Latest news with #ThePlanets
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Surrey youth choir says joining The Proms a 'tremendous honour'
A youth choir in Surrey has received an invite to join a sold-out performance at this year's BBC Youth Choir (FYC) will perform with the National Youth Orchestra during a rendition of Neptune in Holst's famous The Planets at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 group's artistic director, Patrick Barrett, said: "For our small-town choir to be invited to such a prestigious, globally recognised event is a tremendous honour."It follows the choir competing at the 2024 World Choir Games in New Zealand, where they won two gold medals. A collection of 30 singers aged between 13 to 21-years-old will be singing at The Hancox, FYC's chair of trustees, told BBC South East they received the invitation for their first appearance at the prestigious show at short notice but are fully embracing it."We are absolutely thrilled at being able to offer this remarkable performance opportunity to our young singers," Ms Hancox said. Since being founded in 1984, the choir has performed with groups like the London Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony of the concerts at The Proms will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds, with 25 of the nights being televised.
Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Concert review: OMM raises roof with Holst and Stravinsky
American conductor Tito Munoz led the Orchestra of the Music Makers through a programme of Holst's The Planets and Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring, PHOTO: YONG JUNYI
India.com
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Where is Lagaan star Gracy Singh? Why did she quit Bollywood and is still single at 44?
Bollywood actress Gracy Singh, renowned for her role as Gauri in the Oscar-nominated film Lagaan, captivated audiences with her grace and expressive performances. A trained classical dancer, she seamlessly transitioned into acting, delivering memorable roles in cult-classic films like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Gangaajal. Despite her early success in Bollywood, she chose the path less traveled and has not gotten married to date. The Journey Of Gracy Singh Gracy began her artistic journey as a classical dancer, touring with the dance group The Planets before making her acting debut in the television soap Amanat in 1997. Her breakthrough came with the Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan, where her portrayal of Gauri earned critical acclaim and contributed to the film's nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Following this success, she appeared in films such as Shart, Muskaan, Yehi Hai Zindagi, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Gangaajal, showcasing her versatility across different genres. When Gracy Left Bollywood To Explore… Despite her rising fame, Gracy gradually distanced herself from Bollywood. In interviews, she expressed that acting was not her life's sole mission and emphasised her desire to engage in projects that resonated with her personally. This perspective led her to explore roles in regional cinema, including Punjabi, Telugu, and Malayalam films, though these ventures met with limited commercial success. However, as per Hindustan Times report, after Gracy's manager passed away in 2008, she started declining offers made to her by renowned Bollywood directors. Gracy Singh's Shift Towards… In 2013, Gracy joined the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual organization, seeking a deeper sense of peace and purpose. She described experiencing boundless safety, joy, and understanding within the community, which influenced her approach to life and work. This spiritual alignment became evident in her choice of roles, notably her portrayal of Goddess Santoshi in the television series Santoshi Maa and its sequel Santoshi Maa: Sunayein Vrat Kathayein. Meanwhile, the actress has still not taken wedding vows to this day. However, during an interview with ETimes in 2020, the actress said that she does not think that this is an appropriate time for her to marry now, but in the future, she may get married to someone.
