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Aldeburgh Festival

By 1963, Suffolk's Aldeburgh Festival was very much on the world music map but the annual invasion of 'foreigners' didn't go down well with all the locals.

Short documentary 1963 13 mins

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Overview

Anglia TV cameras visited Aldeburgh to catch Benjamin Britten overseeing rehearsals for his adaptation of John Gay's 'The Beggar's Opera' and canvass opinion on the impact of the Festival on the town. Whilst many were keen to sing the praises of the event and the benefits it brought to the town, some local youngsters thought the Festival "square" and were not happy about the take over of some of their facilities preferring to listen to "Pop" music.

The Aldeburgh Festival was founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Eric Crozier as an event to showcase performers and encourage the emergence of new musical talent. It went from strength to strength. 4 years after this programme was made, the Aldeburgh Festival moved into its new home at Snape Maltings where it is known the world over as an inspirational venue for performers, students and audiences of music.

Director
Harry Aldous and Richard Sidwell
Genres
Short documentaryNews
Released
1963
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Aldeburgh
Language
English

Subjects

Aldeburgh Festival Britten, Benjamin (1913-1976) Concert halls