Saturday 27 June - Parish Church - 19:30
‘Violet’- The Scandalous Story of
Violet Gordon Woodhouse
'Shocking and astonishing beyond belief' Spectator
'What is it about lady harpsichordists?' Sunday Times
This concert in the Wadhurst Summer Music Festival drew a record audience and raised money for charity too. 'Violet', with actors Maggie Henderson and John Rowe, and Maggie Cole on harpsichord, is based on the book of the same name by Jessica Douglas-Home. The church was decked in violet and the chancel transformed into an Edwardian salon. The audience listened in silence as the three performers explored the extraordinary story of this brilliant harpsichord player and the four men in her life. All the emotions were touched – sadness and sorrow, comedy and sheer amazement as Violet expanded her entourage and spent her husband’s money from the high days of the Edwardian period, through the horrors of the First Great War into the depression of the late twenties and the Second World War. Between the dramatic readings, Maggie Cole gave the audience a feel for Violet’s musical talent with her own sympathetic and brilliant playing of music ranging from William Byrd to Mozart; she ended with a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, closing the life story of an amazing woman.
John Rowe, Maggie Cole and Maggie Henderson
As the audience then
relaxed with a glass of wine, the screen filled with pictures of Violet’s
life, taken from Jessica Douglas-Home’s book, collector's editions
of which were on sale at the show and raised money for the Mihai Eminescu
Trust, a Romanian charity which regenerates rural areas of that country,
devastated by years of oppression, and fights for the conservation of their
magnificent Saxon architectural heritage. "We are very lucky
here in East Sussex to have so many listed and protected buildings. The
Romanians are at risk of losing their beautiful ancient houses and churches. That
would be heart-breaking for them, and playing in our own ancient church,
we were pleased to support such a good cause." said Maggie Henderson,
who not only produced the show but brought Violet and her sister to life. MJH
