COMEDY
Three nights after the Last Night of the Proms, the Last Night of the Poms was a huge disappointment – which surprised me as I had so enjoyed its first outing 27 years ago! After all too brief introductions, both Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage launch into musical pieces – in the former’s [...]
Archive for the ‘Contemporary Music’ Category
The Rest of September
Posted in Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Opera, tagged Opera, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Comedy, Architecture on September 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Edinburgh Festival Blog 2009
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Opera, Theatre, Travel, World Music, tagged Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Opera, Theatre, Travel, World Music on August 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
FRIDAY
Well, it was a surreal start to the festival. I turned up at the appointed time at the Mercure Hotel for a ‘show’ by a Belgian company who had wowed last year. There were 4 others. We stood in a row, then a screen rose to reveal five others who proceeded to change places until they [...]
The Rest of August (in London)
Posted in Architecture, Art, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Photography, tagged Architecture, Art, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Photography on August 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
ART
A catch-up month!
Telling Tales is a small exhibition at the V&A where contemporary designers respond to three themes – forest glades, enchanted castles and heaven & hell – with narrative art / design works. It was quirky and intriguing, but I’m not sure I got the point! Radical Nature at the Barbican is an even [...]
Sing For Your Supper
Posted in Contemporary Music, Theatre, tagged Contemporary Music, Theatre on August 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The second compilation show of the summer – this time a slicker, more professional look at Rogers & Hart. Rogers, of course, invented the serious musical in his partnership with Hammerstein (Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Sound of Music…..) but before this, with Hart, he created some lighter funnier escapist fare.
This show included lots of less well [...]
Blink!
Posted in Contemporary Music, Theatre, tagged Contemporary Music, Theatre on August 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It’s August, so it’s time for a succesion of musical comilation shows!
This one is more original, being based on less successful shows, which is a great idea. It’s particularly timely, given the early colsure of Close to the Sun, another apparant turkey. In truth, some of the shows featured here were only unsuccessful on one side [...]
The Rest of July
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Film, Opera, Photography, tagged Opera, Art, Classical Music, Film, Contemporary Music, Photography on July 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Opera
L’Amour de loin is a strange concoction by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho; a 12th century love story played out at a distance between France and Lybia. The music is hypnotic in a Debussy-like way and the staging by a Swiss Italian better known for circus spectacles by Cirque Eloize and Cirque du Soleil includes a [...]
Manchester International Festival blog
Posted in Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Opera, Theatre, tagged Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Opera, Theatre on July 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is only the second MIF. The first, two years ago (it’s biennial), had one big coup – Damon Albarn / Jamie Hewlett’s ‘opera’ Monkey. This one has lots!
My visit started with It Felt Like A Kiss, a site specific installation / film / journey from Punchdrunk. This is the fourth of their shows I’ve [...]
The Rest of May
Posted in Art, Circus, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography, tagged Art, Circus, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Dance, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography on May 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
OPERA & CLASSICAL MUSIC
Handel’s Giustino, one of his 42 operas!, was given a very rare performance by Trinity College of Music in Wren’s wonderful Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich. The staging was a bit hit-and-miss but the singing was terrific. The venue has great acoustics and a wonderful atmosphere, but the pews proved a [...]
The Rest of April
Posted in Art, Contemporary Music, Film, Theatre, tagged Art, Contemporary Music, Film, Theatre on April 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
CINEMA
I really enjoyed The Damned United, a film about Brian Clough’s short time at Leeds United with another stunning portrayal of a real person by Michael Sheen. I found it more sympathetic to Clough than the backlash suggested.
In The Loop, Armando Ianucci’s big screen version of his BBC profile of spin doctors benefits from the [...]
The Rest of March
Posted in Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Opera, Photography, tagged Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Opera on March 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
MUSIC & OPERA
Only two operas and an oratorio in a musically lean two months! Dr Atomic at ENO would have been a much better opera if he’d cut it by 30 mins (especially in the more static first half). I liked the design and staging, the music is accessible and there are some very good [...]
