An interview with Charles Hazelwood

Unfortunately the West Country suffers from a severe lack of high end music provision – it’s practically a musical desert. As a musician with an international reputation it just felt right that I should put something back into the community by bringing world class music to my home patch.

Also, concert halls aren’t always the most welcoming of environments. The fascistic concert rules and restrictions (no coughing, no laughing, no eating, no speaking) don’t help. I’m passionate about bringing music to a wider audience and I love the thought of performing a world class concert in the outdoors, in a field... you can’t get a much more relaxed, welcoming or open environment than that!

We bought the farm in Somerset six years ago. It’s too small to be a viable working farm but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something selfish about living here and not ‘using’ the space in some way. We record my Radio 2 show in the old farm building here and every musician who has ever been here – from Rappers to Baroque cellists, seem to work and perform way beyond their normal levels. Perhaps we’re tapping into some kind of kenetic energy... after all, the farm is located on a ley line from Glastonbury Tor!

Anyway, I’m beside myself at the thought of having a full symphony orchestra here. I can’t wait to see what happens - it’s incredibly exciting.

We hope to attract people who don’t normally go to classical concerts perhaps because they get put off by their old school image and sterility, and instead make the environment as relaxed as possible. There are no rules or restrictions to your enjoyment. Watch the sunset, gaze at the stars, eat great food, drink local tipples and imbibe incredible music.

Music is the most spontaneous form of communication between an artist and an audience and sometimes the sterility of the concert hall environment can affect that communication. So, instead of a concert hall why not put it in a field. There’s no other environment I can think of that’s as free, open and welcoming. We want to encourage people to be themselves and to relax. I believe this will encourage a purer response to the music. Out in the open air, because you’ll be more relaxed I think you’ll hear more in the music and you’ll get more out of the music.

At Play the Field I hope to educate people that you can have the same experience at a classical music concert as at a rock concert. You experience the same emotions and sensual overload. Music of all kinds taps into our base instinct and can extract the same guttural responses if the conditions are right. I also want to break down the misconception that classical music is only for the brainy or elite. Everyone has the ability to climb inside the music and get something from it. It’s downright patronising to say that Jo public can’t engage with this type of music. Through my introductions to the music I will encourage people to engage with their heads as well as their hearts.

People who know me or have been to one of my concerts know that I’ve been introducing the music since I started. It was quite revolutionary at the time. I remember my Carnegie Hall debut, I marched out and started talking and there was a palpable intake of breath. People weren’t used to it but I didn’t care. I felt it made sense and, it seems, so did others as it’s now much more commonplace.

In my introductions I give people an idea of the historical context of the music and it’s composer... what world it came from etc. I explain the major things I think are important in the piece and then I explore a little of the minute detail of the music. I pick out small sections of music that are interesting and illustrate what I’m talking about using demonstrations from the orchestra, or one person in the orchestra. It’s almost like performing open heart surgery. In this way, to people who know the music well it’s like a familiar journey but this time they notice a building they’ve never seen before... they hear new things or listen to the music in a slightly different way.

People often don’t realise that classical music doesn’t always sound the same, every orchestra and every conductor will influence a piece in a different way so that it sounds different. It’s obvious really. It’s exactly the same as when you hear a piece of modern music covered by a different artist. There’s nothing in orchestral music that people can’t get their heads around and nothing to be scared of! It’s all just music and Play the Field will show people that.

Everyone!

The Regulars... people who have had a lifelong relationship with symphonic music.

Sonic Adventurers... people who love music in all its forms and who could be found at a Aphex Twin, Brian Eno or left field Portishead gig.

Serious Jazzers... who would be at home at the 606 club watching an improvised jazz session.

Local novices, curious and shy...people who don’t regularly experience live music and probably haven’t been to a classical concert before but would like to experience a concert of this nature when it’s in their backyard.

Families... looking for a great night out where they can relax and introduce their children to the joy of live orchestral music.

I’m so keen to persuade families with children to attend the event. Where else can kids experience classical music whilst still being themselves and without parents having to worry about them destroying the music or the enjoyment of people around them?

Also, I know from my personal experience of taking orchestras into schools in deprived areas, that this will blow their heads off! Kids will absolutely love it.

I met Deborah last year at the 1st night of the proms. We got thrown together in a TV studio talking about Deborahs lapsed love for music. Until then I didn’t realise that Deborah had been something of a child prodigy on the piano. I immediately saw a very passionate individual whose love for music was just waiting to be reignited. Even though we might be very different people I knew straight away that we would be good mates.

A couple of weeks later we met up for a chat and it quickly became clear that Deborah shared my passion for bringing music to Somerset and the West Country. There was a general feeling of ‘if we can’t make this happen between us, then no one can!’ It has been one of my long term ambitions to bring a concert of this nature to the farm and with Deborah on board the dream soon became a reality.

I love her can do attitude. If an idea feels right and sits well with Deborah she just sets her mind to it and makes it happen and that’s exactly the case with Play the Field. She applies herself with such enthusiasm to everything she gets involved in. She’s a pragmatic optimist, taking a long term view of projects. From the start there was no question in her mind that this would be a one off venture. Play the Field will be an annual event.