This has been going on during the last 3 weeks of October. It seems to be bucking the current trend and flourishing, with a large number of concerts, talks, masterclasses and other events. What are they doing right? What could Bath learn? (We were promised ‘a number of structural and creative changes for 2015, to be announced after this year’s programme’ but this announcement hasn’t been made yet, which isn’t a good sign.)
Obviously it’s a specialised festival, focusing on a genre that is inexpensive to stage, although the programme does include an orchestral concert. Oxford is also larger than Bath, with a purpose-built concert venue in the Holywell Music Room and a strong music department in its University. And I don’t know how Oxford’s festival gets its funding. But somehow I feel what makes the difference is the people behind the event; I don’t just mean the planning committee, but ‘friends’ of the festival who can provide expertise, advice and contacts. I don’t know the people who run the Oxford Lieder Festival, but they are clearly well connected in the musical world or have access to people who are. I somehow sense that behind the Bath International Music Festival and its artistic director is a group of people few of whom are interested in classical music (I can’t speak for jazz, world/folk music and other types of music which are included in the Festival), and who aren’t involved in listening and/or performing. Just a couple of the right sort of friends could make a big difference. In particular, Bath’s troubles appear to date from soon after Richard Hickox died, and I don’t think this is wholly a coincidence.