REPORT CARD
One of the
best festivals anywhere in the
world
audience feedback
od go
We are now a
excellent or
y ver
teenager! ENF17 took place between 27 June and 2 July and it was the
9
er i th
i est f e h
as e
3%
East Neuk Festival
va l
13
th
of
att end ers
described t
Musicians came from:
Australia / Austria / England / France / Germany / Hungary / Ireland / Japan / The Netherlands / Norway / Scotland / Spain / Switzerland / USA
60 Fife brass players participated in festival projects.
347 artists 151 works 29 nations 7 centuries 14 venues Nearly 30% performed
from
composed across in
was
of the music
composed
since 2000
ENF IS LOCAL & GLOBAL:
all over the world
People were talking about ENF : there were tweets and facebook posts as far afield as China, Japan, Turkey, Russia, USA, Australia, Europe…
2,000,000 worldwide
More than listened to ENF concerts online and on air thanks to BBC Radio 3’s broadcasts. That is the equivalent of 5,263 Crail Churches packed with people listening!
top 3 locations where tickets were bought were Fife, Edinburgh and…. Australia! The
It was all made possible by ENF’s generous funders and supporters who are listed on the back page.
HIGHLIGHTS
Every year we ask our audience to tell us their highlights. Here are a few:
SCHUBERTIAD “An extraordinary
festive atmosphere,
especially during the Trout.”
“The Belcea Quartet’s Death and the Maiden - very moving and involving; and the Trout for sheer cheerfulness” “All the Schubertiad concerts were of high quality but Schöne Müllerin was exceptional. Just a marvellous performance.” “Leonskaya/Belcea programmes were a revelation which are
never to be forgotten”
“Rarely have I experienced such joy at a recital (of The Trout)”
“Astonishing intense experience” [Leonskaja Recital]
Sandinyoureye’s sculpture of Thomas Kingo who inspired our Scandinavian events in 2017
MOZART & SALIERI II “great ensemble work:
enjoyed seeing the musicians work together and making beautiful music”
DE PROFUNDIS “spectacularly different” “Moving and astounding” SHIBE & BLISS “Utterly Amazing”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE Every year ENF aims to do what it does best: great music, imaginatively programmed and performed by wonderful performers in this special place. We also aim to do a lot more than that, the sort of thing that might not be so evident at a concert but which makes a big difference in lots of different ways. Here’s 3 ways we did it this year.
DE PROFUNDIS ENF’s The Big Project brings together amateur and professional performers around a new commission to explore an aspect of Fife history, landscape or heritage. This year John Wallace, Tony George and Svend McEwan-Brown came together to create a reflection on the lives and music of miners: De Profundis. The idea was not just to write a piece of music then hand it over to the players to get on with: this time, we wanted the musicians to get involved and contribute to shaping the whole thing. Every one of the 60 musicians who gave the premiere in The Bowhouse on 1 July brought their own inspiration to the moment as the piece called on them to improvise and take risks. Until it ended, no-one knew exactly how it would go. Except we knew it was going to be sensational:
What the players said: “Having grown up in a family of mineworkers from the North East of England, it was a great honour…” “Great once in a lifetime experience” “Very unique experience which has taught me a lot more about music. I love every minute and would jump at the opportunity to be involved in something like this again” “It was an amazing event to be involved with. Great organisations and drive from the production team keep the whole thing energised and moving forward. Very proud to have been involved with it” “Thank you so much for allow me to be a part of it. It is a memory to treasure” “Having never done anything like this in my life. Feeling proud of what was achieved.”
captivating, highly moving experience, It was a
at once a celebration of and a memorial to Fife’s mining traditions, and of the brass bands so intimately entwined with them, with players scattered around a Bowhouse converted
darkened, mist-filled interior of the
barn near St Monans.
...Simply a unique, unforgettable experience. David Kettle, The Scotsman
ENF
retreat
THE ENF Retreat reached its 3rd year in 2017, bringing young musicians from Australia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Japan and the UK together to work with a matchless line-up of coaches led by Alexander Janiczek. It is an intense and unique experience, different every time as the chemistry between the players changes everything about it. What remains constant is the sense of extraordinary achievement and enrichment it brings the musicians and the audiences at their concerts.
