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By Alan, on December 29th, 2011
 Only six short years before Weill wrote the The Threepenny Opera with its sharp Marxist edges, he wrote Zaubernacht, a simple story about children who see their toys spring to life. This sweet score was only recently rediscovered, and what really brings this new production to life is the inventive and witty staging courtesy of Aletta Collins and an excellent conductor in James Holmes.
Weill’s original score was a success in both New York and Berlin, then slipped into obscurity. It was in 2005 that a set of the orchestral parts were discovered in Yale University library, which led to the work being brought back to the stage. It is a very slight, light work that has a sinewy orchestration and a delightfully perky song from the fairy that causes the toys to come to life.
This production is aimed at a family audience, and Collins has firmly updated the story. The children have a squabble and are sent to bed in a modern bedroom with bunk beds covered in cartoon duvet covers which have been designed by Rachael Canning. Praise must be given to the child performers who are at the same time relaxed and spontaneous, whether they are bickering, playing games or getting into the adventure.
Lorena Randi dances as the mother, and she makes a good performance of being visibly exhausted and sends them back to bed again. The characterisation of the toys are brilliantly portrayed through both their body language and the costumes from Gabrielle Dalton.
Thomasin Gulgec’s toy monkey is missing his tail and has instead a tuft of stuffing, and the manufacturer’s label sticking out of the seam on his back. He wriggles feet first from the toy box then clambers clumsily around the entire room. Alessandra Ruggeri is Tumble Tot, a baby doll who is unnervingly flexible and rolls around on bandy legs clad in a blue babygro.
Owen Ridley-Demonck’s mighty robot strikes numerous noble poses, while all the while greeting to Earth are flashing up on the screen on his chest, while Greig Cook is a retro toy called Sir Green Knight, who swashes his sword bravely but isn’t quite in keeping with the modern world.
The entire work in unerringly charming and it is a real treat for the audience, and one of the best reworkings of an old story that has hit the stage in many a year.
By Alan, on December 22nd, 2011
 It seems that even some of our most revered pieces of classical music aren’t safe from the busybodies in Brussels. Some of the greatest works ever that have their place in the heart of European culture and composed by the likes of Vivaldi, Purcell and Bach may soon be unable to be heard as the composers intended. This is all thanks to an EU ruling which restricts the manufacture of cow gut to use as instrument strings.
Violins and cellos with such strings are played by specialist musicians to replicate the way that the music would have sounded when it was originally composed between 1650 and 1750. New and strict controls regarding raw materials from cows are now threatening this centuries old technique of instrument making.
Campaigners against the ruling state that in order to catch Creutzfeldt-Jakob, or mad cow, diseases from strings that had come from an infected animal, you would have to swallow several yards of string. Carolyn Clarke works for the manufacturer Bow Brand in Kings Lynn, Norfolk and she says that the gut is first bleached and then varnished during string making, it poses to risks to humans, and why would anyone eat a harp string?
Viktoria Mullova, a violinist who uses Guadagnini violin with gut strings from 1750,says that banning these strings is akin to telling pop stars they can no longer use a microphone. Those potentially affected by this new ruling are the European Union Baroque Orchestra, and a spokesman for the British based ensemble has said that ceasing production of gut strings would be catastrophic and they would have to close down.
By Alan, on December 21st, 2011
 The Australian Chamber Orchestra are currently midway through a whirlwind European tour, which included a royal performance for Prince Charles. The orchestra, with its 7 wind and 17 string players has already delighted audiences in London, Birmingham and Vienna, under the expert direction of Richard Tognetti.
There remaining performances include Antwerp in Belgium, Amsterdam, Wilhelmshaven in Germany, Luxembourg and the Swiss city of Basel. The troup are expected to present their wide repertoire of works from composers such as Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Mozart.
Ivan Hewett is a reporter from the Daily Telegraph newspaper, and he reviewed their London performance saying that although one doesn’t normally associate orchestras with being stylish, the Australian Chamber Orchestra has it in abundance. The orchestra performed for Prince Charles on December 12 in St James’ Palace state apartments, some 170 guests attended the concert which was followed by a grand reception.
By Alan, on December 15th, 2011
 A production of Hansel and Gretel has recently been put on by the Northern Ireland Opera at the Belfast Grand Opera House. The opera had a contemporary setting but the themes of the production date back as far as the story itself.
