Friday, May 8, 2015 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide Cinderella with a difference Ballet Cymru
BALLET Cymru, nominated by the Critics Circle UK Na- tional Dance Awards in 2013 as Best Independent Com- pany, and winners of the Best Large Scale Dance Produc- tion at the Theatre Critics of Wales Awards, presents a sparkling and refreshing bal- let based on the eternal fairy tale, Cinderella, at The River- front Theatre on Friday and Saturday (7.30pm). Ballet Cymru prides itself
on being different and Cin- derella will be no exception, with a brand new music score and circus elements com- bined with the finest classical dance. Ballet Cymru will be working with award winning composer Jack White and Circus Company Citrus Arts to conjure a surprising world of wonder and magic. Featuring choreography by CreativeWalesAward winner Darius James and costumes by Welsh designer Steve Den- ton, Ballet Cymru bring to life this timeless story using the company’s unique blend of classical technique and storytelling. lTicket information: con- tact 01633 656679.
Star tenor heads bill for festival
A MIDSUMMER night’s dream line-up is in store for Singleton Park, Swansea on the longest day of the year, June 21, as in- ternational stars Alfie Boe, Col- labro, Rebecca Ferguson and Sophie Evans take to the stage with local hero compere Mal Pope for Summer in Singleton on the day after Paolo Nutini thrills the Swansea audience Headliner Alfie Boe is the biggest selling British tenor who led the cast of Les Miséra- bles and stole the show at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee con- cert at Buckingham Palace.He said: “It’s always a joy to per- form in Wales, the audiences there are great and love good music with a passion. Looking forward to my return to Swan- sea.” Joining him will be Wales’
own favourite Sophie Evans. The multi-talented singer, ac- tress and performer has starred as Dorothy in the West End pro- duction of The Wizard of Oz, appeared in British feature films including The World’s End, and had her own ITV spe- cial. The event is hosted by Mal
NEW PRODUCTION: Ballet Cymru’s Cinderella In The Spotlight By GERAINT DAVIES
Exhilarating musical range – nowincluding ‘dance’
I RECENTLY took my annual look through the newly published pro- gramme for the year’s Proms. For so long the world’s largest
and best festival of classical music since it was created by Sir Henry Wood back in 1895 with his intent of bringing classical music to the masses. As always the programme is full of many of the greats of world music such as Barenboim, Rattle, Eliot-Gardner, Andsnes, Kaufmann and Terfel, and some great international orchestras such as the Boston Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic will visit. The range of music covered is ex- hilarating – from a 90th birthday celebration of modern master Pierre to a performance of the first true opera – Orfeo. As usual I noted all the concerts
that I had every intention of at- tending or listening to during the summer months (knowing that, for one reason or another, when reality struck, I would miss most of them) and couldn’t help notic- ing the continuation of the trend of recent years to move further and further away from its previ- ously solely classical diet. Thirty years ago the most ‘off piste’ that the Proms ever ventured was to an
evening of Gilbert and Sullivan. Things have changed. Perfor- mances this year include a Sher- lock Holmes night, a concert per- formance of Fiddler on the Roof, a Frank Sinatra commemoration by the superb John Wilson Or- chestra and much else that is not classical. Most striking of all in this quite eclectic mix is a night of ‘dance’ music. Without wishing to be in any
way patronising, the term ‘dance’ is, I think, likely to produce some confusion amongst some readers. All dependant, I suppose (and don’t be offended), on your degree of hip and trendiness. The term dance has very different conno- tations these days – certainly not the Pavane or the Passepied; not the minuet or the tarantella: not even the Bunnyhop. The term ‘dance’ now refers to a range of usually very repetitive electronic dance styles with names such as Trance, House, Crunk and Drum and bass that emerged from the USA in the late ‘80s. The music at this Prom concert
pays homage to the dance music ‘classics’ of Ibiza’s clubland is overseen by DJ Pete Tong and will be the first time a prom concert is
broadcast on Radio 1. The response of the musical establishment has been some- what mixed to say the least as to whether Sir Henry would approve of all this. Surely the summer is full of rock festivals that more than cater for that audience. I suppose the thought process ly- ing behind such initiatives is that they will bring in a new younger audience who, having enjoyed an evening of Techno will come back the following day to experience a baroque opera or an evening of Sibelius symphonies. Personally I think this is unlikely. There are also innovations amongst the classical offerings – one of the most striking of these is an evening featuring all five of Prokofiev’s piano concertos con- ducted by Valery Gergiev with three different soloists. Wonder- ful music but it definitely sounds as if they are attempting some sort of pianistic version of The Ring. The piano does in fact play centre stage for much of the fes- tival. Another massive undertak- ing is a concert given by Yo YoMa who plays all six of Bach’s cello suites back to back.
Pope and tickets are available at
orchardentertainment.co.uk
5 Culture
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