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Arts feature

Swanky, stale and sullen, the summer music festival has had its day

The summer music festival has had its day, says Norman Lebrecht

23 May 2020

9:00 AM

23 May 2020

9:00 AM

‘Festival?’ said Nathan Milstein. ‘What is festival?’ I had naively asked the most immaculate of violinists where he used to play in the summer and he looked at me as if I had proposed an unnatural act.

‘Before the war,’ said Nathan, offering a glimpse of paradise lost, ‘Volodya and I would stay at Senar for six weeks with Rachmaninov.’

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