THE walls of Rose Cholmondeley’s Kensington apartment are decorated with curious musical memorabilia. Portraits of a young man gaze down upon a grand piano, observing the musician’s practice. There can be no doubt about the topic of conversation: Frédéric Chopin is a lifelong passion of pianist Lady Rose, president and co-chair of the Chopin Society.
It was almost an inevitable love affair. Lady Rose is a descendant of Charlotte de Rothschild, a favorite pupil of Chopin’s and the dedicatee of the Fourth Ballade and the Waltz in C-sharp Minor. The young Lady Rose didn’t play much of the repertoire herself until she began lessons in Paris with Louis Kentner, a former president of the Chopin Society. She joined in 1983.
Most of Britain’s composer societies were conceived pre-internet when finding like-minded individuals required more than a chatroom or hashtag. Then, as now, they offered a chance to discover more about a particular oeuvre of music, but they often had a more altruistic objective, too.
When Elgar died in 1934, his music quickly fell from favor. ‘It was felt that Elgar’s sound represented the Imperial past—something that has since been debunked,’ explains Andrew Neill, a former chairman of the Elgar Society, set up in 1951 by conductor Adrian Boult to reinstate Elgar’s music.
Denne historien er fra February 12, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 12, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
