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08-24 May

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1881

Alberto Randegger Becomes Director

A four day music festival, as part of a run of triennial events.

Italian conductor Alberto Randegger was appointed festival director and a noticeable updating and improvement to the music selected for performance followed.

The final Monday evening rehearsal was also opened up to the public.

After the Festival, work began on rebuilding and renovating the original Norfolk and Norwich Hospital building, with the new look building being opened in 1883 by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught.

 

An article published by The Musical Times and The Singing Class Circular on November 1st 1881 reviews the Festival:

“I am able to say that the Norwich Festival has taken a fresh lease of life. Signor Randegger, being too experienced a man not to know how much a workman is dependent upon his tools, made as careful a selection of artists as the liberality of the committee allowed.”

Programme & Wordbook

This is a copy of the programme and general arrangements of the Norfolk & Norwich Twentieth Triennial Musical Festival

Taken from the Norfolk & Norwich Festival archive

These musical extracts are some of the principal tunes of an overture to Shakespeare’s historical play, King Henry V, composed expressly for the 1881 Festival by Walter MacFarren, who conducted the work. They were printed in the wordbook for the Festival so musical audience members could follow along.

Taken from Norfolk & Norwich Musical Festival Wordbook in the Norfolk & Norwich Festival archive

Photograph Souvenir

These images of the festival and Norwich are taken from a photo souvenir book, found in the Norfolk & Norwich Festival Archive.

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