San Francisco Chronicle
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: S.F. Symphony and Giancarlo Guerrero deliver orchestral showstoppers
Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero's two previous appearances with the San Francisco Symphony amply showcased his flair for colorful, dramatic music. After a two-year gap, he's back at Davies Symphony Hall with a program of glittering orchestral showpieces. The late Kaija Saariaho composed 'Asteroid 4179: Toutatis' in 2005 as a complement to a Berlin Philharmonic concert featuring Gustav Holst's 'The Planets.' The asteroid in question is tiny and irregularly shaped, and at about four minutes in length, the music matches the object's scale. In addition to the astronomical theme, there are the typical Saariaho trademarks: beautiful, ingeniously layered orchestration and power that wells up over the course of the work. The piece opens with crystalline transparency, a piccolo, percussion and celesta floating above the larger orchestra. Massed brass instruments interrupt, and after a brief climax, the orchestra dies away into silence. It was a thoughtful start to this flashy program heard on Friday, May 2, the first of two concerts at Davies, concluding on Saturday, May 3. Igor Stravinsky's great ballet score 'Petrushka' unfolds on a completely different scale, taking some 40 minutes to tell the story of three puppets brought to life by a magician. Guerrero led a taut, exciting account of the work, performed in Stravinsky's revised 1947 version. One of the Costa Rican conductor's superpowers is his ability to throw a spotlight on a piece's structure through knife-edge timing and control of dynamics. Another is knowing when to step back and let the musicians do their thing. Tight ensemble playing was a hallmark of this 'Petrushka.' At the same time, Guerrero gave associate principal flute Blair Francis Paponiu complete freedom in her beautifully played cadenza. The conductor's emphasis on sharply articulated rhythms paid off throughout the work, especially in 'The Grand Carnival' section, when competing bands seemingly play in different meters. Every crescendo and decrescendo was perfectly timed. Occasionally, a section or player was drowned out in the welter of sound. John Wilson's casual virtuosity on piano, positioned right in front of the conductor, was a highlight of the 'Russian Dance,' but Guerrero covered Wilson's playing too often in the opening tableau. The strings were sometimes obliterated by the brass. Nonetheless, this was a thrilling account of a great work. What do Stravinsky and Ottorino Respighi have in common? Both composers studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the great orchestrators of the 19th century, and both came away with enormous skill in handling huge forces. The second half of Friday's program was devoted to Respighi's 'Fountains of Rome' and 'Pines of Rome,' flamboyant blockbusters that have to walk a fine line to avoid turning into kitsch. (This is never an issue with Stravinsky.) Guerrero performed them with a straight face, and his enormous technical skill and ear for color and dynamics made this music sound better than perhaps it fundamentally is. The first work makes its way around Rome, picturing fountains in different locations throughout the day. The 'Valle Giulia' movement, with chiming winds and a prominent celesta part, seemingly pays homage to Richard Strauss' opera 'Der Rosenkavalier.' Special kudos to Marc Shapiro, whose celesta playing contributed beautifully to all four works on the program, and to principal oboe Eugene Izotov and principal flute Yubeen Kim for their work in both Respighi pieces. The brass, too, played brilliantly throughout. It's an oddity of 'Pines of Rome' that the splashy first movement, 'The Pines of the Villa Borghese,' sounds more like an actual fountain than anything in 'Fountains of Rome.' In 'Pines Near a Catacomb,' Guerrero finely judged every climax; principal trumpet Mark Inouye was magnificent in his moody offstage solo (and also in 'Petrushka'). Principal clarinet Carey Bell's long-breathed, introspective solo in 'The Pines of the Janiculum' was another highlight, as were the silken strings and oceanic sound Guerrero conjured. As for the last movement, 'The Pines of the Appian Way,' here Respighi generates excitement through some of the more obvious tricks in a composer's arsenal: antiphonal brass playing from the terrace, full-orchestra chromatic slides and an admittedly electrifying five-minute-long crescendo. The movement is intended to evoke marching Roman legions, but it might just as well be invoking Italian Fascists or Imperial Stormtroopers. We describe, you decide. San Francisco Classical Voice.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
On this day: organist on Interstellar soundtrack to perform at Minster
On this day in 2024, the York Press reported that the organist on Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for the movie Interstellar was set to perform at York Minster. This was part of a series of organ concertos to be hosted by the Minster on Thursday evenings during July and August of 2024. The recitals were to feature well-known classic compositions as well as contemporary pieces. The series, which was to open with a performance from the Queen's Medal for Music recipient Thomas Trotter, was to feature a variety of iconic musicians for six nights of organ music. To mark the 10th anniversary of Interstellar's release, featured organist Roger Sayer was to conclude the series at the Minster. While working as director of music at Temple Church London, Mr Sayer was selected by Zimmer to create the prominent organ role on the film's soundtrack. One listener said of Mr Sayer's work on the film: "If Hans Zimmer is the heart of Interstellar, then you, sir, are its soul." At the Minster, he planned to share his experience working on the iconic soundtrack before playing his own version for listeners. He then planned to perform other space-related music, including movements from Holst's The Planets.
