It is clear from the personal contributions to the Vernon Handley memorial concert programme book that, with the passing of such a champion of rarely-performed repertoire, many people expect such music to return to a state of neglect. Yet, time and again it is a performance of "Tod's" music – a song by Moeran, a tone-poem by Bax - that sticks out in the memory of experienced musicians, many of whom had not seen Tod for many years.
There is something wonderfully moving about a player with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra who cannot forget a performance of the Bax Tintagel from nearly 20 years ago.
The ESO only featured late in Tod's life. Even though every single piece he conducted with us was by a British composer (and the last piece he ever conducted was Bax Prelude to a Solemn Occasion ), we had little opportunity to explore the catalogue of works which he wanted us to programme. ESO gets no public sector support and such programming is simply not financially viable.
As Laura Jellicoe mentions in her article, we would dearly have loved to include The Garden of Fand in this concert, and intend to do so in a future programme - when we can find someone to sponsor the extra rehearsals that it requires.
ESO therefore intends to establish a Foundation in his name that will support the rehearsal and performance (live or on record) of British music. It will be a separately-registered charity, run by its own Board of Trustees. We are announcing our intentions at this concert because it has brought us into such close contact with other people and organisations who will wish to contribute to it and sit on that Board.
There are other Trusts which support British music in general or British composers in particular and the Foundation will recognise this and work alongside them to achieve mutual aims.
The ultimate aim of the Foundation is a regular British Music Festival, celebrating not only the merits of our classical composers but also the musical traditions from which much of their inspiration was drawn.
In 2007, Michael Bochmann and I went to discuss a possible programme for such a Festival with Tod. "Can I be let off the leash for this?", Tod asked. On receiving the affirmative, he proceeded to rattle off a list of the wonderful and obscure, providing combinations for recording purposes at the same time.
It would be fantastically appropriate if a foundation in his name could bring to pass "Tod-off-the-Leash".
If you would like to contribute to the Foundation please contact the ESO.