Breaking News - Page 60 of 360

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

Prima Vocal Ensemble to perform Luminous Night of Scandinavian and American music at NCEM on May 19

*Ewa Salecka: Prima Vocal Ensemble’s artistic director, producer, conductor and percussionist*

YORK contemporary choir Prima Vocal Ensemble presents Luminous Night at the National Centre for Early Music, York, on May 19.

Over the past few years, artistic director and producer Ewa Salecka has been the creative mind behind a series of intimate choral and instrumental concerts with the choir and an array of guest musicians.

Now comes a 7.30pm programme of modern choral music for voices, strings, piano and percussion under Salecka’s baton at the NCEM, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate.

The evening features pieces with a Scandinavian and American theme accompanied by professional musicians Beatriz Carbonell and Chloe Fletcher on violins, Katie Jarvis on viola, Rachel Gray on cello, Greg Birch on piano and Salecka herself on percussion instruments.

Selected by Salecka, Luminous Night showcases two pieces for voices, piano and string quartet by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo: Dark Night Of The Soul and Luminous Night Of The Soul.

“These works, with their meditative, cinematic sound, are raised to new levels by the use of poetry and lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri and St John of the Cross,” says Ewa.

The programme also features Arvo Pärt’s Fratres for string quartet, music by Dan Forrest and Elaine Hagenberg, Nordic folk tunes arranged by Frode Fjellheim and “breathtakingly beautiful” pieces by Ivo Antognini and Eugene Butler.

“Our recent sell-out concert series have proved very popular and there will be something for everyone in this event, which coincides with Prima’s 14th anniversary of providing memorable concert opportunities for singers and their audiences: the only choir to perform to this high standard without the need to audition,” says Ewa.

Throughout the first half of 2024, the choir is in parallel preparations for two noteworthy concerts in “Old” York and New York. “In June, we’ll return to New York City and Carnegie Hall for We Sing! We Rise! We Soar!, The Music of Christopher Tin & Greg Gilpin, produced by Distinguished Concerts International New York,” says Ewa.

“No strangers to the iconic venue, Prima will join international performers in a programme that will include multi-lingual music from Christopher Tin’s Grammy award-winning albums. So, if you happen to be in New York on June 9, come and hear Prima in this collaborative performance.”

*Prima Vocal Ensemble’s poster for Luminous Night*

Reflecting on Prima’s progress, Ewa says: “We’ve covered so much musical ground since our first rehearsal in May 2010. When I think back, I’m amazed by the variety and complexity of music we’ve performed, the amount of programme covered and the individuality of each and every event.

“There are some singers who have been there from the very beginning and I am extremely grateful to still be in this position after 14 years, promoting new music and new concerts in York.

“If anyone is looking for a unique creative outlet, then now really is the perfect time to join us. Rehearsals offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere with an emphasis on a positive, engaging learning experience. We are always welcoming singers who are team players, want to improve their vocal technique and expand their musical palette.”

For tickets for Luminous Night, go to primavocalensemble.com. “Limited spaces are available, so early booking is highly recommended,” advises Ewa.

“To find out more about Prima and the opportunities you can enjoy, please visit primavocalensemble.com.”

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

Andrew Clay to leave Scarborough Museums and Galleries for Sea Life Scarborough general manager’s post

*Andrew Clay: Leaving Scarborough Museums and Galleries for Sea Life Scarborough. Picture: Tony Bartholomew*

ANDREW Clay, chief executive of Scarborough Museums and Galleries, is leaving to take up a new role.

He has been appointed as general manager of Sea Life Scarborough and will take up his new position at the North Bay attraction on Monday, April 29.

Scarborough Museums and Galleries (SMG) trustees will be seeking a new incumbent for the chief executive’s role in the coming months, but in the meantime the position will be fulfilled on an interim basis by Malton-based heritage professional Sarah Oswald.

Clay moved to Scarborough in 2007 to become director at the newly created Woodend Creative Industries Centre. In 2017 he also became chief executive of Scarborough Museums Trust, which ran Scarborough Art Gallery and the Rotunda Museum. In 2017, the trust and Woodend merged to become Scarborough Museums and Galleries.

“It has been a huge privilege to work at Woodend and latterly Scarborough Museums and Galleries,” he says. “I feel very honoured to have worked with such talented and capable people, who over years have supported my efforts to deliver an exciting cultural offer for the people of Scarborough and visitors to this amazing seaside town.

*Sarah Oswald: Interim chief executive officer of Scarborough Museums and Galleries. Picture: Tony Bartholomew*

“Soon I will be embarking on a new voyage of discovery, and I can’t wait to learn more about the extraordinary marine world in our oceans. I wish all at SMG the very best of luck for the future.”

Sarah Oswald provides coaching and consultancy services to the museums, heritage and cultural sector through her business, The Authentic Spark. Recently she has completed a 14-month part-time contract as Museum Development Officer for North Yorkshire as part of Museum Development Yorkshire.

