The Kentish Downs Overture
The Kentish Downs Overture was composed by Susan in 1926 and she premiered it, conducting it herself, at the London Proms on 30 August 1926. She dedicated the piece to Dame Ethel Smyth who was, at that time, the only other woman conducting at the Proms.
The title of The Kentish Downs refers to the North Downs, a range of chalk hills running from east to west through Kent which form the White Cliffs of Dover when they meet the English Channel just north of Folkestone. Susan would often walk on these downs to relax and be inspired by the beautiful countryside.
The Kentish Downs was one of Susan’s most popular pieces. She conducted it again at Bournemouth on 22 April 1927, at Sir Dan Godfrey’s Concert of Works by British Women Composers, at the Eastbourne Festival on 26 November 1929 and at the Folkestone Festival on 13 October 1930. It was first broadcast by the BBC in 1928.
In the 1990s the Folkestone Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Michael Foad, and with the help of Susan’s son Alan, had a transcription of The Kentish Downs made from the manuscript. The orchestra performed it from time to time, keeping the memory of her music alive in her home town.
The BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Barry Wordsworth made a recording of The Kentish Downs that was broadcast on BBC Radio 3, on 22 February 1997, and exists on YouTube.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell made a fine recording of the piece in November 2021 which is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 from time to time. It has also been performed recently by amateur orchestras in various Kentish towns such as Tonbridge and Canterbury.
