The new normal
Hi Everyone
Back in March I think there was a feeling that we were about to go through a difficult time, and then it would all be over and we could return to normal. I don’t think anybody believes that anymore. Things are changing but we still haven’t a clue what the ‘new normal’ might look like and how it might relate to the old normal. Transport, commerce, the workplace, the performing arts etc. etc. all look like they are getting a major shake up.
However one unexpected result of all this is that you can forget your Stormzys your Dua Lipas your Taylor Swifts your Elton Johns and your Kanye Wests because there is a new kid on the world stage – yes it’s Presteigne’s very own Little Rumba. We have been involved with some pretty peculiar overseas fans in the past. There was a bunch of expats in Italy who played our CDs all the time and, more weirdly, a group of Iranian party-goers in Tehran who did not accept the party had started until they played our song Kandahar that was coincidentally a favourite of the Oxford Tango Dancers. But this latest Little Rumba story is by far the strangest.
Jess our vocalist’s dad’s cousin, who Jess has only met once (come on try and keep up), is a member of the line dancing community. She introduced our music to some line dancers and somehow it ended up with American Line Dance Choreographer Ira Weisburd. Ira liked our stuff and despite it not being, even vaguely, the sort of music you might line dance to, he choreographed some steps to our song Poisson Rouge and sent it winging round the world to his network of line dance teachers and enthusiasts. The track briefly shot up the line dance charts and as a result there were suddenly a whole load of YouTube vids of solitary line dance teachers all over the world showing people the steps. The films were much of a muchness but yesterday I was having a look to see if there were any new ones and I found these four corkers.
The first is Ira himself pretending to be the café owner in the song. The whole vid is 50 minutes long and I don’t recommend watching the whole thing but after 5 minutes of just playing the track and holding up badly printed stills from our video he starts acting out being the cook in café just back from work which is pretty hilarious. After that you get a good look at their poodle and then 40 minutes of teaching the steps and then dancing to the track. The second film is, I think from Vietnam and the dance teacher pretends to be the waitress in the song while 4 of her friends are roped in to being customers (2 willingly the other 2 not so much).
The other 3 vids are a dance teacher in Pittsburgh who seems to think the café is in San Francisco not France and then a bunch of twelve dancers from possibly Korea in a very sparkly nightclub wearing tango tutus and giving it some welly! If you haven’t got a clue what this is all about, the final film might explain it is Little Rumba playing in what was the Moroccan Café on the corner of the High Street. Watch out for Dave and Ian’s bungled attempt at armed robbery and also Nigel Griffith’s Oscar winning performance as a very bored extra who wishes he was home mending the downstairs toilet or, well, just anywhere.
You might be tempted to think that as a result of all this dancing I am now very rich and come round to try and borrow some money but sadly when writing the song I nicked the sax solo from Sidney Bechet and the final verse from Edith Piaf. However I hear the Piaf Donkey Rescue centre is doing nicely.
Pete
OH HAPPY DAY IN 1980 - Ruth
It was a bleak February afternoon. Tempers in the car were frayed following a disagreement over a previous house we had viewed near Leominster. We drove into a grey and dismal looking Welsh Marches town – not a soul to be seen – and in my imagination there was tumbleweed blowing down Broad Street, although as Colin would affirm, I do have a very unreliable memory.
The year was 1980, and to our amazement, we discovered a house that a) we could afford and b) we both liked. Suddenly the light over the whole town became much rosier. Birds began to sing. Friendly locals greeted us and seemed delighted that somebody under the age of 70 (surely we would never be that old…?) might actually be interested in moving here. The sun came out and shone on the River Lugg and over Stapleton Castle, and the town of Presteigne actually looked – well - inviting…
How on earth could we have known then that we were moving to what has become our home for the last 40 years? To a town on the borders which actually welcomed newcomers like ourselves and did not shun them, where over the years such a wealth of artistic and musical talent, combined with a can-do mentality and the warmth of Radnorshire (and Herefordshire) people, would embrace us and nurture our children.
