THE Autumn in Malvern Festival was brought before thousands of listeners across the nation when it featured on the Radio Three breakfast show on Sunday morning.

Peter Smith, the festival's founder and artistic director, was the special guest of presenter Clemency Burton-Hill, who interviewed him about the festival's musical events.

Mr Smith then played his own special choice of music, A Lament by Michael Tippett from Variations on an Elizabethan Theme – Sellengers Round, to a very positive reaction.

He said after the broadcast: “The presenter and producer said they were astonished by the beauty of the rarely heard piece and the programme received countless appreciative tweets and texts from around Britain.”

The work will be played by the distinguished London Concertante in the Great Hall of Malvern College on Saturday, October 27, along with music by Purcell, Ireland, Finzi and Holst. The concert is entitled An English Idyll and is the festival's bow to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year.

The next major concert in the festival, which started last weekend, is in Great Malvern Priory next Friday, October 12, which will include organ works by Bach, Howells and Vaughan Williams played by Stephen Cleobury, the director of music at King’s College Cambridge. He will be joined by Julia Hwang (violin) and Charles Matthews (piano), who will play Vaughan Williams's famous The Lark Ascending.

Aldwyn Voices, Malvern's internationally known chamber choir, presents Memories of the Malvern Festival 1929-1939 at Malvern College’s Great Hall Saturday, October 20.

Peter Sutton is the narrator with Shulah Oliver, violin and viola, and Louise Vale, piano, performing works by Vaughan Williams and Elgar.

The choir sings music by Taverner, Byrd, Vaughan Williams, Stanford and Sir William Harris.

For more details of all the festival events, which includes talks, exhibitions, a film evening and more, visit malvernfestival.co.uk.