Laura Ritchie offers two events for Festival of Chichester

SussexWorld

Professor Laura Ritchie at the Festival of Chichester

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers and also

00:06Chairman of the Festival of Chichester. And it's lovely to speak to Laura Ritchie, Professor

00:11Laura Ritchie of the University of Chichester. And Laura, you've got a fabulous sounding,

00:15well, two events, haven't you, coming up on the opening weekend of the 2025 Festival of

00:21Chichester. You've got your very own recital with some very special works included. And

00:26then the next day, you've got the cello open day. So how did you decide on what you were

00:34going to play for the recital? How did that come together?

00:37Well, it's very exciting. It's fantastic to have the opportunity. And really, it's like

00:42being given a huge present to be able to present a recital like this. So I have made a mix of

00:49pieces I've always wanted to play that are fun to listen to, but take time and dedication

00:54to learn. Pieces I've been asked to play by living composers and a tiny bit of integrating

01:01some fun research projects into performance. So I'll be playing a piece by Gaspar Casado,

01:08which is a solo suite for cello. And it has fantastic Spanish and dance influences. It's

01:14really exciting. And like, I get to be the diva on the stage and play the top of the range

01:19of the cello. And that's a piece you've wanted to play for a little while, wasn't it?

01:24I've always wanted to play it, but it takes lots of time to practice it. And fortunately,

01:28I've been able to carve away some time so that I can really work on it over the past few months.

01:33And I'm looking forward to that.

01:35And also included is a premiere with a sad story behind it, isn't it? The piece by Joseph.

01:40It is.

01:41Geoffrey Joseph.

01:42Geoffrey. Yeah, Geoffrey Joseph wrote his three pieces for cello. And he asked me to play them.

01:49And he said, nobody's ever played them. Please, would you play them? You know, this would be

01:52fantastic. And I said, yes, but we were waiting for the right opportunity. And I said, OK, it's

01:58going to be it's going to be this June. And that was very exciting. I anticipated he would be here.

02:03I'd be able to share it with him, you know, clap him at the event. But then very, very sadly,

02:08he passed away this April. So it will, I'll not be able to share it with him live, but

02:15it will be a tribute to him. And still a great, you know, privilege to be able to share his

02:21work and legacy with others.

02:22That's so terribly poignant, isn't it? And it's going to make it, well, it will be special,

02:26won't it? In very tragic circumstances.

02:30Yes. Yeah.

02:31And then completely another tack entirely. The next day, you have your Chichester cello

02:39day. Now, what can you achieve in a cello day?

02:43Well, a cello day is a time to come together and make music and have fun and do all the

02:48things that cellos love to do, but don't tend to get to do either when you're learning

02:52on your own or in an orchestral setting. Because sometimes we get stuck playing the

02:57bass line, or you have to wait for a very long time for your chance to really shine. And

03:01this is a time to come together, playing fun music with lots of people who are also cellists

03:06and create something that the sort of cello magic that sometimes you feel like people put

03:11a lid on it when you're in an orchestra and you have to do what you're told and play just

03:15your part. But I really want to get the music off the page and get the sound alive.

03:22You're promising freedom here, aren't you? Freedom of the cello.

03:26Yes. Freedom of sound and expression and really to explore and just an affirmation of the music

03:33making that we all have within us and to come together as a community of cellists.

03:40Absolutely. And you're not, absolutely not saying advanced players only. This is very open,

03:45isn't it? And welcoming.

03:46It is very open. It is very open. And I have committed to, if you are a beginner, as long

03:51as you're happy to stay for the day and you're aware that this is a, you know, 10 to four

03:54commitment, I will make sure you have a part to play. Even if that's plucking a few open

03:58strings and somebody else is playing in composition and doing crazy things, I'll make sure that

04:03your part is at your level and that way everybody can take part and be a valued member of the

04:09group.

04:10It sounds fantastic. It sounds a beautiful combination of events with the recital on Saturday,

04:15June the 14th at 7pm. And then the cello day, oops, it's just disappeared off the screen,

04:20on Sunday, June the 15th from 10 to four. Laura, congratulations on putting this together.

04:26It sounds brilliant and lovely to speak to you again. Thank you.

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