How on earth could we have known that 40 years later (and nearing that unimaginable age mentioned earlier) we would suddenly be locked down here? But Presteigne rumbled into its own inimitable way of doing things and created what can only be described as an embrace of affable and reassuring human kindness – home deliveries, friendly stewarding, thoughtful phone calls, caring neighbours.
Now lockdown is ending, and I look back almost with nostalgia at those early days, when the skies were clear of the vapour trails of hundreds of flights a day, and when the only vehicles on the road as I went on my daily walks with the dogs, were bicycles and tractors. So really it was hardly a hardship at all to be locked down in Presteigne. The glorious weather and the countryside in all its spring and early summer splendour – really nothing to complain about at all. In fact, more time to paint – the bluebells were, I am sure, better than ever, the foxgloves in Stapleton Wood were wondrous to behold and the hedgerows were resplendent in their Queen Anne’s Lace and Red Campion. I really would not have been locked down anywhere else…
THE KAY TRUST LEGACY TO MID BORDER ARTS
Mid Border Arts has just received a generous legacy of over £10,000 from The Kay Trust.
It is many years since Ernie Kay lived in Presteigne, but the cultural organisations which he helped set up still flourish. He had great organisational skills combined with a passion for the arts.
During the 1990s Ernie was part of the committee that ran Mid Border Community Arts, playing a major role in the leasing of the Assembly Rooms from Powys County Council. While vice-chair of MBCA he oversaw the move, in 1992, from a few rooms at top of the then Shire Hall, now The Judge's Lodging, up Broad Street to the Assembly Rooms. This building, originally designed in 1865 as a meeting room upstairs and an open market downstairs, was being used for furniture storage. The move enabled MBCA to continue to promote music, theatre and workshops, but now in their own venue.
Ernie had a life long passion for classical music and was, at the end of the 1980s, involved in the administrative running of the then new Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts. (He been involved in computer work for the Greater London Council as early as 1962 and in the early 1980s he was instrumental in putting in the Royal Festival Hall’s first computerised box office.) A piano was needed and Ernie organised the purchase of a Steinway grand piano from Adrian Williams in October 1992.
Before leaving Presteigne for Malvern in 1997, he played a part in securing a lottery grant for the refurbishment of the Assembly Rooms. This overhaul saw the inclusion of tiered seating, theatre lighting, ramp, lift and toilet for wheelchair users, black-out shutters over the windows and the Meeting Room extension.
At a later date The Kay Trust, set up in memory of his late wives, Kathy and Margaret, gave MBA £1000, which was spent refurbishing the Steinway piano, still in frequent use in the Assembly Rooms.
The arts were not Ernie's only passion. In 2001 he received an MBE for his services to the development of Offa's Dyke Path. While still working in London in the 1960s, Ernie and his first wife, Kathy, fell in love with the Welsh Border area. They joined Frank Noble in planning the Offa's Dyke long-distance footpath and helped set up, in 1969, the Offa's Dyke Association to provide information to walkers. The path opened in 1971 and together Ernie and Kathy wrote many publications about the route. The culmination of their work was the opening of the Offa's Dyke Centre in Knighton in 1999.
Ernest Kay MBE died on 4 January 2019, aged 87, after a life time of enthusiasm and financial support to many projects.
This very kind donation to Mid Border Arts could not have come at a better time. The restrictions on our organisation resulting from the Coronavirus outbreak have meant that we have had to put all our normal events, activities and projects on hold. This has severely reduced our income and the future was looking uncertain. This bequest, combined with a £10,000 Covid-19 grant from Powys County Council, has meant that we can plan with a much greater degree of confidence.
Once restrictions in Wales have lifted, Mid Border Arts hopes to be able to re-open the Assembly Rooms again. The tiered seating has been put away to create a large space to enable social distancing for workshops, with cabaret seating for all events. Using the Barn on Wents Meadow for small events is also an attractive option, when permission can be given by Powys County Council and Presteigne and Norton Town Council.
