. But from today anyone queuing for a ticket will have a so-called ‘bracelet’ snapped on them by security guards until the transaction is completed.
Sounds a little… forbidding.
Here’s one lucky Bolshoi-goer who has kept out of handcuffs, so far.
The Leipzig Richard Wagner Foundation has given its annual Euro 10,000 award to Christian Thielemann. The prize goes to whichever musician or writer is thought to have done best for the old monster in the previous year.
The singer with the most roles in the history of opera has dropped one from his baritone register. Placido Domingo has pulled out of Il Trovatore in Berlin, La Scala and this summer’s Salzburg Festival, saying he can’t manage Count Luna again.
Salzburg has replaced him with Artur Ruciński, who stood in for Domingo last summer.
Details out this morning of the third Bristol Proms, a Universal-backed alternative to the BBC menu:
(press release)
Bristol Old Vic, 27th July – 1st August
Tickets on sale now from £5
The most innovative classical music festival in the UK – Bristol Proms – returns to Bristol Old Vic this July to bring together today’s leading musicians for imaginative and accessible performances of the highest creative standards.
Now in its third year, Bristol Proms has firmly established itself in the cultural calendar of Bristol and the UK as an unmissable opportunity to see world famous classical musicians perform in the exquisite environment of Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continuously open theatre in the UK.
For another year, the primary media partner for Bristol Proms is Classic FM. The station will be based in Bristol all week, with presenters Tim Lihoreau, John Suchet, Anne-Marie Minhall and John Brunning broadcasting live from Bristol Old Vic. There will also be extensive online coverage of the festival at ClassicFM.com, including video interviews with all headline performers.
Bristol Proms 2015 will open in suitably bold and rousing style with the first performance anywhere of the winner of the Bristol Fanfare Competition, making Bristol the first city in the country to have its very own official fanfare. Commissioned by Bristol Proms, the fanfare is Bristol Proms’ very special gift to its home city to honour Bristol’s upcoming 800th birthday.
This year’s programme builds further on Bristol Proms’ growing reputation for giving leading artists the space and freedom to engage with audiences of all ages and all levels of experience of classical music. Demonstrating the popularity and distinctive appeal of Bristol Proms to artists as well as audiences, for many of this year’s performers their appearance at Bristol Proms 2015 marks a return visit.
Highlights of Bristol Proms 2015 include:
- Miloš Karadaglić makes his Bristol Proms debut with ‘From Bach To The Beatles’, an intimate insight into the world’s most charismatic classical guitarist with a programme including a Bach Chaconne, Spanish classics, cool Latin music and brand new Beatles arrangements.
- The UK’s top trumpeter Alison Balsom will headline Bristol Proms 2015’s Wednesday nightprogramme with a performance in which she will be accompanied by a quartet featuring two trumpets, a cello and a harpsichord.
- Following her show stopping performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas by candlelight last year Pumeza Matshikiza returns for ‘My Life In Song’, a musical conversation and performance with Charles Hazelwood and his Bristol Proms Chamber Orchestra, including arias from Turandot, Carmen and Madam Butterfly, timeless South African folk songs and Pumeza’s own Xhosa poetry.
- Violinist Daniel Hope who once more returns to Bristol Proms, this year performing with a hand-picked ensemble of five to play the story of the fierce rivalry between Tchaikovsky and Brahms.
A full list of confirmed performances for Bristol Proms 2015 is below. Further artists and special events will continue to be announced in the coming months, ensuring that Bristol Proms 2015 is the most successful yet, keeping alive the spirited and vivid traditions of the 18th and 19thcentury Proms held at Bristol Old Vic to bring exciting and accessible music to life with ticket prices starting at just £5.
Tom Morris, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic: “Bristol Proms was imagined 3 years ago as a bold experiment to find ways to reintroduce classical music as an art form which touches the hearts of anyone who listens. We’ll use any tactics: state of the art technologies to access music in different ways, live interactive evenings, or intimate performances in total darkness. Nothing is out of bounds at Bristol Proms. This year, we’re pushing this further – taking music into the city, schools and to the next generation of artists and audiences. All this alongside some of the world’s greatest living musicians in the magical setting of our historic theatre.”
Dickon Stainer, President of Global Classics, Universal Music Group, said: “Bristol Proms has become an essential fixture and a beloved event in the UK cultural calendar. The feedback we’ve seen from our artists has been incredibly positive, demonstrating amply that Bristol Proms truly is something special. Bristol Proms is a wonderful festival for classical artists and classical music and I congratulate Tom Morris, Ingrid Sutej and the U-live team on another outstanding programme.”
Sam Jackson, Managing Editor, Classic FM, said: “Once again, Classic FM will play a central role in Bristol Proms. This world-class festival shares our vision and passion to make classical music available to everyone and we look forward to broadcasting live from Bristol Old Vic in July.”
