Discovery of a lost British concerto – Violinist Midori Komachi’s journey from the archives to a London performance and broadcasts in Tokyo
Based between London and Tokyo, violinist, writer and composer, Midori Komachi, is reviving a neglected British violin concerto by Imogen Holst with a performance in London and live broadcast and lecture recital in Japan, as part of her latest project bridging UK and Japanese cultures through music. As soloist, Komachi will give the First Public Performance with the Elgar Sinfonia conducted by Adrian Brown at St Andrew’s Church, Holborn, London at 16:30, Sunday 24 November 2024.
First Public Performance: Having researched the composer’s manuscripts and from her own viewpoint as a violinist and composer, Midori Komachi brings a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the work when she performs as soloist in the First Public Performance with the Elgar Sinfonia – an ensemble well-known for their championing of British music – conducted by Adrian Brown, during an afternoon concert on Sunday 24 November at St Andrew’s Church, Holborn, London.
‘It is a true honour to give the first public performance of this Concerto alongside conductor Adrian Brown, who had known Imogen personally,’ says Midori Komachi. ‘I am deeply thankful to the Archive, Britten Pears Arts for their invaluable assistance, and to Colin Matthews at the Holst Foundation for bringing the score publication to fruition through Faber Music.’
Following the performance, Komachi returns to Japan for a live broadcast from OTTAVA and a Lecture Recital at Asahi Culture Centre, Tokyo. The project is supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Wider Recognition for British Composers: Actively promoting British music in the UK and Japan for over two decades, Midori Komachi has been particularly noted for her performances, publications and recordings, including projects to promote British composers such as Frederick Delius (2017) and Ralph Vaughan Williams (2022).
Komachi’s commitment in working towards wider recognition for these and other composers has resulted in tie-in concerts in Japan and the UK as well as location filming, talks, interviews and media coverage and first translations into Japanese of the composers’ defining biographical works.
Revival of Imogen Holst’s Concerto for Violin and Strings: For her latest project, Midori Komachi is intent on bringing wider recognition to the life and works of Imogen Holst, daughter of composer Gustav Holst, in whose shadow she is generally considered to have been, and which has led to the neglect of her works.
Komachi’s initiative was sparked by her own research and discovery of Imogen Holst’s manuscript of the Concerto for Violin and Strings (1935) at the Archive, Britten Pears Arts in Aldeburgh, near to where the composer lived for many years, and which has resulted in the score publication by Faber Music and a series of events.
‘Encountering the manuscript of this Violin Concerto at the Archive, Britten Pears Arts has been one of the most thrilling moments in my career’, says Midori Komachi. ‘Each note, meticulously handwritten by the composer, seems to radiate her energy, musicality, and personality.’
‘The piece features numerous quotations of Irish folk melodies and carries a subtle influence from Vaughan Williams’s “Concerto Accademico”, making it highly approachable and appealing for any music enthusiast. I believe this Concerto has the potential to become a staple in the repertoire and a valuable educational tool for young musicians, as its techniques are not overly demanding but still offer plenty of engaging twists. This music deserves to be heard, much like the works of composers she collaborated with, such as Britten and Gustav Holst.’
Source of Inspiration: As a scholar, dancer and enthusiast of Folk Dance and Song, Imogen Holst found Irish traditional airs and melodies from The Petrie Collection an important source of inspiration for the Concerto. First published in 1855, George Petrie’s ‘Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland’ is regarded as one of the most important nineteenth-century collections of traditional Irish music. The Concerto received its first performance privately with Elsie Avril as soloist and the composer herself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra at an RCM Patron’s Fund rehearsal.
Imogen Holst – An Unsung Heroine: Imogen Holst (1907 – 1984), known affectionately as ‘Imo’, was a significant figure in the musical life of mid-twentieth century Britain, as composer, arranger, conductor, educator, organiser and dancer – writing books, forming choirs, conducting bands and orchestras at a time when it was rare to see a woman on the podium, and composing music that is only now being increasingly discovered and performed.
She also provided invaluable help and assistance to Benjamin Britten both in terms of compositional support and in administration of the Aldeburgh Festival, alongside her tireless work in music education, Folk, and as her father’s biographer, editor and cataloguer.
‘Imogen Holst was a natural collaborator who supported countless musicians throughout her life, and her music carries a powerful message that resonates strongly today’, says Midori Komachi. ‘As a female composer myself, I find great inspiration in her resilience and dedication to serving others through music.’
Rising Women Composers: Imogen Holst studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM) where she won prizes and scholarships and had her works performed alongside other rising women composers including Elisabeth Lutyens and Elizabeth Maconchy, although her compositional style was to differ from theirs. Having worked intensively at the Folk Dance and Song Society, undertaken a period of European travel and with new teaching posts and a string of requests for assistance at the time of writing the Violin Concerto, this was an exciting period of opportunity for Imogen following the death of her father.
Resurgence of Interest: Imogen Holst takes her place alongside those undeniably talented British women composers of the last century – Ruth Gipps, Doreen Carwithen, Rebecca Clarke, Dorothy Howells, Ethel Smyth, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Grace Williams and others – in a long overdue resurgence of interest in their life and works. Over the last twelve months, Imogen Holst has been celebrated in a dedicated Royal Philharmonic Society event; ‘A National Treasure’, and in a play, ‘Ben and Imo’, based on the book by Mark Ravenhill and performed at Stratford-upon-Avon. To this, a major discovery by Midori Komachi can now be added.
Sunday 24 November 2024, 4.30pm – St. Andrew’s Holborn, 5 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AF in Celebration of Adrian Brown’s 75th Birthday and in Honour of Andrew Neill
Elgar – ‘King Arthur Suite’
Finzi – Eclogue for Piano and Strings Op.10
Imogen Holst – Concerto for Violin and Strings (1935) First Public Performance
Elgar – ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ Marches (complete)
Elgar – Sinfonia of London
Adrian Brown, conductor / Midori Komachi, violin / Drew Steanson, piano
Tickets on sale now here
Friday 6 December 2024, 10:00 – 11:10 GMT / 19:00 – 20:10 JST – OTTAVA, Japan
Live radio broadcast with journalist Naoki Hayashida, exploring works by Imogen and Gustav Holst. (In Japanese)
Broadcast on OTTAVA radio and online here
Saturday 7 December 2024, 05:00 – 06:30 GMT / 13:00 – 14:30 JST – Asahi Culture Centre, Tokyo
Lecture recital on works by Gustav and Imogen Holst (In Japanese) with Yukino Kano (piano)
Held in hybrid format, with audiences in-person and broadcast live online (ticket booking required). More information here