Our theoretical line-up for some late afternoon/early evening events include - the return of family duo Truckstop Honeymoon from Machynlleth, an informal concert by Mid Wales Opera, wonderful harmony singing by local trio Mandra, the once local and now Bristol-based Kora player Josh Doughty, and of course something from Pete, John and Dave.
Can't wait!
MBA
A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION OF ERNIE KAY - Marion Rowlatt
When I read recently that our dear friend Ernie Kay's ashes had been interred in Knill churchyard, where his first wife Kathy is laid to rest, I reflected once more on what a wonderful gentleman he was. Chris and I visited him when he moved into residential care in Malvern, leaving his large house full of books, pictures and memorabilia. It must have been hard for him. He insisted that we choose something from his garden for our own garden and was thrilled that we chose a bench. It came from the Oval cricket ground, so he was happy, as we had taken Ernie to cricket in Worcester on a few occasions as he didn't drive.
Ernie and Kathy lived at Old Burfa, Evenjobb, and were great walkers and wrote a guide to the Offa's Dyke path that went right past their house. They also did a great deal for the Offa's Dyke Centre in Knighton. Mid Border Arts has also benefitted enormously from their generosity and Ernie continued to support the Presteigne Festival when he had moved to Malvern with his second wife Margaret. Losing Kathy to cancer was a tragedy, but to lose Margaret also, so soon after they had set up their new home was a cruel blow. Ernie, Kathy and Margaret had been lifelong friends.
We often visited Ernie when we went to the theatre or to a concert. He was greatly involved in the Malvern Concert Club and the Malvern Theatres and he was an expert fund raiser and organiser. Wherever there was a concert, Ernie was there and he was greatly supported by a vast network of friends, who took him to concerts in his wheelchair. He was kind and so supportive and I wonder to this day what happened to all those programmes he kept......he never threw anything away.
Thank you Ernie.
Ernie Kay
PRESTEIGNE DIGITAL FESTIVAL - George Vass
After many months of lockdown, it was wonderful to start working again early in July.
In preparation for the first ever Presteigne Digital Festival, set to start broadcasting via the Presteigne Festival website on Monday 24 August, we filmed eight short concerts in three fabulous venues.
Our first was Syde Manor in Gloucestershire, a somewhat imposing Grade II listed building with a beautifully converted barn. Here we taped two concerts by the Carducci Quartet (Beethoven, Janáček, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade and a new commission from Emma-Ruth Richards). It was an extremely emotional moment when the quartet began to play, and such a treat to be in a room with live music playing. Needless to say, the Carduccis were on brilliant form.
Carducci Quartet
We next visited St John-the-Evangelist, Oxford – the home of SJE Arts – for something of an epic day. We recorded piano recitals from Timothy Horton (Beethoven with the six ‘Bagatelles after Beethoven’ commissioned by us and first heard at the 2017 Festival), and Clare Hammond (Janáček together with ‘Youth’ – a beautiful sequence of pieces by Edmund Finnis and shorter pieces by Tarik O’Regan and Robert Peate).
Clare then joined forces with violinist Mathilde Milwidsky to record Schubert and a new Violin Sonata by Joseph Phibbs, who joined us for the recording.
Mathilde Milwidsky
Finally, at the end of an extremely demanding day, I conducted actor/narrator Christopher Good and eight members of Nova Music Opera in Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade’s 2020 Presteigne Festival commission ‘Reginald: The Musings of an Edwardian Gentlemen’ – the ensemble was properly distanced and all of us – with the exception of Christopher – wore face coverings, with our three singers sporting some specially-designed masks, enabling them to breath more easily. I have to say it was all rather surreal, but the end result was fabulous and everyone loved the new piece.
