Concerts returned to Blenheim Palace’s Great Court for the first time in a decade in 2015. Headline acts Van Morrison, Gregory Porter and Ludovico Einaudi performed as part of Nocturne, the first joint venture between Neapolitan Live Events and Universal Music Group’s new live music division, U-Live.
Set up in 2002 by former UMG head of legal and business affairs Ciro Romano (pictured), Neapolitan boasts record label and management arms and also operates the Love Supreme Jazz Festival, in partnership with Jazz FM.
This year’s Nocturne Live line-up is headed by Elton John, The Corrs and Jack Savoretti from 23-26 June, along with Ennio Morricone’s first ever UK show outside London, in the second of a five-year deal with the Oxfordshire venue. Located eight miles out of Oxford, the 300-year-old palace is a World Heritage site and is one of the UK’s most famous stately homes
“It just so happened that I was at Blenheim Palace one day and as I was walking by the Great Court I thought that would be a great place to have concerts,” Romano told Music Week. “I discovered afterwards that they had had concerts there in the past by Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Jamie Cullum and Diana Ross, but I think the Palace just didn’t want to do it anymore, so I went to meet them and convinced them it would be a good idea.
“It’s a joint venture with Universal – they’re my partner and I work with them very closely on Nocturne. I used to work at Universal many years ago, so obviously I have quite strong connections there, but I’d never worked with them on live music before.”
The 10,000-capacity concert series did a roaring trade in its first year and Romano is confident of building upon that success. “Ticket sales have been strong and there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm locally in Oxfordshire for concerts going back to the Palace,” he says. “The concerts being within the courtyard was the key to a really successful first year. You can turn up earlier in the day and walk through the Palace grounds. We also offer special VIP tickets where you can have a three-course dinner in the palace, you come out for the first act, you go back for the interval for more drinks and even after the main act you can go back into the palace and keep drinking.
“Elton is perfect for the Palace environment and we’re selling very well for that show. But Einaudi last year was just unbelievable; we couldn’t believe how well it sold. I’d like to think that we could also do more modern stuff. There is a certain amount of acts that would still work in that environment and, in addition to superstars like Elton, I’ve been also looking at getting more contemporary artists as well.”
He adds: “We want people to come to see it as an event and not just a concert, something that people can come to early and spend the day there, as opposed to just going to see Elton John.
“When you go and see an artist in a normal hall, that’s great because you love the artist, but being able to wander around a World Heritage site like Blenheim beforehand and go to the Palace, it creates a broader, more enjoyable experience. You’re getting much more for your money, it’s a very special place.”
With Jazz FM, Neapolitan founded the 15,000-capacity Love Supreme Festival in Glynde Place, East Sussex, in 2013, with support from Ingenious. The inaugural event featured artists including Jools Holland, Bryan Ferry, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers and Brand New Heavies. Perhaps not the most obvious jazz festival line-up, but Romano explains: “As well as the cream of international jazz acts, we’ve also had the likes of Van Morrison, Chaka Khan, Jamie Cullum and Earth Wind & Fire.
“We have a broader audience offering but with some kind of link into soul and jazz – there has to be some sort of link musically. It just has to have some sort of jazz DNA basically. Jazz music anchors the festival, but if you look at a lot of the similar festivals worldwide, the really good ones have strong jazz offerings along with a much broader palette, so that it’s not too niche.”
Set for July 1-3, the 2016 festival will feature acts such as Grace Jones, Burt Bacharach, Lianne La Havas, Caro Emerald, Melody Gardot and Kelis. “As long as there is demand, we’ll grow, but we want to keep the ethos that we’ve grown at Love Supreme, which is that it’s a very friendly festival,” he stresses.
Going forward, one of Romano’s main targets is to continue to carve distinct identities for both events. “The first challenge is always securing artists, because it’s a very competitive market, then the second thing is establishing your brand.
“But the number one hope is to secure high quality talent every year, that’s the most important thing for me – everything flows from that.”