Debbie Gilpin - Page 6

1979 was quite a big year both politically and culturally, but Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark is perhaps one of the lesser known figures to emerge from that time – his Liberal opposite number Pierre Trudeau (or at the very least his son, Justin) is probably a more recognisable name.

It’s probably safe to assume that, for many people, December 2023 so far has not been “the most wonderful time of the year”; whether it’s miserable weather, unreliable train infrastructure, or any of the myriad other problems facing the world, the lead-up to this year’s Christmas festivities has not exactly been vintage. For one magical evening, however, Jamie Cullum managed to sweep that all aside and deliver a festive concert stuffed with pure joy.

There are plenty of Shakespeare books on the market already, it’s true – but there aren’t many out there quite like this one. Originally intended to be a series of conversations between Judi Dench and her friend & colleague Brendan O’Hea for the Globe’s archives, it became apparent that there was more than enough material to build an enlightening and entertaining book.

“There are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.” Peter Shaffer’s irreverent, yet at times poignant and thought-provoking, take on the relationship between Mozart and Salieri began life as a National Theatre production – its big screen adaptation garnered accolades following its 1984 release, and retains its popularity almost 40 years later.

Second World War stories seem to be in vogue at the moment (though did they ever really go away?), with Christopher Nolan’s juggernaut Oppenheimer emotionally draining cinema audiences across the globe, and Operation Mincemeat continuing to entertain audiences at the Fortune Theatre. Alan Brody’s Operation Epsilon follows in their footsteps, with Andy Sandberg’s production making its UK première at Southwark Playhouse’s new venue (Elephant).

Based on the memoir of the same name, The Little Big Things recounts the story of Henry Fraser's life-changing accident on holiday in Portugal, and how he subsequently came to embrace the person he became. The book has been adapted for the stage by Joe White, with music by Nick Butcher and lyrics by Butcher and Tom Ling; Luke Sheppard directs, and the creative team also worked closely with the Fraser family to aid in its development.

Mozart received the commission for this requiem under mysterious circumstances, a “messenger in black” brought the request and then refused to divulge who had sent him. The identity of the person commissioning the work was eventually revealed to be that of Count Franz von Walsegg, as he had recently lost his wife and wanted to commemorate her with a requiem - however, as Mozart didn’t start working on it until October 1791 (three months after the commission was sent), it remained unfinished upon his death in December that year. Several of Mozart’s pupils were charged with completing the composition, though the bulk of this work fell to Franz Xaver Süssmayr.

The Britten Sinfonia is unusual in the world of professional orchestras, in that they don’t have the now-traditional principal conductor as their figurehead, instead choosing to collaborate with leading exponents of the field. For this Prom, violinist Thomas Gould both played and acted as director; this harks back to the early days of orchestral performances, where the first violin tended to be the concertmaster - conductors only began to be more prevalent in the 19th century.

Founded in 2015, the Chineke! Orchestra made its Proms debut in the 2017 season and has been a regular feature of various festivals and concert series ever since; it is currently a resident orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Chineke!’s motto (“Championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music”) is reflected in both the make-up of their orchestra and the variety of compositions featured in this Prom - from Valerie Coleman all the way back to Joseph Haydn.

Last night’s performance consisted of a rendition of Francis Poulenc’s Figure humaine by the BBC Singers, as well as the London Symphony Orchestra tackling Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. A fitting pairing for something of a bittersweet evening, as it brings together words from the French Resistance and a tragic farewell from one of the foremost Romantic composers - Sir Simon Rattle conducted both pieces with aplomb.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s second outing at this year’s Proms celebrated the magic of movement, with varying degrees of dance in pieces by Stravinsky, Ravel, Gershwin, and a European première from Carlos Simon. Their programme took the audience back in time, beginning in the 2020s and ending in the 1910s; a century of music with a whole host of inspirations.

What was it about 1973? Already this year there have been events celebrating the 50th anniversaries of classic albums such as David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, and countless others – then last night at the Royal Albert Hall, the Jules Buckley Orchestra added to that list with their own tribute to Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions. The orchestra was joined throughout by multi-instrumentalist Cory Henry and Vula’s Chorale, as well as some extra special guests.

The power and majesty of the orchestra was at the heart of this Prom, with a well put-together programme that included the European première of a BBC co-commission and two early twentieth century compositions from two of Russia’s most famous musical sons. It also felt quite story-driven across the board, though significantly so in the headline piece.

After the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ performance of Beethoven’s theatrical fifth symphony last week, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra upped the ante by taking on Carl Orff’s cantata - which features another of classical music’s most iconic introductions.

“The Enigma I will not explain – its 'dark saying' must be left unguessed... further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme 'goes', but is not played.' Prom 14 turned out to be something of an enigmatic night across the board, with the listener left to interpret or speculate about the greater meaning of the work, and transported to magical planes via Beethoven’s Piano Concert No. 3 in C minor, Noriko Koide’s Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain, and Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations.

William Shakespeare famously wrote extensively about places which he had never visited, so why shouldn’t composers do the same? Of the four pieces performed in this Spain-themed Prom, only one of the composers was Spanish - the rest were French, and at least one of them (namely Claude Debussy) had to rely on accounts of Spain from native dancers, artists, and musicians, as he had never set foot in the country.

Works by “the old Ludwig van” – as A Clockwork Orange’s Alex would say – remain popular as part of the BBC Proms series, with this performance of his fifth symphony the second of eight Beethoven compositions on the programme this year – and this is probably the most famous of the lot. It was preceded by renditions of Sergey Rachmaninov’s Five Études-tableaux (making its Proms debut) and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto in G minor.

It’s the obvious legend to draw upon in our current age of police brutality, austerity, and the withdrawal of the right to protest - and when you have a stage surrounded by an almost-forest, it should be the perfect fit. This summer at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Carl Grose turns his attention to the retelling of Robin Hood, promising a hero unlike those you’ll have previously seen on the small and silver screen.

“You’re going out a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!” Ever since the pandemic forced theatres to close, then threw their return into jeopardy as actor after actor tested positive for COVID, and performances were either cancelled or more cover than normal was called on at short notice, the importance of the understudy has been back at the forefront of theatregoers’ minds. This is one very good reason for a new production to be mounted, just four years after the Theatre Royal Drury Lane version closed its doors.

“To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.” It appears that the Globe has a fondness for dreaming, as Shakespeare’s most performed play is back in the outdoor space for the third time in Michelle Terry’s tenure as Artistic Director.