What the young players said: “The retreat totally enriched me as a chamber musician. Great coaches and fantastic colleagues. Hopefully the connections in the world of musicians will last.” “It was a wonderful occasion to get to know great personalities of all over the world: professional mentors as well as contemporary students. I liked very much that there were not too many participants: just enough to get in touch with them during a week.” “Working and performing with professionals is a completely different perspective. It’s a different energy and a different way of working that will influence me for the rest of my life.”
“Thank you for a wonderful time!”
What the audience said: “The retreat is inspirational” “Such a joy to watch and listen to such a talented group of young musicians” “…very enjoyable: fresh, lively performances given with total commitment” David Nice, of The Arts Desk, wrote: “For the past three years there’s been one outstanding performance at the final concert given by the young musicians working at the festival’s week-long “Retreat” with string players of the calibre of Alexander Janiczek and two one-time members of the Alban Berg Quartet, Valentin Erben – another keen spectator at the Schubert concerts – and Isabel Charisius. This time it was decisively the Dvořák Sextet in which violinist Shoko Murakami, viola players Carl Lee and Lilya Tymchyshyn and cellist Ariana Kashefi worked with “leaders” Janiczek and Rafael Rosenfeld. This was a dancing, vivacious, utterly committed interpretation which could travel to other festivals…”
loudSOFT Since Year 1, ENF has sought to support outstanding young musicians in many ways. The one audiences see most obviously is them giving concerts at ENF, but there is lots of behind the scenes work that goes on too. We champion young artists, put them forward for awards and grants, create opportunities, make useful introductions and so on. This year we were delighted to work with guitarist Sean Shibe in developing his ground-breaking softLOUD project. Sean has been to ENF twice before, both times with straight classical recital programmes. This time he wanted to test out new ideas: playing electric guitar; exploring the beautiful repertoire of early Scottish lute and guitar music; making his own arrangements of it alongside his own versions of recent music by New York composers, David Lang and Julia Wolfe. It all came together over about a year, then he tried out different aspects of it over 3 concerts at ENF. It was a great success and now we’re delighted that it has gone on to Showcase Scotland at The Edinburgh Fringe – here’s hoping it goes much, much further…
even when they were not expecting it to be so (“Somewhat to our surprise the Sean Shibe/Julian Bliss concert was the highlight”). “It began with that hauntingly inflected and coloured soft playing at which Shibe, more than any other acoustic guitarist I’ve ever heard, truly excels…Yet the stunners were the loudest electrics, world premieres in their guitar formats… David Lang’s Killer transcribed from electric violin to guitar (still with kick drum adding a late shock), and Pulitzer Prize-winning Julia Wolfe’s LAD. This epic memorial to a dead friend was originally composed for nine bagpipers, echoing round the levels of the World Trade Centre. Only Shibe could have thought of asking her if she minded his transcribing it for nine electric guitars, his live personage with eight pre-recorded “ghost” Shibes. That’s genius, a term which should rarely be applied to performing musicians, but at 25 Shibe has it…” Arts Desk
“It was certainly loud – not least in Shibe’s towering textures of mournful, slowly rising harmonies, which made their mark almost physically in the intimate space of Anstruther’s Dreel Halls. But it was the For both Sean and ENF this was new work work’s uncompromising monumentality that and we’re delighted that around 10% of our survey respondents chose it as their highlight, made it really memorable.” The Scotsman "a memorable piece of East Neuk Festival programming...” The Herald
...genius
,
a term which should rarely be applied to performing musicians, but
at 25 Shibe has it”
WHAT’S NEXT? ENF 2018 runs from 27 June - 1 July Highlights include:
Zacharias in the 18th Century: At the piano and
conducting the SCO, Christian Zacharias will explore music ranging from Scarlatti and Bach to Mozart and Haydn by way of Soler, Gluck, Rameau and more.
The Tallis Scholars return with music by Allegri and Arvo Pärt
The Bowhouse
will be the venue for a very special concert - we say no more for now...
KEY DATES NOVEMBER Select programme details will be previewed mid-month
FEBRUARY 4th: ENF website live with full details of ENF 2018. 5th: Your brochure should be delivered by now. 7th: Premier Patrons priority booking opens. 8th: Gold Patrons booking. 12th: Silver Patrons booking. 13th: Bronze Patrons booking. 14th: Subscribers booking. 15th: General Booking Opens!
