Melrose and the Borders Book Festival
Summer beckons, “flaming June” will soon be upon us and more than a few will have fingers crossed in the hope that our beautiful Border countryside really will be bathed in sunshine this year. But Melrose can always generate sunny smiles and our Festival Week, including the Borders International Book Festival, will be no exception.
During Festival Week, our attention, as ever, will be focused on the activities surrounding the installation of this year’s Melrosian along with the Festival Queen and her court on Thursday 19 June. The week of events, celebrating past and present, begins on Sunday 15th with a wreath laying at the war memorial and culminates on Saturday 21st with pipe band music in Market Square for everyone to enjoy. As you walk around the town, remember also to take in the shop window displays and see which one you think deserves the prize.
The 2008 Borders Book Festival takes place between the 19th to 22nd June at Harmony House and Gardens in Melrose. This year's programme features a glittering line-up of international names. From the world of politics we have Alastair Campbell and his diaries, The Blair Years, Douglas Hurd and his new book on Sir Robert Peel, Menzies Campbell's autobiography and a session from Rory Bremner which will fail to take these serious men seriously. Katharine Whitehorn, Tom Fleming, Ali Smith, Robert Macfarlane, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Charlie Higson and many others will talk about their work and the whole weekend's finale will come from the superb Scocha. Marquees, a bookshop, wine bar, cafe and terrific talk. Come and join us in Harmony at midsummer, where words will come alive!
Another prize in the offing is that awarded by Beautiful Scotland a little later in the year. We are very fortunate to have such a hardworking team of volunteers for Melrose in Bloom devoted to producing and maintaining the glorious flower displays, which are appreciated by all and have gained Melrose the prize many times. Work began back in March ready to provide some Spring colour for the Melrose Sevens. But the appearance of the planters and baskets in June, many sponsored by Melrose traders, are a sure sign of Summer and make the town centre an even more attractive place for residents and visitors alike. So take the time to stop and smell the roses .…. or the begonias, geraniums, petunias!
Visitors are always welcome in Melrose and we know that it’s the blend of attractive architecture, beautiful location and fascinating history that attract people from across the world. Add our quality accommodation, good eating places and the distinctive, individual shops and it’s easy to see why Melrose is a favourite destination. So for those of us who live and work here - Aren’t we the lucky ones?
Make sure that you take advantage of all that will be going on as we move into Summer. Make the most of Melrose!
Summer Music at Paxton House, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Thursday 26th June until Sunday 29th June
Full details at www.fenyo-musicmakers.co.uk/summermusic
Or call 01289 386291
'Summer Music' returns to Paxton House in 2008 with a tightly-packed programme of 7 concerts celebrating Russian musical genius. Music on offer includes Tchaikovsky’s great piano trio, ballet transcriptions by Stravinsky, impressionistic violin/piano music by Prokofiev, and Shostakovich’s extraordinary piano cycle, 24 Preludes & Fugues, to be performed complete across two consecutive evenings. Artists include Susanne Stanzeleit, Gusztav Fenyo, Andrew Fuller, Kesh Piano Duo, Robert Irvine, Graeme McNaught, Ani Batikian, Scottish Connection. £6-£15
26th – 27th June
Gusztav Fenyo: 8pm
Our "Russian Genius" weekend opens with one of the 20th century's most important piano cycles. Written in 1950-1 as a personal response to Stalin's repressive regime, Shostakovich's 24 Preludes & Fugues are modelled on J S Bach's 'Well-Tempered Clavier'. They are played by Summer Music's Artistic Director, who has been highly praised for his cycles of Beethoven and Chopin. Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear this extraordinary work, with its vast landscape of emotions and colours, in its first complete Borders' performance; the cycle will be divided equally between two evenings. £12(£6); £20 complete cycle
Saturday 28 June
Kesh Piano Duo: 4.30pm
A spectacular programme featuring Stravinsky's two greatest ballets in his own transcriptions for four hands - the colourful 'Petrouchka' and the 20th century's seminal masterpiece, 'The Rite of Spring' - preceded by richly melodious Mozart and Ravel. Performed by one of the most exciting young piano duos, Esther Sofaer and Heejung Kim. 'Explosive piano playing...' The Independent £12 (£6)
Robert Irvine ('cello), Graeme McNaught (piano): 7.30pm
Three superb 'cello sonatas by masters of classical form, including Britten's epigrammatic, only work for the genre and Shostakovich's at once biting and lyrical sonata, his earliest chamber work of note; Beethoven's middle-period masterpiece and the well-known song-without-words by Rachmaninov complete this dynamic programme. This popular Scottish duo has recently recorded Shostakovich and Rachmaninov on the Delphian label. £15 (£6)
Ani Batikian (violin), Gusztav Fenyo (piano): 9.45pm
Dedicated to the 'enfant terrible' of Russian music, this short atmospheric concert combines Prokofiev's impressionistic early piano cycle 'Visions fugitives' with his first violin sonata, a stark moving piece which reveals the composer's innate lyricism. A first appearance at Paxton by this gifted, young Armenian violinist. £6
Sunday 29 June
Susanne Stanzeleit (violin, Andrew Fuller (cello), Gusztav Fenyo (piano): 4.30pm
This trio of artists, well-known to Paxton audiences, returns with a widely contrasting programme: a light Haydn trio from the early days of this home-grown genre, a delightful set of short pieces by Frank Bridge (often known only as Britten's mentor) and Tchaikovsky's passionate work written in memory of pianist Nicholas Rubinstein. £12 (£6)
Scottish Connection: 8pm
Our "Russian Genius" weekend ends in grand fashion with a group of young Scottish professionals playing some of the great works of the string repertoire: an exhilarating Divertimento by Mozart, Elgar's melodious Serenade for Strings and Stravinsky's pungent Concerto in D for String Orchestra in the first half; in the second, three numbers from Grieg's ever-popular 'Holberg Suite' and, finally, Benjamin Britten's 'Simple Symphony', his original, early masterpiece. £15 (£6)