Before establishing The Authentic Spark, Sarah was an owner and director of PLB, a leading Yorkshire-based heritage design consultancy.

She says: “After getting to know Scarborough Museums and Galleries through my role with Museum Development Yorkshire, it’s exciting for me to now be stepping in to work with the board and the team here at SMG. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and also wish Andrew well in his new role.”

April 20, 2024April 20, 2024

REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Ensemble Intercontemporain, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York, April 17

*Ensemble Intercontemporain: “The* Rolls-Royce *of contemporary music performers*“

YorkConcerts presents Ensemble Intercontemporain, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, April 17

ON Wednesday evening, the Rolls-Royce of contemporary music performers, Ensemble Intercontemporain, performed an extraordinary programme of music by Martin Suckling, Thomas Simaku and Olivier Messiaen.

The concert opened with Martin Suckling’s Visiones (after Goya), an inspired response to a specific drawing from Goya’s unique, if somewhat unsettling, Witches and Old Women Album. The Visiones depicts an intimate dance between a possibly inebriated old couple with another chap looking on, or rather on the floor looking up. The image seems to have an uncomfortable erotic edge, perhaps sex in old age.

Anyway, to Mr Suckling’s work. In response to the Goya sketch, Visiones (after Goya) has three instrumentalists, cello, clarinet and piano, and three sections. In the first part, the clarinet and cello dance, serenade each other in ‘repeated microtonal lyrics’.

The percussive piano creates distance and commentary. The effect is very distinct, haunting and not a little spooky. Yet there is intimacy and it is this, as well as the superb playing by Martin Adámek (clarinet) and Renaud Déjardin (cello), that draws you into this sound world.

There is also a genuine warmth of engagement. This is particularly obvious in the second section ‘lullaby’ before the dance becomes ritualistic. The third section is a kind of distorted recapitulation; a memory, a nightmare. Maybe.

The piano (the imperious Dimitri Vassilakis) now sings the song, the clarinet has the role of ‘soft multiphonics’ commentary whilst the cello lets rip to very dramatic effect. The dance returns but now transformed. To be sure the piece was, like the Goya, unsettling. But it was true to the artist’s multi-layered complexity, and beauty. The performance was illuminating.

I had a bit of an issue with a2(b) for violin and cello by Thomas Simaku; not with the forceful piece itself, nor with the thrilling performance by soloists Jeanne-Marie Conquer (violin) and Renaud Déjardin (cello), but with the extensive programme note.

OK, the instrumental explanation of a2 (a due) was fine; it made perfect sense. However, the dramatisation of opposites – a response to the ‘remnants of the wall in Bernauer Strasse’, a tale of contrasting cities, of brutally conflicting ideologies representing oppression and freedom in 1945 Berlin – did not.

To be fair to the composer, he clearly stated that the musical and extramusical could not be separated; they are two aspects of the same song. But for me the piece did not (and could not) deliver an image of complete opposites: because the most striking and distinguished aspect of Simaku’s music is its mastery of an organic, cellular and uniform musical language. The uncompromising, almost violent, gestures and mood swings worked perfectly well on and in their own terms.

However, the piece was jaw-droppingly good and technically seriously accomplished. I thought the fast, driving conclusion with its spent, exhausted epilogue was very effective indeed. The performers were on top of their game, and they needed to be.

Just one minor whinge before the interval: what was it with the photographer taking shots from the back of the auditorium? It was distracting and utterly unnecessary.

After the interval we were treated to the most illuminating performance of Messiaen’s Quartet For The End Of Time. For what it’s worth, the balance of the opening Crystal liturgy didn’t seem quite even, but given the quality of performers and the excellent acoustic, this is more likely due to my ears waking up again after the 20-minute break.

The second movement Vocalise, for the Angel who announces the end of time, was sublime. The control needed and delivered by clarinettist Martin Adámek was extraordinary. The effect was otherworldly, visionary; beautiful, delicate but definitely bleak.

The Interlude was an utter, quirky delight. Were there echoes of Shostakovich? I thought so. Possibly. Renaud Déjardin and Dimitri Vassilakis’s performance of Praise To The Eternity Of Jesus was the best live version I have heard.

Nothing quite prepares you for this experience; it was so hypnotic, so compelling. I think this is due to the piano ‘accompaniment’ which came across so powerfully. At first, a pulse, a heartbeat, gradually driving the cello song with almost hammer-like intensity before they melt into ecstasy, resolution. Quite extraordinary.

The Dance Of Fury, for the seven trumpets, was technically perfect. It delivered a unity of purpose and energy. Edge-of-the-seat stuff. The penultimate Tangle Of Rainbows…was brimming with physicality. It both looked back, specifically to the second Vocalise, as well as to the future and the final movement in particular. The performance of Praise To The Immortality Of Jesus, was simply divine.

