Presteigne may be ‘diddly squat’ on the map but it sure is blessed with a magical atmosphere that’s roundly beloved of artists, musicians and writers.
A widely held view, it’s also one espoused by gifted composer Adrian Williams, a man credited with helping to found Presteigne Festival. When that first event was unleashed upon Welsh border audiences over 27 years ago, no-one had any clue it would go on to be the cutting edge event it undoubtedly has become.
Adrian already loved Presteigne from holiday visits to the town, and when he settled here in 1982 he got in touch with a few local musicians, and Presteigne Festival took flight. Inspired in his youth by consultations with Lennox Berkeley, and already an acclaimed composer and musician, Adrian quickly got in touch with local musicians, including classical guitarist Gareth Rees-Roberts and his wife Lyndon, and Mid Border Arts was born.
In those early days, the music fest was prefaced by an art exhibition in what was then the Shire Hall (now the Judge’s Lodging). Gareth was the MBA’s first chairman, Adrian was artistic director, and at the same time, plays were staged in Presteigne under the guidance of Barbara Neal.
“It was a massive success,” says Adrian, who believes he was a ‘catalyst’ rather than founder of Presteigne Festival. “It had more of a community element, with lots of community things going on, but it’s possibly going back to that now.” Indeed, artistic director, George Vass has just announced plans for involving five primary schools on either side of the Welsh border, in ambitious plans to introduce more children to classical music and the arts.
By the mid-1980s, the festival was gaining credence and popularity, and Adrian received an offer from a ‘very eminent man’. He explains: “Maurice Dodderidge, who had been a cultural attaché in Italy, said he would take over as chairman so that I could compose.” The late Mr Dodderidge was indeed to become an important influence on the festival, and a specially commissioned wooden seat remains at the Assembly Rooms in his memory.
That help gave Adrian the freedom to ‘pursue’ his career, but 20 years ago he became heavily involved again. George Vass came along as festival orchestra conductor, and eventually took over as artistic director after the 1992 event. “Instead of me employing him, he employs me to compose music!” he says. “I’m very proud of what George has achieved with the festival. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t given it up.”
He’s happy to return to the festival, and delighted to find it flourishing. “This is the place I love; there’s nothing like Presteigne,” he says. Adrian’s own childhood was spent in the south-east, and at the Royal College of Music he won the Leverhulme scholarship, and went on to be a distinguished student, winning the Yehudi Menuhin composition prize. The great man himself described Adrian as ‘a master of intricate patterns and forms’. Later he was awarded the prestigious Guinness prize, and was to become composer-in-residence at Charterhouse School, and went on to take many commissions.
His musical gift was evident by the age of four, and piano lessons began two years later. He recalls the recorded voice of Kathleen Ferrier played on the gramophone at home, and the piano playing of Charlie Kunz and Russ Conway on the radio. By the age of 11, Adrian performed his first serious composition, a piano trio in G minor played with his music master and a senior pupil at a school concert.
Accolades came thick and fast. In Holland, a small festival is held every autumn in Utrecht which concentrates solely on Adrian’s work, and he currently has a commission to compose music for a string masterclass in Denmark.
Writing the review, Janet Banks quotes the late Sir John Betjeman who wrote of the composer: “I can imagine him on those hills plucking sounds from the air”. Indeed, Adrian’s relationship with the Welsh borders has been an enduring one, even though he spent four years living in Tokyo with his Japanese wife, and where their son, Eugene was born.
Like so many other creative minds, artists, musicians and writers, Adrian is happy to admit he has fallen under Presteigne’s spell. “It’s diddly squat on the map, but it has this magical atmosphere that is irresistible to creative people. It either grabs you, or it doesn’t – in fact some say it gives them the ‘heebee geebees’.”
*Adrian Williams will be taking part in a ‘Composers in Conversation’ on Friday August 28, followed by a concert with the Carducci Quartet featuring works by Haydn, Adrian Williams and Ravel.
For tickets call the festival box office on 01544 267800. For more information call www.presteignefestival.com