Life and work of Thomas Hardy to be performed at Stonehenge

The novelist and writer Thomas Hardy was fascinated by Stonehenge, utilizing what helium described arsenic “the temple of the winds” some arsenic a mounting for 1 of his astir striking scenes and arsenic a lifelong inspiration, a pathway backmost into past times.

In what is being billed arsenic a unsocial performance, the beingness and enactment of Hardy is being showcased astatine the large chromatic ellipse successful Wiltshire arsenic portion of Salisbury planetary arts festival.

The performers, including Anton Lesser, champion known for appearances successful Game of Thrones and The Crown, volition beryllium speechmaking from Hardy and depicting scenes from his beingness successful beforehand of the stones arsenic the assemblage listens done headphones.

An orchestra volition play music, ranging from the benignant of people tunes Hardy whitethorn person been acquainted with to pieces by Gustav Holst and Peter Warlock.

Lesser said A Beautiful Thread: Thomas Hardy successful Words and Music was afloat of “love, beingness and laughter”, and said it meant helium could accidental helium had done a gig with “the Stones”, though not the rolling ones.

It is believed to beryllium the archetypal clip that a show incorporating Hardy’s beingness and enactment has been staged astatine Stonehenge.

Lesser said: “Hopefully it’ll beryllium beauteous upwind and you’ll person this marvellous ambiance arsenic the evening develops with the airy changing and these fantastic words of Hardy.”

While helium knew the novels, Lesser said helium had been “transported” erstwhile helium delved into Hardy’s poetry. “The poems are similar small dramas. They gully you into the full satellite wrong a fewer lines.”

He began turning down the pages of poesy helium liked arsenic helium studied for the performance. “And if you saw the spine of the publication now, astir each leafage is marked – it’s ridiculous.”

Angelique Richardson, a prof of English astatine the University of Exeter and a Hardy expert, said the writer was drawn to the chromatic circle.

“He was fascinated by the past, by enigma and memory, and by the persistence of the past into the present,” Richardson said.

In Tess of the d’Urbervilles, the tragic protagonist comes upon Stonehenge portion connected the tally aft committing murder. She says: “It hums … hearken!” Hardy writes: “The wind, playing upon the edifice, produced a booming tune, similar the enactment of immoderate gigantic one-stringed harp.” Tess falls dormant connected a chromatic astatine this “solemn and lonely” spot and erstwhile she awakes is arrested.

Richardson said Hardy often returned to the taxable of Stonehenge, and erstwhile said: “Personally I confess to a liking for the authorities of dim conjecture successful which we basal with respect to its history.”

Following a sojourn helium mused that the “misfortune of ruins” was to “be beheld astir ever astatine noonday by visitors, and not astatine twilight”.

He besides wrote to the Times successful enactment of an entreaty successful the 1920s for funds to bargain onshore adjacent Stonehenge to forestall gathering adjacent to it.

Richardson, who leads the Hardy’s Correspondents task astatine Exeter, which hopes to marque much than 5,000 letters sent to Hardy and his archetypal and 2nd wives disposable to the public, said that successful his room astatine his home, Max Gate successful Dorchester, helium had volumes featuring Stonehenge including Black’s Guide to Dorset, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Etc.

Mark Chutter, the seat and world manager of the Thomas Hardy Society, said Stonehenge was precise important to the writer “not conscionable successful presumption of his knowing of the neolithic but besides the pagan satellite arsenic well.

“Hardy stages his novels precise overmuch arsenic a performance, successful astir a theatrical way, truthful it makes consciousness for him to beryllium performed astatine Stonehenge.”

A Beautiful Thread volition beryllium performed astatine Stonehenge connected 28 May and 1 June successful Dorset arsenic portion of the Thomas Hardy Birthday Weekend celebrations, organised to people the 185^th day of his birth.