The story was written in the late 19th Century and has been remade for a modern audience and this one is a pantomime production. The cast were very well-balanced and the translation work for the singing was perfect. The audience were instantly drawn into the whole production and it was immediately very effective. The audience wanted action and they got it from the very first moment.
Saving money is a big part of the production and many items on the stage were transformed simply by the dreams of the characters. The details in the production are also excellent and you can see that the fridge magnets have been rearranged to spell “Satan gender hell.” Hansel and Gretel are played by Niamh Kelly and Aoife O’Sullivan respectively, and they are seduced in the performance by dreams of gobstoppers, cream cakes and licorice.
This production of Hansel and Gretel suggests that the parents of the children are not very good, and this is a move away from the original story where was left unclear whether they were bad parents or if they had simply fallen on hard times. Whether this production is an opera, a pantomime or a Freudian essay it does not matter and the Northern Ireland Opera continue with a run of excellent performances.
Elsewhere, the Australian chamber Orchestra recently performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall being led by conductor Richard Tognetti. The orchestra is currently on a European tour and this is the second stop they have made in the UK. The production of the music is excellent and there is a real liveliness to the musicians performing. Some might regard the music as a little brash but it is certainly gripping and you will find yourself rather excited by the performance.
The first concert in 50 Years of Minimalism is a performance of the 1960s work by Terry Riley. The concert sold out and is a long production and the music is excellent, in fact many people might find that the concert just goes on for too long and it is almost an assault of music on the senses. The theme of the performance is minimalism and this is rather well done although some points the entire thing seems a bit mystifying.
One of the earliest examples of proper minimalism was the Balinese Ceremonial Music for Two Pianos and was written in the mid-1930s. This was another excellent production put on by the orchestra and despite a minor slipup in the performance recently it was altogether a very good production.
By Alan, on December 11th, 2011
 Matthew Bourne has rejuvenated ballet by giving classic tales his own eccentric slant, as his latest production which brings ancient vampire like creatures by putting his own twilight like stamp on Sleeping Beauty looks set to be another success. This has just been announced as the latest project for the 51 year old choreographer, and Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet from 1889 will debut in its new guise in December 2012 at Sadler’s Wells.
The story will take us from the 19th century right up until the present day, and the dashing lead is portrayed as a creature with vampire like qualities, thus allowing him to survive the century that his beloved sleeps for. Bourne has said that Aurora, the heroine, will be part fairy who falls under the influence of her vampiric beau, which suggests that this production will be as ground breaking as his previous works.
Bourne told the Independent that you can’t ignore the fact that Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale, but that also gives you the artistic licence to go where you want with the story. He added that he would be adding a few new twists to the much loved story and that there would be little to recognise in the plot which may also feature the 2012 Olympics.
The choreographer who hails from Hackney is perhaps the biggest name in British dance today. His 1995 ground breaking production of Swan Lake, which has all male swans, is the longest running ballet in the history of the west end.
Tamara Rojo is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, and she has said that Bourne’s most important talent is being able to bring dance to those audiences who wouldn’t normally have been interested in going to the ballet, and she added that he was one of the main reasons that dance was enjoying such a purple patch in the UK at the moment.
Bourne staged many amateur ballets in his youth and got a taste for the west end when he was a serious autograph hunter. After taking various temp jobs, he was granted a place in 1982 at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. He gained his place partly due to his enthusiasm and after graduating from his Adventures in Motion Pictures dance company, its name jokingly referring to Bourne’s cinematic style of choreography.
He is much admired by his peers, in particular his ability to imagine scenes as if he was looking through a lens. His former business partner David Massingham, who is now th e co-artistic director of the Birmingham International Dance Festival has said of Bourne that his productions are theatrical concepts that contain dancing, not the other way around as was expected.
Bourne’s own company are also celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2012, and will be enjoying a series of performances at London’s Sadler’s Wells, which will culminate with this latest production.
By Alan, on December 3rd, 2011
 Two shows are coming to Malvern from a ground breaking opera company that nurtures opera stars of the future. The first show from the Co Opera Company is the passionate opera Carmen, penned by George Bizet. This opera, a edge of the seat mix of sex and death outraged its initial audiences in 1875, but is now one of the most popular operas in the world.
