The Hon. Paul S. Zuckerman
I am delighted to introduce to you the website of William Walton Trust. As international appreciation continues to grow for one of the great men of British music we hope that this site will prove interesting and informative both to those who are looking for general information and to those seeking specialist help. This comprehensive site is intended to assist in planning programmes and to serve as a point of reference, which, with the scholarly help of Stewart Craggs, includes an extensive catalogue and bibliography.
The complete works of Sir William are available on Chandos Records. Christopher Columbus, the last major work of Sir William’s to be recorded, will be released next year. This will complete Chandos historic period of recording and will ensure the availability of all Sir William’s music on CD, alongside the many recordings available from other record labels as listed in the discography, prepared by Chandos Marketing Department.
Sir William’s publishers, Oxford University Press, continue their publication of the William Walton Edition, which will ensure that the composer’s ever-increasing popularity at the start of the twenty-first century will be complemented by performing material which is edited to the highest contemporary standards, and which, at the same time, is eminently practical. As the General Editor, David Lloyd-Jones comments, ‘by the time the task is completed, no British composer born in the twentieth century will have been better served by their publisher.’
This website describes the work and role of the William Walton Trust, together with its sister organisation in Italy, Fondazione William Walton. The aim of these trusts is to deepen the public’s knowledge of Sir William and to do this through a number of steps. Young people remain central to our objectives: we have developed a programme of residencies at La Mortella for composers, horticulturalists, researchers and performers from, among other places, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, and New York Botanic Gardens. We promote a series of regular concerts with musicians from Conservatorio S. Pietro a Majella, Naples, Accademia di S. Cecilia, Rome, Scuola di Musica in Fiesole, and Conservatorio di Avellino. We also continue to develop our strong links with The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and the Oldham Music Service.
We would be pleased to hear of any plans you may have with a view to posting them on the calendar of events on the web-site.
It is fitting, at this point, to pay tribute to the energy and commitment of Lady Walton, to whose dedication much of the following information is attributable.
