JONATHAN BAUM,
Madam, - I feel that comments made by Lindsay Armstrong (November 26th) and Michael Dervan (November 20th), while valid, show a lack of appreciation of the role of a festival from the point of view of the ordinary member of the audience.
The Wexford Festival has two major roles: to give us a chance to see and hear artists and ensembles that we do not have access to during the rest of the year, and to develop regional tourism. The festival fulfils both of these roles with spectacular success - it regularly gives us unforgettable performances of groups like the Prague Chamber Choir, and it fills up hotels and restaurants.
Supplying work to local groups and musicians is the role of the general musical life throughout the year, not a two-week festival. I know there are many wonderful Irish ensembles out there, and they should of course be promoted and encouraged, but we can hear them any time during the musical year
Stipulations like those raised by Mr Armstrong, such as requiring an Irish orchestra and chorus, and 50 per cent Irish involvement in all other disciplines, would be fine for a regular, fully-functioning opera house. The house would presumably have its own full-time orchestra and chorus, which would by definition be local, and such a rule would also encourage the nurturing of local singers and give them work. (The stipulation of "an Irish orchestra" is actually problematic: festivals such as Glyndebourne have a large number of British orchestras to choose from, but this country basically only has one symphony orchestra, and it's precisely that group's "take it or leave it" attitude which started the problems in the first place).
The Wexford Festival cannot and should not be penalised because of the virtually non-existent operatic life in Ireland. It should be left to do its job as it sees fit (after all, it sells every single ticket, so it must be doing something right), and the powers that be should turn their attention to developing some semblance of operatic life in Dublin to complement it. - Yours, etc.,
JONATHAN BAUM,
Dargle Road,
Blackrock,
Co. Dublin.