The following night the audience will be treated to the fantasy opera from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Magic Flute. This is set in a mythical land that is somewhere between the moon and the sun, and see Tamino set out on a journey to rescue the lovely Pamina.
The production by Christopher Newell brings the fanciful story to life that consists of both high ideals and low comedy. Both performances start at 7.30pm and are being sung in English and accompanies by a 15 piece orchestra. The tickets are £17.50 but you can see both of them for £25. Information and tickets can be obtained by calling 01684 892277, alternatively, go to malvern-theatres.co.uk.
The plans are forging ahead for a musical to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, and the final night of the week long show that is at the Swan Theatre in Worcester next April is already sold out. The staging of Titanic:The Musical is timed to coincide with the moment that, on the 14th April 1912 , the supposedly unsinkable ship collided with an iceberg and sank into the icy seas of the North Atlantic.
Steve Cook is the chairman of OOPS, the One Off Performance Society, and he has said that it’s amazing that months ahead of the tragic sinking the last night performance is already sold out. OOPS was set up by a group of local musicians and actors to mark the disasters centenary anniversary.
By Alan, on December 3rd, 2011
 As the overture of Wagner’s Tannhauser raised the curtain, the venus like Renee Fleming arrived is a swathe of bronze and black layered chiffon. In keeping with what she was about to sing, Strauss Four Last Songs, she was dressed like a countess. Nobody can make an entrance or wear a dress quite like Fleming can, she is a star in the true sense of the world, and she is flaunting what she has most definitely got.
She certainly flaunted Strauss, and where once there was a time that words were secondary to the effusions of sounds, they are now dealt with with such care it borders on obsession. The words are articulated, pointed, and artfully coloured, as Schwarzkopf would, and the chesting on such words as nacht makes it sound conversational yet operatic at the same time.
The fabulous sounds emitting from Fleming win out in the end, and in Fruhling, the first song, the melisma of the word wunder, or miracle, is a moment of glory. Her unguarded spirit also takes flight during Beim Schlafengehen, where you finally get the feeling that the music is carrying Fleming rather that the other way around.
In September we get a halting rubato in the middle stanza, while the valedictory Im Abendrot had the customary long breath, and then some more. This singer is much loved for her bel canto values, and it is with relish that audiences flock to see her perform with her fabulous instrument, but sadly this is simply too contrived and fussy to be moving.
The London Philharmonic Audience played absolutely beautifully, and Christoph Eschenbach excellently shadowed and accommodated the every nuance of Fleming, and if there was any doubt at all the ensuing Beethoven 7 would be coloured by the Strauss these worries were quickly dispelled.
By Alan, on November 25th, 2011
 Only four more shows will take place on the current bill at the Royal Ballet. The shows being put on right now are particularly spectacular and even for people who are not a great fan of watching dance it would be a well recommended event to attend.
The dance performances currently on show give a history of what British ballet has been like but also an idea of where it is going to be heading in the future.
There are three pieces currently being performed and each is rather similar but not in a boring way. Instead the productions come together to form a very coherent performance that does not have enough repetition to be boring. The performances are of a very high quality and anyone in attendance will recognise this.
The oldest work being performed is won by Frederick Ashton which is called Enigma Variations and was created in 1968. The score of the production is by Elgar and it involves complicated pyrotechnic effects and is an incredibly moving production that is almost free of any dancing restraint.
In the production Elgar is played by Christopher Saunders who does an exceptional job, he portrays an emotional and dignified Elgar that is entirely believable and very captivating for the audience. The other two main dancers in the production perform equally well alongside Saunders and make the whole show and emotionally moving ballet.
Ed Watson plays Troyte in the ballet and he is probably too tall for the role but he does a great job of it and you soon get over the height issue. Thomas Whitehead and Jonathan Howells do very well as the two eccentrics and Roberta Marquez puts on an excellent performance as the enchanting character of Dorabella.
Once the melancholy has died down the audience get to explore Glorias despair on a wonderful set which is incredibly focused and has the dancers retreating and emerging from a trench on the stage. The standout performances in this production are Carlos Acosta who plays the role of Wayne Eagling and does an excellent job of portraying how contorted and tortured he is by the experiences he has had.
