‘Of all composers, for me it is Schubert who had the greatest gift for melody. His tunes are incredibly pleasing because they sound so natural and as effortless as speech. Like all natural sounds, Schubert’s melodies are deeply satisfying; they seem to nourish the soul. They also have an uncanny ability to stay in your mind once the seed has been planted there.’ Thus does Emma Johnson describe the music of her favourite composer.

Emma Johnson, one of the world’s greatest clarinetists, has devised a programme that celebrates the melodic richness of Schubert’s compositions. She has selected works that combine the clarinet with the human voice and with other winds and strings, the incomparable Octet providing the grand centrepiece. Mozart, Beethoven, Weber and Burgmüller also feature, providing some interesting juxtapositions – both Schubert’s Death & the Maiden and Beethoven’s Große Fuge were written when the composers were dealing with their own mortality and are performed in the final concert.

Emma Johnson memorably won BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1984 and went on to become one of Britain’s best-loved classical musicians. She has performed worldwide, appearing as soloist with leading orchestras and as a chamber musician and recitalist.

A Music Weekend arranged by Martin Randall Music Management is a very special experience. There is the pleasure, first, of hearing music performed by musicians of the highest calibre, artists who are among the very best in their fields. Many come from mainland Europe and America.

Second, the music is played in an intimate setting, a small hall little bigger than a large drawing room – just the sort of size which composers used to have in mind for chamber music. The audience is rarely more than a hundred and often fewer, and consists mainly of those who stay throughout the weekend and attend all four concerts. Some tickets for individual concerts are also sold locally.

Third, the weekends are based at hotels, The Castle at Taunton and Jesmond Dene House at Newcastle, which rank among the finest in England. Both are famous for comfort, character, and both have award-winning restaurants. We have exclusive use of the hotels during these music weekends, and there is opportunity for artists and audience to mingle throughout the weekend.

While these events are undeniably indulgent and leisurely retreats, they are also intended to stimulate the mind and enchant the aesthetic sensibilities. Within an over-arching theme, the music is carefully chosen and programmed to provide an illuminating sequence – while each concert is satisfyingly self-sufficient. Some weekends include pre-concert lectures, and musicians often talk as well.

Literary weekends, introduced at The Castle in 2009, follow a similar format, with five or six highly distinguished writers in a particular field giving talks and leading discussions. For the November 2010 slot we have gathered some of the finest historians in Britain.
The price for the weekend packages covers almost everything, from the concerts themselves to interval drinks, via luxurious accommodation and memorable dinners. Even gratuities for hotel staff are included.

There have been music weekends at The Castle since 1977, and Martin Randall Music Management have been organising them since 2003. The weekend at Jesmond Dene House in March 2011 will be their first.