VIOLS
Tutors: Hugh Cherry & Ibi Aziz
Location: Fort Belan on the Menai Straits
Reviewer: Clive Tolley
We ran our annual viol course again this year over the weekend of 11–14 March. This is the sixth time it has run, the first being in 2010 (2014 was omitted). As in 2015, we ran the course at Fort Belan in North Wales, with the collaboration of Christopher Blundell, owner of the fort and himself a viol player who took part in the course.
It was a successful weekend – indeed, I have received comments that it was the best so far. What are the factors that lead people to feel this? The size of group is important. We had eighteen players this time, and some accompanying non-players. This gave us scope for four groups to run all the time. It is the right size for the group to remain friendly and approachable to all, and to offer good playing opportunities with different people. We are lucky that we have a core group of players, and others who are new each time, but it always seems to gel – this isn’t always the case with such weekend courses. There is a generally positive and welcoming atmosphere, and people enjoy playing with others they don’t see very often.
I think everyone appreciates the firm but positive tutoring from our two tutors, Ibi Aziz and Hugh Cherry, and their care in selecting a suitable range of music for people to play. Organising the groups from a musical perspective takes some juggling, but it seems to work well.
We manage to have several side-threads to the weekend. These are dependent on who comes, but Liz White again brought a selection of renaissance viols, and led facsimile sessions on these. We are hoping to encourage further participation from renaissance viol players, as this is a distinctive feature of the weekend which everyone who takes part enjoys. We also had a harpsichord and viol session, led by a new participant, Ludmila Podgaiskaia, which again was a delight to those taking part.
Like last year, we engaged the services of Hilary Cooke to do most of the catering. She runs her own small catering outfit, based on wholesome but tasty food. It was universally praised; indeed, several people commented that this weekend outdoes any other viol course in the quality of its catering.
The setting always lifts people’s spirits, with the views over Snowdonia and the Menai Strait. Players may not get to enjoy it too much beyond the view, but Fort Belan is a good place to explore nature from, especially for non-players. The accommodation is somewhat quirky, but generally comfortable, and staying in a Napoleanic-era fort is an experience most enjoy. The owner, Chris Blundell, is keen to make sure everything works out for everyone as ,far as possible, and his friendly involvement ensures a positive experience for all. The weekend is, I think, good value. The basic fee of £300 this year covered both tutoring and accommodation and full board from Friday teatime to Sunday evening dinner, with the chance to stay over until Monday at no extra cost; this makes a considerably longer weekend than most courses offer. Keeping the fee at a reasonable level does call for enough participants, however, and each year has been touch and go as to whether it is viable to run, up until the last moment.
We are planning to repeat the weekend next year, probably on the weekend of St Patrick’s day (17 March). Matters are under discussion, but our potential theme is ‘Sweet Melancholy’, looking at Dowland and other composers who exploited the hot issue of the time, as epitomised in Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (1621). We intend to set a certain amount of repertoire in advance for next year, in an attempt to avoid sessions ending up as scrabbling around for notes without time for developing musical expression.
Before next spring’s weekend, however, another weekend at Fort Belan is scheduled for 7–9 October for voices and viols, led by Ibi Aziz and Clare Wilkinson. This will be organised by Esha Neogy.
Clive Tolley
First published in April 2016 Newsletter
