ANTHONY FRIEND
Clarinettist
Bandstand Chamber Festival
September 2020: ARCHIVE
In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK and a lockdown was announced. All public gatherings, including concerts, were banned. By September 2020 it had been 6 months with no live music. As restrictions on outdoor gatherings looked set to be relaxed, I decided to create the Bandstand Chamber Festival. Even as most concert halls remained closed (some for another two years), I made arrangements for four top string quartets to perform before a safely socially-distanced audience, with a huge range of precautions in place. The venue was the bandstand in Battersea Park, a quiet area surrounded by trees. For all of the performers (myself included) and the majority of the audience, the Bandstand Chamber Festival was the first live performance they had been to in six months.
All concerts were free to attend – though performers were paid professional fees – and over 1,180 tickets were booked, plus many hundreds of passersby who stopped to listen.
The performers were:
1 September 2020
Doric String Quartet
4 September 2020
Maggini Quartet
10 September 2020
Solem Quartet & Anthony Friend, clarinet
15 September 2020
Hill Quartet
"This supreme concert will for ever lodge in the memory alongside its surrounding trees and setting sun. I can’t wait for the next in the series... Utopia in a London park"
The Arts Desk
"Blessed are the players and musical organisations who adapt and innovate, for they shall inhabit the post-lockdown landscape. And while we appreciate the difficulties any orchestra faces in terms of re-opening logistics and costs, livestreams have their limit. Kings Place, [...] Snape Maltings, Bold Tendencies in Peckham's Multi-Storey Car Park, Scottish Opera, Battersea Park Bandstand Chamber Festival, the Fidelio Orchestra Cafe and the Wigmore Hall, admitting a public very soon, are the heroes now.”
The Arts Desk
Full reviews:
"Utopia in a London park" ***** David Nice, The Arts Desk (Doric Quartet, 1 September)
"It was a remarkable performance" - **** Planet Hugill (Maggini Quartet, 4 September)
"Lyrical beauty" **** Planet Hugill (Solem Quartet & Anthony Friend, 10 September)
"In harmony with nature" **** The Arts Desk (Maggini Quartet/Solem Quartet & Anthony Friend)
"Poise and style" ***** The Arts Desk (Hill Quartet 15 September)
"Dramatic and variegated" Boulezian (Hill Quartet 15 September)
Feedback from surveyed audience members:
“It made me hear string quartets in a new way - such sophisticated playing from world-class musicians, but in a relaxed and beautiful setting.”
"The first movement of the Mozart, with the sun illuminating the tops of the trees and the birds flying disinterestedly, was so beautiful I literally choked back tears. It was very special, thank you so much.”
“The Bandstand Chamber Festival was beautifully organised and an absolute joy, with music of the highest quality. It was like an oasis in the desert this year but even when some form of normality returns and we can enjoy live music much more easily, it would be a welcome and unique addition to the London music scene. Please repeat it!”
“It was just the most wonderful experience to hear live music again, and of such high quality!”
“I loved how people stopped by in passing, often for long periods of time. So moving to see everyone able to enjoy music again!”
“The still trees and the colourful sunset were the most beautiful backdrop. Many thanks to all those involved in arranging these events, your work is much appreciated.”
Bandstand Chamber Festival September 2020 in numbers:
Musicians for whom this concert was first since 15 March: 100%
Audience members for whom this was first concert since 15 March: 76%
Tickets booked: 1,180 across four concerts
Audience members who felt the concert(s) they attended were well organised & safe: 100%
Audience members who would attend again next year: 100%
Photos: William Marsey