Bristol Proms 2015 runs from 27th July to 1st August and features some of the world’s finest musicians including Alison Balsom, Miloš Karadaglić, Pumeza Matshikiza and Daniel Hope. More details of Bristol Proms 2015 can be found at: www.bristolproms.com.
BRISTOL PROMS 2015 CONFIRMED PERFORMANCES
Monday 27th July
DANIEL HOPE: TCHAIKOVSKY VS BRAHMS
Mr Bristol Proms returns to play the story of the fierce rivalry between two musical giants of the 19th century Tchaikovsky and Brahms. The programme for this intimate performance will include Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and Brahms’ String Quintet Opus 111, heard in the context of an ideological war that went to the heart of the romantic movement.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm
SACCONI QUARTET: BEETHOVEN’S OPUS 131 IN THE DARK
Continuing Bristol Proms tradition of kicking off the week with an intense auditory indulgence, the Sacconi Quartet perform Beethoven’s dramatic Opus 131 from memory in the dark and the half-light.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6.45pm
JON JAMES: BEETHOVEN UNWRAPPED
Bristol Proms associate Jonathan James returns to deliver six talks in the Bristol Old Vic Studio, exploring the beauty and secrets of this year’s programme and providing fascinating insights into the worlds of music and artistry for both newcomers and aficionados alike.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 5.45pm
Tuesday 28th July
PUMEZA: MY LIFE IN SONG
An emotional journey through the unique musical life of the virtuoso soprano Pumeza Matshikiza. Reflecting upon her South African roots Pumeza will share her folk music heritage as well as launch into the operatic repertoire that made her famous. Pumeza will be joined by her early collaborator Charles Hazlewood and his Bristol Proms Chamber Orchestra. The programme will include arias from Turandot, Carmen and Madam Butterfly as well as timeless South African folk songs such as O Lili Lili Ha Lulu and Pumeza’s own Xhosa poetry.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm
JON JAMES: A HISTORY OF CLASSICAL MUSIC IN 60 MINS
Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm
Wednesday 29th July
LATE NIGHT TRUMPET WITH ALISON BALSOM
A late evening of immersive trumpetry, conceived by Alison Balsom and Adam Wright, featuring the music of Franceschini, Bach, Handel, Britten and Stravinsky and played on up to a dozen trumpets with harpsichord & cello continuo.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 9.30pm
PURE MINIMALIST BAROQUE: HAKON AND MARI SAMUELSEN WITH SINFONIA CYMRU
The new embaces the old in this astonishing programme interweaving the pure melodic structure of Bach with the intricate patterns of Philip Glass and Giovanni Sollima. The evening is conceived by the meteoric Samuelsen siblings from Norway, accompanied by the virtuosic young talent of Sinfonia Cymru.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm
JON JAMES: PATTERNS IN MUSIC
Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm
Thursday 30th July
ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT: THE NIGHT SHIFT
The Night Shift comes to Bristol Proms for the very first time. Two 30 minute sets from the musicians of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment featuring the music of one of England’s finest composers – Henry Purcell. This is music that’ll make your feet tap, stir your soul and touch your emotions, and importantly also accompanies a nice ale very well – Henry was after all, a great fan of the pub. It’s all set inside the Bristol Old Vic’s atmospheric Paintshop which will be transformed into a cabaret club complete with its own bar.
Bristol Old Vic Paintshop: 9.45pm
Friday 31st July
MILOŠ KARADAGLIĆ: FROM BACH TO THE BEATLES
A unique insight into the process, journey and musical passions of the world’s most charismatic classical guitarist, Miloš Karadaglić. The programme for this very special performance will include Spanish classics, cool Latin, a Bach Chaconne plus a brand new Beatles arrangement.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm
JON JAMES: THE STORY OF THE GUITAR, FROM MANDOLIN TO STRATOCASTER
Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm
Saturday 1st August
THE EREBUS ENSEMBLE: SONGS OF HOPE – IN 40 VOICES
The grand finale performance of Bristol Proms 2015 is a luscious experiment in surround-sound choral music inspired by the revolutionary polyphonic Tallis piece Spem in Alium (Hope in Any Other) for 40 voices: composed in an age where 4 or 5 voices was the norm. The Erebus Ensemble return to wrap the audience in rousing polyphony and alongside the magnificent ancient songs of Tallis and Striggio the programme will feature brand new commissions composed especially for this evening and this unique surround-sound experience.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm
JON JAMES:
Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.
Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm
JOHN RUTTER: IN CONVERSATION WTH JOHN SUCHET.
In the year of his seventieth birthday, the great British choral Composer John Rutter will select some of the pieces of music which have most inspired him, and some of his own compositions which now seem to him the cornerstones and turning points of an extraordinary career in composition.
Interviewed and hosted by the great musical wit and raconteur John Suchet, and resented in association with Classic FM.
