Britten Sinfonia/Sinfonia Smith Square review – quiet fervour and formal grace
The programme was sombre and beautifully constructed. The main work was Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum, Messiaen's great memorial to the dead of both world wars. It was commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of the second, and is still an essential reminder, another 60 years on, of the necessity of hope in dark times. It was prefaced by other 20th-century works reflecting on conflict. The echoes of both Russian Orthodox church music and The Rite of Spring that lurk behind Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments suggest a world lost to revolution and exile, while his Mass, written in the US between 1944 and 1948, moves from hard-edged austerity towards a chilly peace, tentative at best. Poulenc's Quatre Motets Pour un Temps de Pénitence, only three of them sung here, date from early 1939, their surface calm barely concealing deep unease at impending crisis.
Ritual elements rightly predominated in performances. Daniel's way with the closing sections of Symphonies of Wind Instruments proved extraordinarily moving, as the music moves towards sad resignation. The Mass was a thing of quiet fervour and formal grace, beautifully sung and played. The reverberant acoustic of St George's Cathedral, Southwark, can sometimes swallow definition and detail in Stravinsky. The vast hieratic ceremonials of Et Exspecto, in contrast, expanded and resonated superbly into the space in an interpretation of intense solemnity, superb control and, at times, cataclysmic loudness. Merton College choir sounded beautiful in the motets: Duruflé's Ubi Caritas et Amor was particularly exquisite. And Daniel also gave us a transcription for oboe of Messiaen's Vocalise-étude, originally a conservatoire test piece for soprano and piano, done with exquisite tone, extraordinary lyrical poise and wonderful depth of feeling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
8 hours ago
- Time Out
After 117 years, Downtown L.A.'s iconic Cole's French Dip is shutting down
It's one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles, one of two debated originators of the French Dip and the birthplace of a cornerstones of the city's contemporary cocktail scene. But come next month, Cole's will permanently close its doors. The Downtown L.A. restaurant, a 6th Street mainstay since 1908 that's easily spotted by its neon sign, will cease operations on August 3, 2025. The news surfaced over the weekend—first spotted by DTLA Weekly —and since then, Eater spoke with owner Cedd Moses, who confirmed the plans and cited the lingering impacts of the pandemic, the dual writers and actors strikes, rising costs and local bureaucracy. 'We have cherished our time serving the Downtown community, and will continue to craft great drinks and our renowned French dip sandwiches until we shutter,' Moses said in a statement shared with the publication. If you ever sat in one of Cole's shiny red booths over a late-night plate of garlic fries and an old-fashioned, then you already probably have some sense of the history here, from its famed French dip to its frequent appearances in film and TV (perhaps most beautifully shot on Mad Men) to its purported regulars: Plaques in the men's room boast that gangster Mickey Cohen and novelist Charles Bukowski 'pissed here' (as seen in my photo below from a 2014 visit—so excuse the decade-old smartphone quality). Cole's started service in 1908 as a sandwich shop and bar on the ground floor of the Pacific Electric Building, then a terminal on L.A.'s extensive streetcar system. Though the Red Car eventually went away, Cole's persisted, and as it entered its second century in service, it found a new place in L.A.'s culinary scene. Moses's ownership group Pouring With Heart (then 213 Hospitality) scooped up the venue in the aughts and unveiled its renovation in 2008; a year later, the Varnish began serving some of the city's finest cocktails in the backroom, an early entry among L.A.'s contemporary crop of speakeasy-style bars (it shuttered last year). But its biggest claim to fame just might be as the inventor of the French dip—supposedly. As the story goes, back in 1908 chef Jack Garlinghouse dipped a hand-carved sandwich into the meat's juices to soften up the French bread, and thus the French dip was born. But Chinatown's Philippe the Original, which opened in 1908 as well, also lays claim to the French dip, when a decade later one was accidentally dropped into a roasting pan. So which is the actual originator? Because there's no hard evidence in either's camp, we'll likely never know.
Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning was monumental – but I left disappointed
As I entered Birmingham's Villa Park stadium just before 12pm on Saturday to see Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning concert – Black Sabbath's last, and one of the biggest heavy metal shows of all time – an excited steward informed us that we were in for some huge surprises. But when I asked (only half joking) if there would be any more women joining the line-up, he kept quiet – I assumed because he didn't want to ruin the surprise. Unfortunately, I later figured out that the answer to my question would have been a resounding no. Back to the Beginning was nothing short of monumental for metalheads like me. It was a 'who's who' of the rock and metal scene, with countless artists joining forces to pay tribute to the founding fathers of the genre as we know it. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler – the bandmates who make up Black Sabbath – laid the foundations for hundreds of artists to follow in their footsteps when they started in Birmingham over half a century ago, and they certainly went out with a bang. From relatively new artists like Yungblud and Rival Sons, to veterans of the scene including Guns N' Roses and Metallica, the line up was completely packed with 10 hours' worth of live music from over 14 different bands and special guests. And yet, among all of that, only two women took to the stage all day. Don't get me wrong, I am so incredibly lucky to have witnessed the music event of a lifetime and ticked some huge names off my musical bucket list. It is a night I will remember forever and I'll always be grateful to have attended. But I couldn't help but want more. While my mum was most excited for metal legends Metallica, it was Halestorm that I was most looking forward to. Lzzy Hale's powerhouse vocals are enough to knock anyone's socks off, and I'd argue she is one of the greatest vocalists of this generation. Pair that with her screams and ability to shred both guitar and piano – all while embracing her femininity in sky-high stilettos – and I have never not been in awe watching her perform. It took me until an embarrassingly long time after we'd secured our tickets to realise that Halestorm were the only female-fronted band on the entire line-up. On the day, French band Gojira were joined on stage by Marina Viotti to perform Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!), who again wowed the crowd with her impressive vocals. But while both artists blew me away, they barely scratched the surface of what the industry has to offer. The event was about celebrating Black Sabbath and their impact on the music industry. However, their impact has been far further reaching than this line-up gave them credit for. The heavy metal genre has only expanded over the years, embracing changes with sub-genres like nu-metal and symphonic metal. In the early days, the genre was dominated by men – and Saturday's line-up would have you believe that it still is. But there is so much more to it than that. Women have fought tirelessly to have their voices heard and make a name for themselves as rock and metal artists, and yet they face huge obstacles in being taken seriously by predominantly male audiences. Take Evanescence as an example. Led by powerhouse vocalist and pianist-extraordinaire Amy Lee, their performance at Download Festival in 2007 saw them placed on the bill just below headliners Iron Maiden, thanks to their meteoric rise to fame four years earlier with their iconic hit Bring Me to Life. With an audience full of Iron Maiden supporters, Amy Lee made an impassioned speech about her right to be there, while highlighting that they were the only female-fronted act on the line-up all day. Thankfully, things have improved significantly since then, with their 2023 performance on the second stage at Download drawing in crowds so large some people were unable to see the stage. Amy Lee has previously credited Ozzy and Black Sabbath with 'making darkness cool'. With Amy, in turn, having been credited with opening the door for other female-fronted metal bands to hit the mainstream, an appearance from her in one of Tom Morello's supergroups would have made complete sense. And she isn't the only one. The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen can more than hold her own in front of a crowd of classic metalheads, having supported AC/DC on their most recent European tour, all while recovering from being bitten by a bat during one of the early shows. Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel drew in an enormous crowd at this year's Download Festival – as did Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante. From rock legends Heart to up-and-coming artists like Hawxx, BEX, Mothica and Cassyette, there is so much female talent to be heard in the genre. In this Moment's Maria Brink, Jinjer's Tatiana Shmayluk, Linkin Park's Emily Armstrong, Halocene's Addie Amick, and the Nova Twins are just a few of the names making waves in the metal scene. Any one of the artists listed above could have held their own among the other heavy hitters of the Back to the Beginning line-up. It feels like a disservice to the extent of Black Sabbath's legacy to leave out such a significant demographic of performers. While the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Tool have all rightfully earned their place on that stage, and brought the house down with it, it seems impossible to fully pay tribute to the founders of metal without embracing the future. More Trending Black Sabbath created heavy metal. Now, having played their final show, it is time to pass the baton to the next generation of performers, and the truth is, a huge proportion of them are women. Hugely talented women, at that. Yes, we've come a long way, but Back to the Beginning is proof that we're nowhere near the end. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: For SEND parents, scrapping EHCPs would be like cutting our oxygen MORE: I had a miscarriage – no one should be forced to work through it MORE: Black Sabbath final show sparks backlash after 'scumbag' musician's appearance
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Exceptional and fast-moving' survival thriller is now streaming for free - as viewers binge-watch every episode in just days
'Exceptional and fast-moving' survival thriller The Devil's Leap is now available to stream for free online. Fans of the four-part series have confessed that they have binge-watched every episode in just a number of days. The show is also dubbed Le Saut du Diable in French as it originally hit our screens in France four years ago. The TV movie, directed by Abel Ferry, follows the story of climbing guide Paul (Philippe Bas) and her daughter Sara (Maïra Schmitt) as they embark on a new adventure that ends up going very wrong. The duo are joined by Armelle Deutsch as Audrey, Laurent Maurel as Fred Bessans and Yann Pradal as Marco Caizzi. IMBD's official synopsis reads: 'Paul goes on a mountain hike with his daughter Sara for her birthday. 'But the idyllic excursion into nature turns into a fight for survival for the two of them,' IMBD's official synopsis reads. And now many will be happy to know that they can watch the full thing on Channel 4's official synopsis reads: 'Fast-moving French thriller from Walter Presents. 'Climbing guide Paul takes his antagonistic teenage daughter Sara on a trek which pits them against killers after she witnesses a murder.' Many have rushed online to share their rave reviews about it. Good House Keeping described it as 'exceptional', while another said on Google review: 'An exciting film with beautiful exterior shots. It's enjoyable to watch without being a masterpiece.' 'Solid action in a great setting...a few weaknesses but ok so far.....' 'The film impresses with its short but beautiful landscape shots.' Some viewers took to online platforms to share their thoughts over the movie - and many were very positive According to Metro, another said: 'Binge watching the French series The Devil's Leap starring Philippe Bas and Maïra Schmitt. The scenery is awesome.' Meanwhile some others have shared their more negative opinions on the movie. 'And I just saw there is a sequel to this? Well I doubt I will be watching that anytme soon... too much on my watchlist ...' 'There were quite a few logical holes in the film.' 'Not special and boring.' The likes of Olivier Sa, Sébastien Thirion, Denis Braccini, Dorylia Calmel and Thomas Di Genova are also stars of the movie. The show is produced by Philippe Bas, Christophe Louis and Iris Strauss. It was then followed on by Le saut du diable 2: Le sentier de loups. In English it reads Devil's Leap 2: The Wolf Trail and dropped in 2022. The film, which is 1 hour and 23 minutes long, is directed by Julien Seri and written by Tigran Rosine, Anatasia Heinzl and Julien Seri. It stars Philippe Bas, Maïra Schmitt and Benjamin Baroche.
