Latest news with #Berlioz
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Musician on a Mission to Make Us Pay Attention to the Viola
Hector Berlioz's 'Harold in Italy' is full of wandering. In his memoirs he wrote that, through this symphony with viola obbligato, based on the mood of Lord Byron's poem 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' and inspired by the composer's unfruitful time in Italy, he sought to make the viola 'a kind of melancholy dreamer.' The violist Lawrence Power has spent his whole career playing 'Harold in Italy.' But, he said in an interview, he has always been 'completely uncomfortable and just confused by the whole piece.' It's essentially a symphony, but completely different from a conventional one, with a viola solo part that drifts in and out of the action. Berlioz 'obviously had something in mind to have the viola separate from the orchestra,' Power said, guessing that the composer 'had something theatrical in mind.' In a dramatized performance of 'Harold in Italy' with Aurora Orchestra at the Southbank Center in London late last month, Power leaned into that wandering, theatrical spirit, something that has also become a hallmark of his recent work. After whistling the piece's idée fixe, or recurring theme, while strolling from a raised platform amid the ensemble, Power recited searching sections of Berlioz's memoirs and wandered through the auditorium, playing sections of the obbligato part with a distant, slightly aloof expression. This is just another idiosyncratic project by Power, somebody who has championed the viola for the past 25 years, with a particular focus on new work. He's not alone: Viola soloists often have to become champions for their instrument, which has been underappreciated throughout its history. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- BBC News
Cats highlighted in RSPCA cruelty report
Two cats in the West Midlands have been highlighted in an RSPCA report showing the number of animal cruelty cases last summer rose by a charity received 34,401 cruelty reports between June and August 2024, up from 25,887 in the same period the year those to be hurt were Berlioz, a kitten in Warwickshire which suffered multiple fractures to his skull and report also mentions Benito in Walsall, a cat which suffered life-threatening injuries including fractures from a number of attacks. The charity said the increase was partly due to a rise in pet ownership during the coronavirus pandemic. It said longer days in the summer also meant more people were out and likely to witness cruelty, contributing to report report said Berlioz was now living with the RSPCA officer who had helped save him and Benito had also been found a new home. 'Season of pain, fear and suffering' Ian Briggs, chief inspector for the RSPCA, said: "Summer should be a season of joy for animals. Long walks on golden evenings. Zoomies on the beach. Stretching out in the garden to soak up the sun."But there's a side to summer you don't see. For thousands of animals, it's a season of pain, fear and suffering, when cruelty peaks."On average, the RSPCA received 374 reports of animal cruelty every day in June to August received 88,770 reports of cruelty across the whole year in 2023, which rose to 105,250 in 2024 - up 19%.The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said the government was committed to upholding the highest animal welfare said: "All cases of animal cruelty are unacceptable and should be investigated thoroughly. Offenders can face a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine if found guilty." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Aurora Orchestra/Collon/Power review – Italian immersion with introspective Berlioz and extrovert Mendelssohn
So much shared, yet so utterly different. Mendelssohn wrote his Italian symphony in 1833, revising it the following year. Berlioz wrote his Harold en Italie symphony in 1834, following a stay in Rome during which the two composers had spent quality time together. Thus the Aurora Orchestra came up with the smart idea of putting the two Italian symphonies side by side. Beyond their loosely shared inspiration and form, however, the two works have little in common. Mendelssohn's is an expert and extrovert piece of symphonic writing, tight and technically impeccable. That of Berlioz, meanwhile, follows a wandering star all its own, broodingly romantic and constantly innovative, exemplified by the solo viola that depicts the melancholy of Byron's introspective hero Childe Harold. Left to themselves, these two works could have formed a well-contrasted programme of a traditional kind. But the Aurora and their conductor Nicholas Collon don't do traditional. They are above all else performance players, committed to immersing themselves and the audience in the excitement of live musical experience. It is one of the many reasons audiences love them. So in the second half, the Mendelssohn was played from memory, an Aurora speciality, the score taken at terrific tempos and with the players standing up and interacting. It was hard to resist, especially when the players then dispersed into the