Words
“People usually complain that music is so ambiguous, and what they are supposed to think when they hear it is so unclear, while words are understood by everyone. But for me it is exactly the opposite […] what the music I love expresses to me are thoughts not too indefinite for words, but rather too definite.”
Felix Mendelssohn
Composers do not live in bubbles and they have never done so. Most engaged historically with their cultures and communities, just as the majority of artists, writers, philosophers and scientists immersed themselves in music and the company of musicians. It is now routine, however, for music to be performed and presented without reference to the wider artistic, social, cultural, political, scientific and religious environments in which it was written and appreciated. The performance of music in isolation is to deny it its substance and power, therefore. Music matters. If it is more than a distraction then it can resonate most fully when performed within a context of purpose and meaning, such that words are essential as an aid to its effect.
For this reason, every concert at the 2018 Festival is presented as part of a detailed theme – as more than a collection of randomly assembled pieces. Each event is set within a narrative, and preceded by (or part of) an illustrated talk – in many cases with the assistance of the musicians. The Festival’s Words are promoted as (twenty) pre-concert talks, and a series of stand-alone themed lectures, framed as ‘Stratford on Everything’ (SOE).
Every speaking event is free of charge.
For more information on SOE Talks, and the Festival’s themes for 2018, visit the 2018 Programme.
