It was a chance encounter in Eastnor Deer Park that brought Brittany King to Eastnor Castle. The soprano was taking a walk with her family on a rainy Mother’s Day, when she bumped into castle owner James Hervey-Bathurst and his wife Lucy and got chatting. They soon came up with the idea of putting on a small concert at Eastnor, which then became a bigger concert and, before they knew it, they were hosting Walls That Listen: An Evening of Opera and Song.
‘The whole idea was not just to do a concert, but to feature the full experience of being at Eastnor,’ says Brittany. ‘The whole feeling of being there. You can see the beautiful paintings on the wall and feel like you're immersed in a different time period.’
The evening, which took place on 24 September, featured performances by Brittany and baritone Thomas Humphreys, accompanied by Tim Sidford on piano and Grace Shepherd on violin, alongside a recital by young pianist Carys Read. Working with James, Brittany selected a range of pieces, including a duet from Don Giovanni and a song from Oklahoma!, and even performed the world premiere of a new piece, local poet John Masefield’s On Eastnor Knoll, set to music by composer Ian Venables.
‘The acoustics allow the voice to soar in the way that you want it to,’ says Brittany. ‘So, as a performer, it's the perfect mix; you want to be able to hear your voice reverb in the space, but you don't want to lose it. For me, it was the perfect balance as a singer.’
Before the concert, guests were invited to walk around the state rooms and get a feel for the castle’s grand, fantastical world before the music began – something that, Brittany thinks, heightened their experience of the music.
‘People were very emotionally moved by experiencing the music in that space, and just immersing themselves in everything,’ she says. ‘I [myself] had an immense sense of gratitude; it feels like you're standing in a piece of history. It’s so wonderful that [the castle] stands here and we get to experience this feeling.’
The evening adds to an increasingly rich legacy of cultural events – or, as we call them at Eastnor, “salons” – and artist residencies at the castle over the past few years. Ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson recently pirouetted through the halls; resident artist Dominic McHenry painted a series of works inspired by the castle; and singer Jack Savoretti hosted a musical salon a couple of Christmases ago.
The programme began as a revival of the castle’s historic salons, which saw great thinkers and creatives – including Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Lord Tennyson – gather at Eastnor for lively discussion, readings and performances. But it has started to evolve into something new, with artists arriving at Eastnor to create new works inspired by how it feels to be at the castle.
For Brittany, the evening suggested possibilities beyond a single concert. ‘It’s just extraordinary,’ she says. ‘I can really see the future of the arts in this space.’
Photography by Olivia France