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OUT&ABOUT OnShow...


Final call for small artworks


GET CREATIVE: Postcards From The Edge


FEELING artistic? Then why not get creative by visiting Barnabas Arts House and pick- ing up apostcard-sized frame from their stockand submit- tingawork fortheir upcoming Postcards from the Edge exhi- bition? Barnabas Arts House,inNew Ruperra Street, Newport is still open forsubmissions to the exhibition, whichwill be held from October 10. Entrants can put forward any medium (photography, water- colour,oil, acrylic,mixed media, pencil drawings,3D, etc) as long as it fits one of the frames. It costs £5 per item to enter


and this includes the display fee and the speciallydesigned frame. The finished artwork must


be completed by 1pm tomor- row. Contact 01633 673739 for further details.


Choir’soff to church for concerts


CHEPSTOWMale Voice Choir will perform at twocathedrals and achurch this weekend. The choir is looking forward to performing in


St Paul’s


Cathedral on Friday. ChepstowMale Voice Choir


promoter George Hiscocks,said: “The choir will fulfil the dream of just about every choir in the land –tosing under the great rotunda, the mighty dome,ofSt Paul’s. “This will be alunchtime con-


cert under very strict, rules of engagement, and timing. But all the team are thrilled at this opportunity.” Then it’s offtoperform acon-


cert in Peterborough Cathedral forthe Rotary Club on Saturday evening. On Sunday, the choir will per-


form ashort, butfree,concert at The Stump,a272 feet tall church tower,inLincolnshire,which wasboth alighthouse and aday marker forships heading from TheWash to Boston docks.


Friday, October 5, 2012 Followusontwitter @Argus_TheGuide InTheSpotlight


TWOweeks agosaw the opening concert ofanew season fromthe BBCNational Orchestra ofWales. This wasbilled as a‘Taster’ concert in whichthey looked forward to some of the performances to follow in the coming months. As formanyofthese concerts,


they were joined by their chorus,in this case to perform Brahms’ Song of Destiny and Verdi’s Te Deum. The latter work looking forward to whatwill be an eagerly awaited St David’s Dayperformance of the ever popular Verdi Requiem.Other works heard were some of Mahler’s songs and Rachmaninov’s Vocalise sung by soprano Ailish Tynan as well as Sibelius’ ever-popular Finlandia.The latter work provid- ed the biggest clue to the main event of the season. This involves the introduction of


amajor newmusical personality to Wales as the orchestra’s new Principal Conductor.His name is Thomas Søndergaard and he fol- lows the highlyrated Thierry Fischer in the role.This will not be easyand his debut concert of the Cardiffseason on October 12 prom- ises to be asignificant occasion. This concert is entitled Northern Moods and reflects Søndergaard’s Scandinavian background .Heis Danish and comes toWales having been principal conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and having also worked inSweden and Finland. He is particularly known forhis interpretations of contem- porary and Scandinavian music. The programme will open with a modern work–Expo,byMagnus Lindberg: “a composer thatIknow Iwill be doing alot of in the future,” according to Søndergaard. It also includes songs by Greig and Richard Strauss and Sibelius’ stir- ring fifth symphony, with its majes- tic finalmovement. This is one of the conductor’s favourite works. The soloist forthe evening will be Danish soprano Inger Dam-Jensen, aformer winner of the Cardiff


GERAINTDAVIES looks at the BBC National Orchestra ofWales andWelsh Chorus season


Nordic flavour to new season


CLASSICAL WORKS: The BBC National Chorus are set to take to the stage Picture: Brian Tarr


Singer of theWorldcompetition. The programme also includes Strauss’ symphonic showpiece Till Eulenspiegel. The rest of the St David’s Hall sea-


son will balance the popular with the less familiar.Aswell as the Verdi Requiem there are other large-scale choral works – The Messiah will be performed under François Xavier-Roth on December 14 and in January,there will be aperformance of Benjamin Britten’s stunninglyimaginative settings of English texts in his Spring Symphony. Other world-class conductors and soloists who will join the orchestra include Elizabeth Atherton,


Viviane Hagner ,David Atherton, Paul Lewis,Jennifer Johnston, AndrewKennedy, Sayaka Shoji, Rosemary Joshua, Llyr Williams, Susan Gritton, and Alina Ibragimova who will perform the dramatic violin concerto by Gwent composerHuwWatkins in June. The main work in this concert will be Mahler’s vast fifth symphony with its famous adagietto (it fea- tures in Visconti’s film Death in Venice)and frantic and uplifting apotheosis. In addition, the orchestra can be heard regularly at their home at theBBC Hoddinott Hall in The Wales Millennium Centre. Concerts here include programmes


Double dose of ballet


BIRMINGHAM RoyalBallet will be returning to Wales Millennium Centre later this month with two programmes–amixed bill, Autumn Celebration,and Sir Peter Wright’s timeless Swan Lake. Autumn Celebration –asizzling taste of Shakespeare,Noel Coward and Olympic dreams opens the company’s week at the centre, from October 30 to 31. The Grand Tour is afunnytake


on the eccentric celebrities of the 1920s,accompanied by the songs of Noel Coward, while Faster shows offthe speed, power and athleti- cism of ballet, inspired by the Olympic motto ‘Faster,Higher, Stronger’. Finally, The Dream features


Ballet


music by Mendelssohn, taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. During the second half of the week, from November 1to3,the companywill perform Swan Lake, set to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful musical score performed live by the RoyalBallet Sinfonia. Atimeless story of good, evil and


the all-conquering power of love, this famous classical ballet has been enchanting audiences around the worldfor over 100 years. William Bracewell, who comes from Swansea, will be dancing in


the male lead of Oberon in The Dream,asteward in The Grand Tour,agymnast in Faster and Benno in Swan Lake. Conrad Lynch, artistic director


at Wales Millennium Centre said: “I’m delighted to welcome Birmingham RoyalBallet backto the centre once again. “This is afantastic programme whichincludes aspectacular pro- duction of Swan Lake as well as a mixed bill whichfullyshowcases their creativity and talent.” Birmingham RoyalBallet will be


at Wales Millennium Centre from October 30 to November 3. Tickets are priced between £19 and £35. Formore information visit wmc.org.uk Age guidance: 5+


of contemporary works suchasthe Welsh Panorama on November 23, aconcert of Bruchand RachmaninovonNovember 12 and afestive afternoon concert (with Elin Manahan Thomas and Catrin Finch) on December 7. The Northern Moods concert will


take place in St David’s Hall on FridayOctober 12, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10-£27.50 and are avail- ablethrough the orchestra’s Audience Line on 0800 052 1812 or maybebooked through St David’s Hall boxoffice on 02920 878444.


Sign up to join gardenfestival


AGARDENING festivalisbeing planned forMonmouthshire by adventa, the council’s rural economy programme.Biodiversity and food production are among the key themes,andanyone interested should contact Louise@adventa .org.uk


CideratStar


THEStarInnin Llanfihangelwillhost its first cider and perry festivallater this month. The event at the pub,atTor-y-


Mynyddnear Llansoy, is fromOctober 26 to 28.


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