No Friend but the Mountains at Barbican: 'speaks powerfully to the plight of refugees'
It's not exactly Tennyson, but it's more elevated than any WhatsApp messages I've ever received. Lines about a young girl at the beach — 'She is free/She is innocent/She is like the cool gentle breeze on this sunny day' — draw warm string textures from Styles irradiated by wind and brass. Reflective passages such as these mark the most successful moments of the score. Another is the halo of upper choral voices for the taste of freedom in the eleventh of the twelve songs — another visionary moment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
16 minutes ago
- Times
I'm fighting my ovaries with maths. Can we afford a second child?
'SISTAHHHH! SIIIIISTAAAAHH!' Wow. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. The baby doll that went AWOL during the house move, formerly a background character to the main cast of toys, has been upgraded to sibling. Cute. I am reassured by the tight embrace my son has his sister-doll wrapped in (a friend's kid took a wooden hammer to her Tiny Tears), but I also feel guilty. Because the jury's still out on whether Baby: The Sequel will be commissioned. A few pals are in the same boat. First-time parents in our mid-thirties, we're conscious of the ticking clock and get all gooey-eyed when our phones ping with throwback photos from the newborn days, but we also wonder if we can realistically afford to do it again. In Scotland we pay twice as much for childcare as parents in England. My son's part-time nursery fees are just shy of £1,000 a month because he's under three and not yet eligible for funded early learning. Statutory maternity pay is so dismal — I'm self-employed and received about £750 a month for nine months, which is the norm — that taking a decent amount of time off work isn't viable without a generous employer, healthy savings pot or high-earning partner. Plus, an employment break can dent your career prospects. Motherhood penalty and all that. • What changed when I had a baby? Around the world in four mothers' stories I realise 1) how lucky I am to have a kid. He's the best. And 2) how utterly joyless it is to crack open a spreadsheet before getting between the bedsheets (sorry, sorry). But I doubt I'm the only one fighting my ovaries with maths. Only-child families are becoming more common in the UK and it's thought that by 2031, half of all families in this country will be raising just one child. Financial pressures aren't the only driving factor, of course. We're starting families later in life; we're less inclined to buy into the myth that only children are spoiled/selfish/strange (Musk, Bezos and Trump all have brothers and sisters, fyi); some cite environmental concerns as a reason not to expand their brood. Being one-and-done is a valid choice. Just a shame it's sometimes being made for us. Eighteen emails, 15 text messages, 51 Instagram messages, 37 WhatsApp messages and a LinkedIn message. Not a rundown of the communications I've received from HelloFresh this week but the number of times Philip Braat, a former lord provost of Glasgow, contacted his ex-partner in the aftermath of their break-up. Braat — nominative determinism strikes again — has pleaded guilty to stalking, which will hopefully encourage others to recognise this all-too-common form of harassment for what it is. What's more shocking about Rod Stewart: that he's pro-Farage, or that he now looks identical to a woman who worked in my local Woolies in the Nineties? Bet a few Lanarkshire residents had to switch off his Glasto set after experiencing the Pavlovian urge to raid a pick'n'mix. 'Tis the season to acquire a Scottish island. Two million quid will buy you Inchmarnock, near Rothesay, but if you've got more to splash then I'm quite taken by the Hebridean island of Shuna (£5.5 million, has own castle). Just don't rub your neighbours up the wrong way by making inquiries as to whether it's possible to introduce heated jets to a pocket of the sea for a more temperate wild swim, as one uber-rich island owner is rumoured to have done a few years ago. After a new selection of Scottish words joined the Oxford English Dictionary last week, I looked up a few others and noticed the dictionary pulls examples of use from social media. I wonder if @johnburns90 knows that below the word 'toalie' is his tweet: 'Just done a toley at work on my lunch hour.' I think we'd be friends.