hall to encore the Italian symphony's breakneck final movement saltarello. Watch out for the Aurora giving the same treatment to Shostakovich's fifth symphony at the Proms this summer. Harold, meanwhile, was presented as a 'dramatic exploration'. Texts based on Berlioz's Mémoires were declaimed between movements and from amid the orchestra by actor Charlotte Ritchie. Collon and the viola soloist Lawrence Power chipped in, too. Power even whistled his idée fixe theme before wandering Byronically through the hall as he played the lonely music at the symphony's heart. It would be churlish not to be caught up in this. But it can sometimes distract. In his recording of Berlioz's symphony under Andrew Manze, Power is as poetic and nuanced a Harold violist as any on disc. But amid so much other activity, the Aurora's orchestral balance sometimes did him fewer favours. When he stood stock still to deliver Harold's skeletal arpeggios at the end of the second movement, it was a reminder that Berlioz's music provides its own theatre.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Berlioz and Ravel album review – his orchestra is responsive to Mäkelä's every move
Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris gave an unforgettable performance of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique at the BBC Proms last September, the electric atmosphere of which is not quite replicated on this recording, made in Paris a few months later. It's all played with consummate skill by an orchestra who are clearly responsive to their conductor's every move, as they were in Royal Albert Hall, and Mäkelä's shaping of Berlioz's music, from the gentle, vibratoless violins at the beginning to the careering witches' dance of the finale, remains highly coloured and full of impact. Yet it all feels a little clinical; the edge-of-the-seat excitement is missing. Perhaps it has been engineered out: the sound feels over-tweaked, and although the spatial effects at the beginning of the third movement – with the cor anglais duetting with a faraway oboe – come over beautifully, elsewhere it sometimes feels as though we're being shown exactly what to listen to. The symphony is paired with Ravel's La Valse, which fares better: the orchestra are again on sparkling form but here the energy keeps on fizzing. Mäkelä keeps the tempo whirling and the momentum rising; by the end the whole thing feels held together by centrifugal force alone. This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Listen on Apple Music (above) or Spotify
Irish Examiner
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Beyond The Pale festival: Talking points from a fine weekend that almost didn't happen
The fourth edition of Beyond the Pale took place in Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow, over the weekend. The week preceding it was full of drama rather than excitement though as organisers were forced to come out with a detailed statement that it was not cancelled. 'A festival needs significant cashflow over the festival month. It's a huge challenge for all festivals in their first few years, and this week, an essential piece of expected finance that would have helped us through the period fell through,' said the organisers. The Currency reported on the morning of Beyond the Pale that it had entered the Small Companies Administrative Rescue Process (Scarp) in an attempt to restructure its balance sheet and ensure its survival in the long term. Nearly 10,000 tickets were sold for the event and amid rumours and trepidation, things went off without a hitch (mostly), much to the relief of organisers. It draws an interesting crowd, a healthy mix of young and old, for a lineup that, like an increasing amount of festivals, is leaning heavier on the dance side. Headliners include Mercury Prize-winning London jazz act Ezra Collective, Wicklow's own Roisin Murphy, and US indie rock royalty TV on the Radio, but below them you had house producer Berlioz, the Saturday night b2b (back to back) of Dave Clarke, Jeff Mills, and Al Gibbs, and rounding things out on Sunday night was Gen-Z fave Marc Rebillet. A general view of Beyond the Pale 2025. Added to that was the Cirrus Gardens stage with DJs from open to close (Todd Terje, Krystal Klear, and Zero 7 all starred there over the weekend), and the picturesque Cupra Pulse area, where an incessant techno 'thwomp thwomp thwomp' could be heard throughout the day. There's a verité aspect to the third stage, Strawberry Fields, which featured a DJ set from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, cabaret, a Church of Brat (Charli XCX plays a long-sold-out Malahide Castle on Tuesday), and Irish comedy duo the Wild Geeze. On Sunday evening, Irish dance act HousePlants, led by Bell X1's Paul Noonan, pay tribute to the site workers, for their hard work dealing with the rain over the weekend. The forecast was bad, there was a lot of mud, but Irish punters are accustomed to such conditions. Wellies and hiking boots did the job, though kudos to the barefoot hippies and groups playing dress up who just got on with things. Things are tough in 2025 for independent festivals - hopefully Beyond the Pale continues into next year and beyond. Beyond the Pale highlights Ezra Collective Ezra Collective bassist TJ Koleoso surprises punters at Beyond The Pale by heading into the crowd. Mercury Prize-winning London jazz quintet Ezra Collective get the party vibes going on Friday evening, with an intro video featuring a football-style team talk led by Arsenal legend Ian Wright (bandleader Femi Koleoso is a big Gunners fan). Things don't let up for the next 80 minutes as even though they're instrumental, they leave fans giddy and pulsing. After the second song, Koleoso grabs the mic and implores everyone to turn around, say hello to a complete stranger, and give them a hug. It's oddly affecting and sets the tone for the rest of the weekend - good vibes only. It's their fourth time in Ireland and as usual, the two horn players, Ife Ogunjobi and James Mollison, who look like they're having as much fun as anyone, make their way into the crowd, soon joined by bassist TJ Koleoso. We're all part of Ezra Collective now. Sofia Kourtesis Peruvian producer Sofia Kourtesis has a lot more fun onstage than her records might suggest. She offers dance instructions, tells us she's going to college and working on her English, and throws some of her merch into the crowd. The only pity is it's all taking place in mid-afternoon; she'd be incredible in a dark tent after midnight. It feels like an inspired decision, though, as the sun makes its first appearance of the weekend halfway through her set. So much so that we're worried about not packing suncream. But by the last track, the worst deluge of the festival hits. As Kourtesis exits, so does the main stage crowd, in search of any bit of cover. Halina Rice The unexpected winner of the weekend - and from the rain - is London producer Halina Rice, who plays shortly after the aforementioned deluge on Saturday afternoon. The tent is packed early and ready to party and Rice delivers, with a heavy techno set with mesmerising visuals. She says she creates AV shows and installations in which to envelop her audience, frequently incorporating immersive technologies such as spatial audio, 360 visuals, and metaverse environments. Despite a technical hiccup, the crowd are on her side and having the time of their lives. Broken Social Scene Canadian indie rock royalty Broken Social Scene are playing their first Irish show in seven years. The definition of a democratic band, nominal frontman Kevin Drew begins proceedings by announcing he got engaged in Ireland earlier in the week. He acknowledges Beyond the Pale's financial troubles, saying that even if the gig wasn't going to happen, they would be here playing someone's back garden. 'We're not here to let you down, we're here to pick you up,' he adds, before Broken Social Scene play an hour of beloved greatest hits spanning their 25-year career. They open with Cause = Time and 7/4 Shoreline, tracks from the early to mid Noughties that have lost none of their collective power. The band mutates from four members to six to double figures, with Drew running offstage for one track, and it looks like they're loving every minute of it. Drew introduces their most enigmatic song, Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl, by dedicating it to the trans community, who he says took the track and made it into their own anthem. They bring on two women to add vocals to one of the most beautiful moments of the festival. TV on the Radio TV on the Radio during their headline slot at Beyond the Pale 2025. beyond the pale des Brooklyn's TV on the Radio came up in similar blog-rock circles (er, ask your dad) to Broken Social Scene and their Sunday headline slot at Beyond the Pale is their first appearance in Ireland in 17 years. That period includes a hiatus, and though Dave Sitek is still a member of the band, he's not touring with them currently. A six piece led by core members Tunde Adebimpi (who put out a great solo album, Thee Black Boltz, earlier this year - Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton, the likes of Golden Age and Happy Idiot sound triumphant, while they dedicate Love Dog to the people of Palestine, saying it's a fuck you to global fascism; it's notable that Malone wears a keffiyeh and has a Palestinian sticker on his guitar. TV on the Radio wear their heart on their sleeve and are all the better for it. Moment of the weekend Samantha Mumba on the main stage at Beyond the Pale, her very first festival performance. Samantha Mumba announces during her Sunday afternoon set that Beyond the Pale is her very first festival. She's down on the bill as playing an hour-long set, though it's only about half that, and with a cover of Lykke Li's I Follow Rivers ('what song do I wish I had written') thrown in for good measure, it's a mixed bag. Her hits date to the late 90s, early noughties, and she was in the news earlier this year as she sought a slot at Eurovision. It's all a bit karaoke, but during Always Come Back to your Love, she brings out her daughter who throws some great dance moves. It's such a lovely moment - enough to melt the heart of even the most cynical of music critics.