Jennifer Penney is played by Sarah Lamb and she does an excellent job as an emblem of whatWaynehas lost. A non-narrative work opens the evening set to the double piano Concerto by Poulenc and stars Liam Scarlet, and this production is Asphodel Meadows. This was a production that many people thought was spectacular at its premiere especially considering the other productions that were out at the time which were generally below average.
Even now, with the show on another run and it being surrounded by other fine pieces of ballet, rather than something more mediocre, it still is capable of captivating the audience and remains an excellent piece of ballet. In fact, this production might be even better now that it has had some time to mature and develop. It’s depiction of love and relationships is exceptional and will really make the audience think.
By Alan, on November 9th, 2011
 The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra led by director Riccardo Chailly are known for their furious momentum while playing at high speed that follows a gallop, pound, and then vroom with each staccato pounded out with surprising accuracy and precision but leaving a mark on those listening similar to as if they had heard a gun fire. Thus, the result is both nerve-racking and incredibly captivating which makes it a treat for orchestra fans with a strong heart.
Chailly is a musician with quite a bit of experience, known for last thirty years for performances with the German orchestra, and although Roger Norrington and John Elliot Gardiner also treated audiences to Beethoven cycles in the eighties and nineties it is Chailly who has really taken the cycles to a new level.
However, it can be debated that since the Gewandhaus orchestra has been performing Beethoven cycles since 1825 if any group of musicians should know how the cycles should be played it would be them helping to offer a reason for just how loud and big the cycles become.
For instance, the fifth symphony has been played with many different durations with the Otto Klemperre forty minute version considered to be a bit extreme, but Chailly chooses to play it for thirty minutes which makes it much more invigorating and fast paced then the longer gentle version tends to be. In fact, last week he choose to place the fifth and the seventh symphonies next to each other creating a fast and clear texture that was controlled and beautifully executed.
By Alan, on November 7th, 2011
 Many people who went to see Legally Blonde would probably regard it as one of the best musicals of the year, unfortunately when you see such a great musical it can mean all others pale in comparison for quite some time. The new musical, Three Sisters, was in danger of falling victim to Legally Blonde’s success.
However, the production is incredibly well done and in terms of sheer enjoyment it is excellent. The performance is wonderfully uplifting and you will feel in a much better mood after leaving the theatre. Three Sisters is based on the film Sister Act that starred Whoopi Goldberg and many people might also think that making it into a musical production would be a challenge.
Even if it was, this is something the company embrace and you will feel that the musical version has so much more than the original movie. The songs being performed live in the theatre bring another dimension to the story.
Doloris is a wannabe singer and one day she walks in on her boyfriend gangster committing a murder and she goes to the police to report it. At the police station she meets someone she used to go to school with and they decide to offer her protection from the gangsters by shielding her in the local convent.
The convent is going through hard times and the money that the police give them housing Doloris helps a great deal. The mother in charge of the convent tells a small lie so that the sisters don’t know who Doloris really is.
If you have seen the movie you will probably know the rest of the storyline, Doloris works with the choir in the convent and helps turn them into a music phenomenon. This causes sensation and many people come to the church where they donate money to the cause.
This musical production has a very polished feel and see several new actors being cast but despite this none of them are a weak link. As mother Superior, Denise Black does an excellent job and her facial expressions express so much of her troubled inner self. Michael Stark also stars and his American accent never falters as he plays the promoter of the choir.
Deloris is played by Cynthia Erivo and her acting, dancing and singing are stunning, audiences will really get the feeling that she has found exactly where she belongs, the stage.
Even smaller members of the cast are memorable and the various cronies have moments where they really steal the stage. The phenomenal acting and direction is in no way let down by the exemplary choreography, music, and lighting. The sets are also wonderfully constructed and are a touch of genius.
There is no question that this is one of the best musicals this winter, if not the best. If you only have a budget set aside to see one musical this year then it should be Three Sisters, a musical that will leave you feeling truly uplifted.
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Only six short years before Weill wrote the The Threepenny Opera with its sharp Marxist edges, he wrote Zaubernacht, a simple story about children who see their toys spring to life. This sweet score was only recently rediscovered, and what really brings this new production to life is the inventive and witty staging courtesy of Aletta Collins and an excellent conductor in James Holmes.
