I recently read a very interesting article in the newsletter of the Ivor Novello Appreciation Bureau. It was from 2007 (they really need some new content), and the author discussed a failed concert of Novello's work, headed by George Daugherty and David Lik Wong, complete with "Sinfonia Britannia, a full orchestra (to the exact size Ivor had specified for his London shows) plus a line-up of world -famous vocalists." The reason given for the failure was a lack of press coverage, despite the phenomenal performances and work that had gone into them. But now, it's 2024! We have the Internet as nevr before. We have live streaming, and our words travel instantly! So why not try again? And if we can't do a full theatrical production, why not do what Ivor himself once did and turn one of his plays into a radio production! While it would be ideal to work in a professional studeo, it's not even necessary, since parts can be sent in and edited to form one whole. This also does away with the need for sets (which can be extremely expensive in his case), costumes, etc. We can even include actors with disabilities but fantastic voices, since no one can judge them based on looks! This would be the perfect opportunity to let them shine based on their own merrit. All of Novello's works are in the public domain now, so we wouldn't have to go through endless battles and thousands of pounds to obtain the rights to perform one. My only request, and I can't stress this enough, is that we follow his vision as closely as possible and not modernize it! That drives me to distraction! I know it will be next to impossible to find singers of the calibre of Mary Ellis, Olive Gilbert, Vanessa Lee, Trefor Jones, etc. but at least, more people will be exposed to Novello's works. Then, if they really like it, we very well could bring them to a real theatre!

ivornovello.com/newsletter.htm

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