Book launch with Eleanor Oldroyd
with music by Handel, Holst, Howells, Dodgson, Davis, Parker, Goodall and Panufnik

What is there in the waters of Barnes that holds such an attraction for artists and music makers? Since George Frideric Handel’s sojourn at Barn Elms in 1713, a succession of leading composers have made the village their home. From Gustav Holst and Herbert Howells to Howard Goodall and Roxanna Panufnik, they have raised children and written music to the accompaniment of the birds on the Common, and the ebb and flow of the tidal Thames. So have they found inspiration in this greenest of London villages? Or is it mere coincidence that has turned a corner of South West London into a creative hub?

In her book Composers of Barnes BBC broadcaster Eleanor Oldroyd has put together informative and often affectionate biographical profiles of eight leading Barnes composers. This new edition marks the anniversaries of birth of Gustav Holst in 1874 and Stephen Dodgson in 1924 with new information and new stories about the lives and compositions of all the Composers of Barnes.

At this launch event, Elly Oldroyd talks about the stories she has discovered, interviews some of the composers and plays the music of the composers, past and present.