St Magnus Festival - A celebration
Compiled by Pam Beasant.

Twenty-five years ago in early June, the first St Magnus Festival was about to be launched. At this point I have to confess that during 1976-77 I was among those who doubted that Orkney could sustain such an event on an annual basis.

How wrong could I be in my judgement?

Here we are in the Golden Jubilee year and the festival is going strong, having gained in stature and excellence year on year.

In order to mark the first 25 years of the festival a book entitled St Magnus Festival – A Celebration is to be published.

Compiled and edited by Pamela Beasant, the book makes fascinating reading as it charts the development of the festival in the mind of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies in the early 70s through the years up to 2001. The editor has done a vast amount of research, conducting interviews and encouraging written contributions from over 200 individuals who represent the strands of music, art, drama and literature which make the eclectic mixture that is the festival. Her linking commentaries are thoughtful and succinct, also she is not afraid to air the occasional controversy. Printing was in the expert hands of The Orcadian staff who have produced a quality book. The text is enhanced by an attractive lay-out with many excellent photographs from a variety of sources.

There are two main themes that I discern throughout the book, namely the individual people and secondly the community at large. These themes are interwoven through the text so that a lively narrative results.

Orkney owes a vast debt to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for the work he has done here over the years. It was a chance encounter with George Mackay Brown in Rackwick facilitated by Archie and Elizabeth Bevan that was the catalyst which prompted Sir Peter to move to Orkney. Norman Mitchell of Kirkwall Grammar School music department was enthusiastic and this group were the “early prime movers” who produced the first festival. Sir Peter’s manager Judy Arnold, with her husband Michael, played a vital role in London. The late Marjorie Linklater, founder of “A Johnsmas Foy” was a strong voice in the early days.

I still recall the excitement in the Cathedral in June 1977 as we waited for “The Martyrdom of St Magnus” to commence and noted that the joint artistic directors hoped that “The St Magnus Festival will become an annual event enriching the life of Orkney”.

Later, Dick and Glenys Hughes joined the festival committee and their contribution to life in Orkney is incalculable. Dick’s untimely death in 1996 left a great void in the community. Many more people have been involved, too numerous to mention here, but they are in the book!

From the very beginning, the festival has aimed at a major involvement with the local community and in this it has succeeded admirably. Over the years many people have taken part in festival activities. It may have been through school projects, drama productions, Festival Chorus, instrumental groups, members of an audience or perhaps one of the volunteers who help in so many ways to ensure the festival runs smoothly. The islands, too, have been involved since 1979 and it is the sum of all this local effort which makes the festival so special, but perhaps may make it vulnerable in the future. Michael Tumelty (music critic The Herald) and George Rendall (present festival chairman) contribute useful essays to the book which consider the future when Glenys Hughes will wish to hand on the reins at the end of her distinguished career as artistic director.

The editor has included a detailed chronology of every festival programme 1977-2001. Reading this gave me a very nostalgic experience, when I remembered concerts, drama productions, exhibitions etc and now the names of hundreds of participants over the years, it brought home to me what a success story has occurred in our community. This book will become part of the county historical archive and Pamela Beasant must be congratulated for her work on such an excellent volume.

J.S.W.