Stay in touch @EastNeukFest find us on facebook WEIRGATE HOUSE WEIRGATE BRAE ST BOSWELLS TD6 0BD ian@eastneukfestival.com www.eastneukfestival.com Please note all audience comments are from the 2017 ENF post-concert survey and feedback forms (except the cover quote, which is 2016).
THANKS East Neuk Festival 2017 could not have taken place without the generous support of: = founder patron Correct at time of going to press.
PREMIER PATRONS Toby & Kate Anstruther Geoff & Mary Ball Arnold & Tove Brown Donald & Corinne Brydon Colin & Sue Buchan Gavin & Kate Gemmell Shields & Carol Henderson Jay & Richard Hitchman Rachel & Nicky James Norman & Christine Lessels Ann & James Macdonald Donald & Louise MacDonald Robert H Mackay & P.A. Whitley Roy & Svend McEwan-Brown Elaine Ross Mrs Anne Usher Mrs Eileen Waddell Hedley G Wright Special thanks to all those who gave so generously in memory of Frank Hitchman.
GOLD PATRONS Gavin & Sarah Anderson William & Elizabeth Berry Robert Forman & Liz Childs Sheila Colvin John & Sue Frame James & Kath Hardie J. Douglas Home David & Pam Jenkins Richard Price & Pauline Fox Dr Larry & Mairi Rolland Ian & Isabel Sandison David & Elizabeth Simpson Richard & Christine Simpson Alasdair & Valery Speirs Sir Moray and Lady Stewart George & Kathleen Tait Anny & Bobby White Krysia & Grenville Williams Catherine Wilson
SILVER PATRONS Cathy & John Adamson Donald & Janis Bain Neil & Fiona Ballantyne Mrs Valerie Barratt Mrs Veronica Bell Gerard and Dorothy Cambridge Harald & Judy Carrick Mrs Jennifer Corbett Clive & Judy Cresswell Mrs Diana Crichton Pierre & Christian Daviron Mr & Mrs Michael Gilderdale Gavin & Anne Hepburn Ian Hutton Jeanette & Harry Johnston Mr & Mrs John Kellett Angela & James Kellie Andrew Lendrum Colin & Claire McClatchie Helen Page Dr Nicholas Phillipson Mrs Cynthia Reekie Ernst Reimann Linda Sutherland Pat Wimbush Dr Ian Young BRONZE PATRONS Paula & Colin Brown Ruth & Euan Fraser Pamela & Iain Gotts Dr & Mrs Stephen Illingworth Mrs Patricia Mackenzie Vivien & Geoffrey Millar Alan Sainer Mr & Mrs Michael Spencer John & Sheena Sturrock Christopher Trotter Anne Waring …and others who wish to remain anonymous. Subscribers are acknowledged on our website.
TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS Cruden Foundation Ltd. Dunard Fund East Neuk Community Awards Fund Fidelio Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation The BJ Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The Fenton Arts Trust
The Hugh Fraser Foundation The Martin Connell Charitable Trust The Misses Barrie Charitable Trust The Solti Foundation CLERGY, CONGREGATION AND STAFF OF: Crail Parish Church Elie Church Kilrenny Church St Ayle Church, Cellardyke St Michael & All Angels Church, Elie St Monans Church Anstruther Harbourmaster Anstruther Town Hall Built by Ecko Cocoa Tree Café Crail Fish Bar & Café Creative Scotland East Neuk First Responders Elie Letting Elie Newsagents Event Tech-Style Ltd Fife Council Honeypot Guesthouse & Tearoom Hub Tickets Kingsbarns Distillery National Trust for Scotland, Kellie Castle The Bowhouse The Dreel Halls The Smoke Fired Whole Foods Shop University of St Andrews Music Dept. ENF BOARD OF TRUSTEES Donald MacDonald CBE, Chair Shields Henderson, Treasurer Svend McEwan-Brown, Secretary Graham Anderson, Trustee Kiki MacDonald, Trustee Hilke MacIntyre, Trustee Cllr. Elizabeth Riches, Trustee
Our thanks to you all! ENF TEAM Svend McEwan-Brown, Artistic Director Ian Gray, General Manager Kate Whitlock, Production Manager Ruth Davie, Retreat & Web Manager Debra Boraston, PR Helen Wyllie, Graphic Design
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