The East Neuk Festival, now in its fifth year, features renowned ensembles and soloists alongside rare and intriguing collaborations. Yet its most impressive pairing is that of the music and the landscape. The East Neuk is one of the prettiest corners of Scotland, known for its picturesque fishing villages and beautiful coastline, and this festival is a unique opportunity to explore what it has to offer.
Artistic director Svend Brown has made it his mission to provide innovative and stimulating musical experiences and this year one of the most interesting aspects of the programme is the use of modern technology in ancient settings. Festival-goers wil
l have the opportunity to hire MP3 players, or download music straight from the festival website, and listen to the work of sound artist Martin Parker in the very settings that inspired him. Brown guides audiences down lesser-known paths, not only in the physical sense but also metaphysically as he plays with the traditional role of the audience.
"Listeners can literally control when and how they listen to the pieces – and how many times they revisit the experience," he says.
Pittenweem Scout Hut in virtual darkness seems an unlikely venue but as Brown explains: "The minute I walked into Pittenweem Scout Hut, it was so dark and enclosed that it felt like I had just retreated into my mind – and to me the best electronic music allows you to plug in to pure musical imagination – there are no performers to get between you and the composer's original thoughts. Enabling people to listen to this music in a dark space where the music will literally surround them is a dream come true."
While the scout hut is literally dark, other venues are shadowy by virtue of their past. St Fillan's Cave has sheltered both saints and smugglers and is another of the specially selected sites in which visitors can listen to Martin Parker's work. Dunino Den, also the venue for In a Wild Place, which features a reading by Richard Holloway accompanied by flutist Alison Mitchell, is an ancient spot and one reputed to have been the site of druidic blood sacrifices. The macabre history of Dunino Den hints that this experience will be unsettling rather than soothing, something Svend Brown confirms with glee: "All of those venues are super-atmospheric so we've programmed strong stuff into them: do not come expecting a soft focus experience. All the performances are planned for small audiences so every member of the audience will hopefully have an amazingly strong connection to the performance and the place itself. The evocative history of the Den and the Cave has been a direct inspiration to the artists – and some of that history is so dark that the results will not always be comfortable."
If this is beginning to sound gloomy, a sea-view location at Crail which makes up the trio of Out There venues, should provide some relief.
As well as these more unconventional musical experiences, there will be traditionally staged performances of chamber music in intimate settings. Pianist Christian Zacharias, the Leopold String Trio and Doric String Quartet are just some of those who feature in this year's programme. Many of the performers are making repeat appearances at the festival.
Cellist Su-a Lee, who has appeared at the festival since its inception and has a warm attachment to the locale, explains why the area draws her back: "It is such a delight to see all these hidden corners uncovered.
"The festival trail has really made the whole area feel more like one community for me.
"The venues are fabulous ... some beautiful little churches, and also some quirky locations, such as the secret bunker. It felt like we were all on a group treasure hunt for exquisite musical pearls!"
Svend Brown has spoken of the importance of creating and sustaining relationships between artists, the festival and the area itself. This is a refreshing contrast to many Scottish festivals during which audiences descend and depart with little thought or interaction with the area hosting the event. During the East Neuk Festival the landscape is showcased every bit as much as the music.
Travelling between the different venues of the East Neuk Festival this year will take you everywhere from tiny churches to benches with sea-views, from Cellardyke to Pittenweem, Crail to Kilconquhar.
Brown explains the attraction of the area: "Every time I drive to the East Neuk my heart sings and my spirits rise. It has this amazing sense of escape. The history of the place is inspiring, the spaces are superb and the chips are fantastic."
The East Neuk, with its twisting roads, demands a change in pace and the East Neuk Festival also instils its own rhythm; by jump-starting imaginations and challenging listening practices, this event creates a symphony between landscape and music which is bold and brilliant. smFactfile east neuk festivaln For more information on performances and artists at the 2009 East Neuk Festival which runs between 1-5 July, visit www.eastneukfestival.com
n You can also book tickets at www.hubtickets.co.uk or tel: 0131-473 2000.
n For alternative Scottish breaks, visit
www.holidays.scotsman.com 