The Norfolk and Norwich Festival is back with its renowned mix of music, theatre and comedy, along with some new features to attract an even wider audience. "I’m very excited about the 2003 programme," said the festival's artistic director Peter Bolton. "What I think we’ve managed to do is bring together a whole load of things that wouldn’t otherwise come to Norfolk if we didn’t do them." Highlights include an opening concert from the Michael Nyman Band, the promise of laughter with comedian Phil Kay and an internationally acclaimed selection of classical and contemporary performers. "Our jazz programme has an international level of performance that you wouldn’t otherwise get in this part of the world and that’s very exciting," enthused Bolton. Taking to the streets in 2003 The festival sees a new development this year with the introduction of a street festival on Saturday 3 May. From midday, Norwich city centre will be transformed by a mesmerising array of some of the UK's best street performers. "It’s been a long standing desire that we get the festival to lots of other people who perhaps aren’t engaging with it already," said Bolton. 
Street performers |
"They’ll be a real blitz on Norwich’s streets with lots of free events. You won’t be able to move for street performers." Festival for all As artist director of the festival, Peter Bolton still faces some criticism that the event remains an arena for the cultural elite, but argues this is more an issue for society than for him: "I think there is always that thing of 'classical music is only for the knobs' but I don’t think that’s our problem. "I think that’s a society thing and people have labelled certain things in certain ways. I don’t think the festival is elitist. "My job is to put on really good events of a variety of sorts. I don’t think anything we’re doing requires a particular sort of person to enjoy it - I think anybody can," he added. Drama and dance In addition to the wide range of music performed throughout the festival, audiences also have the opportunity to enjoy a number of theatrical works. The Northern Ballet Theatre presents Mozart's Requiem choreographed by Birgit Scherzer, a performance featuring a chorus of 50 singers from the Keswick Hall Choir. Jonathan Ollivier, a principal dancer with the NBT, said Requiem is very much a personal experience for every member of the audience: "The story is quite hard to explain as it’s pretty much down to individual interpretation. "The ballet doesn’t really have much to do with Mozart at all and it doesn’t have a definite story. "It’s quite hard to explain. It’s about whatever the audience wants to make of the ballet, there is no right or wrong story," he said. The festival also sees a rare performance of Everyman, starring and directed by Simon Callow with a cast from Norwich's Maddermarket Theatre and the London Mozart Players. Pop goes the festival On the issue of including more pop concerts under the festival's umbrella, Bolton argues that Norfolk already has enough of these events. "I think we have to balance what other people are doing," he said. "We have a lot of other promoters in Norfolk that are bringing pop acts to the county. "What we’re trying to do is position ourselves so we’re not repeating what else is going on during the rest of the year, but it doesn’t rule anything in or out in the future. "It’s always a difficult one, but my criteria is to broaden the programme as widely as I can that it is distinctive and at an international level of performance. "In the future we do have ideas for developing events that would have a very broad appeal involving major artists that would reach a very wide public. These things are very much in our minds so watch this space." The Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2003 runs from 30 April - 10 May. Full event listings available at www.n-joy.org.uk. Throughout the festival, BBC Radio Norfolk will be broadcasting news and reviews from 6pm weekdays on 95.1 & 104.4FM in Norfolk, UK. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
Michael Nyman image courtesy of David Gamble | 
We’re doing a broad range of stuff. It includes comedy, jazz, new music, classical music, street events, contemporary dance and it doesn’t get much broader than that. I don’t think we’re doing anything that would exclude anybody from coming for any reason. 
View 
