Arts Festival Brings Vivaldi to Rural Cornwall
Music on the Moor aims to spotlight inland artistic experiences.
A new arts festival is set to bring classical music and poetry to inland Cornwall, offering a cultural experience for locals and visitors alike. Sir Michael Morpurgo emphasizes taking art to less accessible places.
Spotlighting Rural Arts
Morpurgo agreed to perform at the inaugural Music on the Moor festival to highlight the often-overlooked inland areas of Cornwall. He noted the festival is staged in “the middle of wonderful nowhere.”
He explained that while arts thrive in urban centers, rural areas in the West Country often miss out. Festivals like this, Morpurgo said, deserve support because “local people have a longing for this sort of thing.”
A Program of Performances
The festival, starting Wednesday, will take place in Blisland, St Breward, St Neot, and Bodmin. Morpurgo will recite his reworkings of poems inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at St Petroc’s Church in Bodmin. According to Arts Council England, only 35% of the rural population attends arts events, compared to 48% in urban areas (Arts Council England).
Performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons will accompany the poetry, featuring musicians such as Krysia Osostowicz, first violinist of the Brodsky Quartet, and other musicians from Cornwall and Devon.
Relevance of the Seasons
Morpurgo highlights the enduring relevance of The Four Seasons, noting that “we are so often detached from our seasons. Seasons become a nuisance to us…But it is the case that there is this rhythm to life…It’s in our DNA. And I love to be reminded of that.”
Osostowicz, the festival’s artistic director, added that the festival is about “music bouncing off other art forms.”
Other highlights include poet Ruth Padel and the Brodsky Quartet performing together in St Neot, preceded by a talk on the church’s medieval stained glass.
Additional Events
The festival begins in Blisland on Wednesday with How Pots Sing, a demonstration by potter Chris Prindl accompanied by Bach’s music, along with tea and cakes.
