Violinist Midori Komachi will present the public premiere of Imogen Holst’s long-forgotten Concerto for Violin and Strings at a concert in London. The 1935 work, which had been kept hidden away in the archives of Britten Pears Arts in Aldeburgh, has now been published by Faber Music, bringing it to a wider audience for the first time.
Imogen Holst, born in 1907, was a prominent British composer who worked closely with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. She spent two decades as the joint artistic director of their renowned Aldeburgh Festival before stepping down to focus on her own compositional career. Despite her contributions, Holst never received the critical recognition her music deserved, and many of her compositions remained unpublished for years.
Holst was also an accomplished writer and biographer, best known for her work on her father, composer Gustav Holst, and for preserving his musical legacy.
While composing the Violin Concerto, Imogen Holst was deeply influenced by Irish folk music. She was studying George Petrie’s 19th-century Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, and many of these folk tunes found their way into the concerto’s fabric. The piece was initially played through in 1935 with the sponsorship of the Royal College of Music Patron’s Fund, with Holst herself conducting the rehearsal. The soloist was Elsie Avril, and the London Symphony Orchestra provided the accompaniment.
Nearly 90 years later, Komachi will bring this work to life in its public debut. She will perform it with the Elgar Sinfonia of London, conducted by Adrian Brown, on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at St. Andrew’s Holborn Church in London. The concert program will also include Elgar’s King Arthur Suite, Finzi’s Eclogue for Piano and Strings, and Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Marches.
Komachi, a violinist and composer known for her work bridging Japanese and British musical cultures, has previously focused on the compositions of Vaughan Williams and Delius. Reflecting on her discovery of the concerto’s manuscript at Britten Pears Arts, she described the experience as one of the most thrilling of her career. “Each note, meticulously handwritten by the composer, seems to radiate her energy, musicality, and personality,” Komachi said.
She also highlighted the concerto’s accessibility, noting the use of Irish folk melodies and the subtle influence of Vaughan Williams’s Concerto Accademico. “This piece is highly approachable and appealing to any music lover,” she explained. “It has the potential to become a staple in the violin repertoire and a valuable tool for young musicians, as it is technically manageable but still full of engaging musical twists.”
Komachi believes the concerto deserves to be heard and recognized alongside the works of composers like Britten and Gustav Holst, with whom Imogen Holst frequently collaborated. This premiere marks a significant moment in the rediscovery of an important yet underappreciated composer.
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