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2024-04-24
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2024-03-23 09:49:00
Writing Italian-influenced music in the depths of Northamptonshire: organist William Whitehead on the music of English Baroque composer George Jeffreys
Solomon's Knot at Kirby HallThe Baroque collective, Solomon's Knot's recent disc on Prospero Classical [see my review] showcased the music of the almost forgotten 17th-century English composer George Jeffreys, revealing him as a remarkable talent, writing Italian-influenced music in the depths of darkest Northamptonshire during the Civil War. Born around 1610 and living until 1683, his lifetime coincided with a complex piece of English history; for most of his life he worked for Lord Hatton, much of the time at Hatton's seat of Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire. For the recent recording, featuring 16 pieces by Jeffreys, Solomon's Knot included organist William Whitehead for recording sessions at Kirby Hall (now in the care of English Heritage). I recently chatted to William about Jeffreys' and his music, and how the recording came about, as well as touching on William's passion project, the Orgelbuchlein project, a modern-day completion of Bach's youthful collection of chorale […]
2024-02-29 07:43:00
One of the oldest-established festivals in the UK, the Norfolk & Norwich comes round in the merry month of May.
The giant puppet from L’Homme Debout’s Mo and The Red Ribbon which will roam the streets of NorwichOne of the oldest-established festivals in the UK, the Norfolk & Norwich (running for an astonishing 17 days in the merry month of May from Friday 10th to Sunday 26th) offers a cultural package like no other taking in music, drama, literature, circus, outdoor and family events as well as the all-important visual arts. Artists from round the world and across the region will gather in Norwich and, indeed, across the county to present a huge variety of work and events in a programme featuring a host of ‘stories’ providing guided routes through the festival and bringing together shows and events that share common themes. For instance, Lucy McCormick’s Lucy and Friends, an anarchic cry for help, subverts the normal dynamic between audience and performer. Sitting in the Whisper & Shout section of a wide […]
2023-10-02 09:01:18
Theatre Royal, BathThe tenor’s gift for narrative transforms each of these songs by Britten and Schubert into a tiny drama, with elegant accompaniment from the pianistWhen Deborah Warner took over as artistic director of the Ustinov Studio at Bath’s Theatre Royal, she announced her intention of programming opera, dance and song alongside theatre. Launching her second season there, tenor Ian Bostridge gave a memorable recital, proving just how appropriate a space it is for such performances. The Ustinov is small and darkly intimate, and Bostridge and his pianist, Julius Drake, used the acoustic to great effect, with a pianissimo that would be impossible in most venues carrying wonderfully here.Recently recovered from a Chest infection, Bostridge exercised caution and abandoned the demands of Britten’s Michelangelo Sonnets in favour of a Schubert sequence, while retaining the cycle Winter Words, Op 52, setting eight poems by Thomas Hardy and first performed by Britten […]
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