Metro
29 minutes ago
- Metro
Emmerdale's Paddy left sobbing and bereft after Bear's horrifying act
An attempt at a kind gesture leads to disaster for Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) in Emmerdale soon as he's rushed to hospital, and is then subjected to a horrible act by dad Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards). As a new week begins, Paddy spots a sheep caught in a fence on Celia's (Jaye Griffiths) farm. He rushes off to intervene and thankfully manages to free the animal. However, just as he turns around, Paddy spots an aggressive dog approaching. The K9 attacks Paddy, leaving a panicked Bear to rush his son to hospital. After emerging from surgery, Paddy expresses his gratitude towards his dad for saving his life. However, Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) is utterly stunned when Bear turns the attack into an opportunity to assassinate his son's character. Discussing this scene, star Dominic Brunt said: 'They are cruel to each other, but Bear, as he's in hospital, Bear calls him a pansy and calls him, you know, he's not a man. He says the worst things that a father can say to a son, really, and at the very worst time, and at his most vulnerable, and he's injured, and he wants to be looked after. 'But that's the thing about the miscommunication as well, because Bear is venting, he doesn't mean that, he's just saying it. He doesn't know what to say. He's worried about his son. More Trending 'He sees him there, and he wants it to go away. He wants everything to be right. And I think his way of saying it, his inarticulate way, is by saying, 'get out of bed, you pansy!'.' Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! After Mandy tells Bear to leave, she realises his words have hit Paddy hard. She tries to make him feel better, but Paddy is left silently sobbing in his bed. Towards the end of the week, when Paddy returns home, he opens the door to Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock). He's arrived to provide a distraction for his friend, who has now thrown Bear out of Tenants. Marlon sets up a video game but when Paddy fails to help him save the world from a zombie apocalypse, Marlon gets real with his bestie, realising how bad the situation is… View More » MORE: Huge Emmerdale exit as beloved character is ordered to move out MORE: Paddy badly hurt after savage Bear attack in early Emmerdale ITVX release MORE: Dementia fears for Bear in Emmerdale as Paddy worries for his dad
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Vogue Williams' ‘lovely' barrel leg jeans instantly elevate your summer outfits
Vogue Williams has shared her go-to barrel leg jeans that instantly give your summer outfits an elevated look, and the versatile jeans come in an inclusive range of sizes We would hazard a guess that there isn't a wardrobe in the world that doesn't contain at least one pair of jeans. A great pair of denim is one of the most versatile and easy to style pieces anyone can own, especially when you find the perfect fit and shape for your body. However shopping for denim can be tricky, which is why we always love hearing a recommendation from someone when they find a great pair. So when Vogue Williams shared her go-to pair of barrel leg jeans – this summer's trending silhouette – we were immediately sold. Vogue's flattering Barrel Leg Jeans hail from Saint and Sofia for £159, with Vogue showing them off as she got ready to head off for a day of filming. Going through her outfit details, she pointed out her jeans and mentioned she owned other pieces from Saint and Sofia and said it was 'Such a lovely brand'. Barrel leg jeans took off as the top trending style of denim earlier this year thanks to the rise in cowboy core trend but they've now become known as one of the most universally flattering fits on all body types. The barrel leg creates an edgy, defined silhouette that steps it up from a regular wide leg, and you can wear them with anything from fitted bodysuits and heels to a simple T-shirt and trainers. Vogue showed just how easy they are to instantly elevate even the most simple pieces of clothing. She paired hers with a bright red vest top and some gold jewellery, adding that she would also be putting a pair of simple sandals on to complete the look. The Saint and Sofia pair are made from 100% organic cotton and are designed in London and made in Europe. They have a classic barrel shape that's fitted around the waist and hips, flares around the thigh and knees then nips back in at the ankle, with a 27 inch inseam that gives them a slightly cropped length. Vogue opted for the blue pair, although you can also pick them up in a very summer-appropriate cream colour. If you want to bring some extra colour to your outfit, the We The Free Good Luck Mid-Rise Barrel Jeans (£98) from Free People come in an impressive 20 different colours, not to mention a choice of both regular and petite leg lengths. Another brand known for its diverse sizing is Abercrombie & Fitch, with its Curve Love Mid Rise Barrel Jean offering petite, regular and tall lengths. Now on sale for £56.99 down from £75, you also get a choice of colours including different shades of blue, cream and leopard print. Vogue's go-to Saint and Sofia Barrel Leg Jeans also offer an inclusive sizing range. You can snap up her exact jeans in sizes six to 22 for £159 now. Join our Shopping & Deals WhatsApp for the best bargains and fashion news WHATSAPP: Get the best deals and exclusive discount codes straight to your phone via our WhatsApp group. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Some of these articles will contain affiliate links where we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from them. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
