麻豆社

Len Goodman presents the show from the Snape Proms.

"I think I have found a good spot to live in - it is an old mill house in a quaint old village called Snape", wrote Benjamin Britten in 1937.

And for the princely sum of 拢450 Britten bought the old Hudson Mill at Snape and set about its renovation. The composer was to spend most of his life in this idyllic corner of the British Isles. Inspired by the Suffolk sea, sky and countryside he wrote some of his greatest works here including Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Albert Herring and A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. The Mill stood close to the sleepy River Alde and from its windows Britten could see the old malting building on the quay. Here the local farmers brought their barley for malting before being shipped to the London brewers.

In 1948 Britten and his partner Peter Pears had founded the Aldeburgh Festival but by the 1960s the festival had outgrown its Aldeburgh venue and Britten was on the lookout for a new space and concert hall. With the malting business in decline the Maltings was purchased by local farmer George Gooderham who wanted the land as a river outlet for his crops. However, he was interested in other ideas and ways to make use of the old Victorian buildings and worked with Britten on his vision to create a fine new venue. Snape Maltings Concert Hall was opened by the Queen in the summer of 1967.

Tonight, Sunday Night is Music Night returns to Snape Maltings Proms. Richard Balcombe conducts the 麻豆社 Concert Orchestra and Len Goodman introduces guests from the worlds of musical theatre and opera - Kim Criswell and Noah Stewart.

First broadcast in 2017.