continues

THE STORY SO FAR
January – June 2013
Between January and June this year, in six weekends of talks and debates
and over 50 concerts, we listened to the soundtrack to the first half of the
20th century. Here are some highlights:
February
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was explored through talks and a
performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Jonathan
Cross spoke about the impact that Stravinsky’s arrival in Paris had
both on the composer and the city. Kevin Jackson took us through
1922, the year that Ulysses and The Waste Land were published.
January
Baroness Shirley Williams opened the festival with a lecture
on the tumultuous events of the 20th century. Alex Ross, author of
The Rest Is Noise, gave his first keynote address setting the scene for
the moment when classical music changed forever. Marcus
du Sautoy explained Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity.
February
From Tony Benn on the founding of the Labour party, to Shirley
Collins, Godmother of English Folk, and Pete Flood from
Bellowhead, we welcomed people from across the cultural
spectrum to dig deeper into how folk and national identity
shaped the music and history of the early 20th century.
March
We delved into the tensions and
contradictions at the heart of Weimar
Germany – especially in its music. Cabaret
star Meow Meow discussed Kurt Weill’s
legacy before singing in a performance of
The Threepenny Opera with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir
Jurowski and Sir John Tomlinson,
which received five-star reviews. Lisa
Appignanesi explored the history of
cabaret, Yvonne Sherratt uncovered
Hitler’s philosophers and Liza
Minnelli gave a one-night-only
performance that raised the roof
of Royal Festival Hall.
Emmeline Pankhurst addresses a crowd
Composer Béla Bartók © akg-images/De Agostini Picture Library
Josephine Baker in a banana skirt for a Folies Bergère production,
1970 © Walery, Fox
Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally 1935 © The Print Collection /
Heritage Images
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