the–cumberbatches:

Sophie Hunter narrating during “Music on the Meare” at Aldeburgh Festival - June 23, 2017 - PHOTOGRAPHY: Matt Jolly

Aldeburgh Festival 2017 hosted oboist Nicholas Daniel’s performance of Benjamin Britten’s Six Metamorphoses after Ovid on the water of Thorpeness Meare, alongside six new pieces commissioned by Daniel. The unusual venue of concert recreated the atmosphere of the premiere of Britten’s pieces, which took place in 1951 on the very same lake. The recital started at Aldeburgh’s Jubilee Hall with readings of stories from Ovid, Dryden and Ted Hughes that inspired the music. The audience were then transported back in time to the original work’s premiere in vintage 1950s buses to the Meare and rowing themselves to the performance area.