PAXOS MUSIC FESTIVALS....... THE FIRST 25 YEARS 8 9
The Early Years 1986 - 2004 John and Martine Gough first visited <strong>Paxos</strong> in 1970 on the advice of friends in Corfu and were immediately enthralled.They loved the special peace to be found amongst the olives and the solitude to be found in the coves of the East coast, and the contrast with the grandeur of the cliffs on the west side of the island. They purchased a cottage outside Loggos amongst the olives in 1973, and a garden of hibiscus,oleander,lavender and rosemary was laid out. John had studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire , but realised that this love should remain a pleasurable pastime rather than his life. So <strong>Paxos</strong> was the perfect place to escape from the pressures of his life in the insurance market in the City of London, and play in silence. John rapidly became involved in the simple island life by bringing together young musicians who were known to him through his City connections. The City Livery Companies invited the colleges to put forward musicians for their annual concerts and so the Mistry Quartet who were studying at the Guildhall played at the Fishmongers‘ Hall. Such was the success of the evening that in a typically John burst of enthusiasm he suggested that they should come to <strong>Paxos</strong> to stay, and play to his friends in the Garden. Thus Jagdish came with Caroline Henbest - viola, Susan Monks - cello ( the second violinist was not free) and also Nigel Shore - clarinet, for the first concerts in the summer of1986. The early <strong>Paxos</strong> festival rehearsals took place in the Gough garden, mornings from 9 till around 11 and then again in the early evening. The rest of the day was devoted to swimming, boat trips and long, delicious lunches produced by Martine. The concerts always took place outdoors in a variety of places and the setting was always picturesque: John's garden or the Lakka schoolyard or up at Boikatika against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset on the westside. The lack of acoustic never really bothered us because the setting carried the music. One felt free to let go and give, knowing that the audience, like us, was here in celebration of the whole experience. Even though the concerts now take place indoors for practical reasons,this remains the joy of <strong>Paxos</strong> that brings musicians back again and again. There was always a lot of organising to do not only in getting us to <strong>Paxos</strong> but also for the duration of the <strong>Festival</strong> itself: programme booklets, transporting us, the chairs, the music stands, transporting members of audience who could not get there on their own steam, etc. But he always found the time to sit and listen attentively to all the rehearsals enjoying the process of a piece of music coming together and our individual interactions in the endeavour. The <strong>Festival</strong>s became a stimulus to further his own personal contact to music in many ways. He started to explore the repertoire for string quartet with CDs, he started having piano lessons with Julian Jacobson and whenever we played in London he was at the concerts – in the front row! This was always followed by an invitation to a nice restaurant. Henceforth all the programme planning for <strong>Paxos</strong> took place in the context of our growing repertoire, his growing knowledge of the music and lovely meals! If only every string quartet starting out had a supporter like John Gough! Jagdish Mistry 10 The response from players and audience was such that John embarked on formally setting up a Charitable trustas a company limited by guaranteed with the following objectives:- “to advance education and promote an understanding of serious or traditional music....for the benefit of the public.... to provide awards.....to assist him or her in the advancement of learningand proficiency in the execution and understanding of music. to provide or organise concerts....at which beneficiaries of the trust and audiences may increase their experience and understanding of music.....and widen the cultural exchange between performers in the early years of their professional careers and residents and visitors to the Greek island of <strong>Paxos</strong>. The Articles not only defined the method of selection of the participants, but also that all income of the trust be used solely to meet these objectives. Furthermore John created a Board of <strong>Trust</strong>ees chaired by the Queen’s solicitor to ensure that the procedures were always adhered to. The strong relationship with the City of london continued throughout John’s life and led to scholarships being given at times by Livery Companies to outstanding musicians who returned to paxos over several years. This led to the formation of The <strong>Paxos</strong> Quartet. The scholarships also eased some of the burden on John’s own immensely generous pocket , as apart from an occasional offering from the Greek Government( but not always ending with cash in the bank)and help in some years from tour operators, his main support was from the island in the provision of facilities for the performances. 11 11
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