Christopher Good
Our final day was at St Mary’s Church, Hertingfordbury, where I had attended a concert as part of the 2019 Hertfordshire Music Festival and thought it to be ideal for filming. The church is close to the house where Haydn spent much time during one of his London visits; it is said that he wrote the ‘Surprise’ symphony there.
We hosted tenor Bradley Smith and harpist Oliver Wass who gave us songs by Britten and Howard Skempton and a newly commissioned set from Ulster-based composer, Amelia Clarkson. Oliver played solo works by Britten, Freya Waley-Cohen and another new commission from Robin Haigh.
Oliver Wass
Australian saxophone superstar, Amy Dickson, joined us in the afternoon for a stunning programme of four solo works including our final 2010 commissions from Martin Butler and Tarik O’Regan – it was great to catch up with Amy, her husband and daughter. At the end of a fabulous music-filled day, we adjourned to the local pub – the first time any of us had risked it before lockdown. Unsurprisingly, the beer tasted exceptionally good!
Back in Presteigne, Alison Giles has been working together with distinguished film-makers Barrie Gavin and David Stevens on three short Literary-based films featuring Peter J Conradi, Nicholas Murray and Fiona Sampson. We’re so very lucky to be able to call on such amazing local talent – our President, Michael Berkeley, has even written a short ‘Fanfare for Presteigne’ which will be played at the start of each film!
It is looking more likely that we will be able to go ahead with a socially distanced Winter Festival Weekend in November, but we must wait for further advice from the Welsh Government before the programme can be confirmed.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Festival’s many supporters who have made donations. It is a real shame that we can’t do anything ‘live’ in August, but with Presteigne Digital, the Winter Weekend and the Festival Orchestra’s CD recording next month, we will have been able to provide employment for over 50 freelance artists at a strange and extremely difficult time for all those in the arts.
Presteigne Digital | 24-27 August
Three days of specially filmed concerts and literary talks available free to view until 31 December 2020 – full programme to be announced on 3 August.
GARDEN @ No 3 - Sabina Rüber
White is a colour I find difficult to work into my small garden as it tends to dominate the scene - the eye's natural response to be drawn to the lightest, brightest points.
So I was a little surprised to suddenly find that I had a lot of white flowers blooming in a season I usually associate with rich bright colours.
I was ready to pull out the snow white Phlox which had spread to dominate a corner - and then I realised it had a lovely scent…
A keeper: Phlox paniculate ‘White Admiral’ and the beautifully scented Madonna lily, Lilium candidum.
My favourite campanula : Campanula alliariifolia and the lovely short growing Hippeastrum ‘White Rascal’ a new summer flowering amaryllis.
Second flush of 'Paper 1st Anniversary’ patio rose and Lychnis coronary var. alba.
Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ brightening up a dark corner and the aptly named pineapple plant Eucomis autumnalis, strangely smelling of coconut!
Dainty Gladiolus colvillei 'Albus' and Galtonia candicans also called the Summer Hyacinth.
... and to set off the white : Ruby red and near black as a dramatic contrast.
The beautiful dark leaves of Actaea simplex ‘James Compton’ (And name-drop - always pleasing to know the person a plant is named after) plus Hylotelephium telephium (Ugh!) - syn. Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’ (recently changed, should have stayed with this!)
Allium sphaerocephalon - the Drumsticks allium. No garden should be without it!
And finally, 2 plants I could fill the garden with : the fabulously scented Lilium ‘Pink Perfection’, not pink but a deep, deep maroon and the unusual Gladiolus papilio ‘Ruby'.
THEATRE - Kay
We may not have The Strand in our hometown but we have the High Street and if we can no longer go to the theatre, then we can, and will, bring the theatre to us... In this Lugg Blogg lipsynch we have our very own Mr Leon Abecasis and his individual take on a Gipsy King classic...
Next up is the lovely team at Slix Hair Studio; Sarah Morgan, Charlotte Morris and Shannon Taylor breaking free from lockdown…