Review by Steve Crowther

April 20, 2024April 23, 2024

More Things To Do in York and beyond “the carriage ride of your life”. Hutch’s List No. 17 for the spring scene, from The Press

*Footsbarn Theatre’s Twelfth Night: First British performances in 15 years in world premiere at York International Shakespeare Festival*

BUCKLE up for Austen’s sister act, Shakespeare’s battle of the sexes and Sheridan’s scandalous comedy of manners, plus music, art and poetry in the library, advises Charles Hutchinson.

Festival of the week: York International Shakespeare Festival, until April 28

SHAKESPEAREAN Identity is the theme of the sixth York International Shakespeare Festival, now an annual event, run by director Philip Parr. Sponsored by York St John University, it features moving shows, lectures by internationally recognised academics, exhibitions and workshops presented by Shakespeare enthusiasts from all over the world.

Among the highlights will be Footsbarn Theatre’s first British visit in 15 years with Twelfth Night, American actress Debra Ann Byrd’s powerhouse solo show Becoming Othello and York Explore’s exhibition of 300 years of representations of Othello. Tickets and full programme details are available at yorkshakes.co.uk/programme-2024.

*Katherine Lea: Making her Hotbuckle Productions debut in Pride & Prejudice at Helmsley Arts Centre*

Ryedale play of the week: Hotbuckle Productions in Pride & Prejudice, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm

IN artistic director Adrian Preater’s humorous, multi role-playing adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Hotbuckle Productions enter the world of the Bennets.

From headstrong Elizabeth to proud Mr Darcy, rich characterisations abound as five sisters deal with marriage, morality and misconceptions. “Hotbuckle up for the carriage ride of your life” with Joanna Purslow, Tomas Mason and company newcomer Katherine Lea. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

*Carl Hutchinson: Storytelling Geordie comic appearing at The Crescent, York*

Comedy gig of the week: Carl Hutchinson: Today Years Old, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

YORK’s Burning Duck Comedy Club presents Geordie comic Carl Hutchinson in his third consecutive back-to-back tour show, Today Years Old. Expect a night of storytelling, rich in observation and physical comedy. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

*Fiddler in the woods: Alice Atang’s Fiddler, Perri Ann Barley’s Golde and Steve Tearle’s Tevye set the scene for NE Theatre York’s Fiddler On The Roof*

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Fiddler On The Roof, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 23 to 27, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee

STEVE Tearle directs NE Theatre York in Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein’s musical, taking the role of Tevye, the humble village milkman, for the third time too in this 60th anniversary production.

When three of Tevye’s five daughters rebel against the traditions of arranged marriages by taking matters into their own hands, mayhem unfolds as he strives to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural creeds, against the backdrop of the Tsar’s pogrom edict to evict all Jews from his Russian village in 1905. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

*Lydea Perkins’ Lady Teazle and Joseph Marcell’s Sir Peter Teazle in Tilted Wig’s The School For Scandal, on tour at York Theatre Royal next week*

Touring play of the week: Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, present The School For Scandal, York Theatre Royal, April 23 to 27, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 7.30pm Saturday matinees

JOSEPH Marcell, fondly remembered as Geoffrey the butler in the American comedy series Fresh Prince of Bel Air, stars in Seán Aydon’s new production of Richard B Sheridan’s comedy of manners The School For Scandal, where gossip never goes out of fashion.

Marcell plays Sir Peter Teazle, who believes his young wife is sleeping with someone else. Not true, but if her husband believes it, maybe she should give it a go. After all, if you are going to cause a scandal, you may as well enjoy it. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*Florence Poskitt: Stepping into Kate’s shoes in York Shakespeare Project’s The Taming Of The Shrew*

Seventies’ Shakespeare play of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Taming Of The Shrew, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 23 to 27, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday

IN a late change of cast, actor-musician Florence Poskitt, from the York musical comedy duo Fladam, is taking over the principal role of Kate in Maggie Smales’s production of Shakespeare’s controversial battle of the sexes, now set in 1970.

A psychedelic world is opening up, promising peace, love and equality, but Kate was born to be wild and wants a voice of her own. The times they are a’changin’ and the old order is dead…or is it? Let battle commence. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

*Barrie Rutter: Shaking up Shakespeare at Northern Broadsides and beyond*

Breaking down the Bard barrier: Barrie Rutter: Shakespeare’s Royals, York Theatre Royal Studio, April 26, 7.45pm; Ripon Theatre Festival, Ripon Cathedral, July 4, 7.30pm

BARRIE Rutter, founder and former director of Northern Broadsides, celebrates the Bard’s kings and queens – their achievements, conquests and foibles – with tales, anecdotes and memories from a career of playing and directing Shakespeare’s Royals.

Told he could never play a king on account of his Yorkshire accent, Hull-born Rutter, now 77, created his own theatre company in 1992 in Halifax to use the northern voice for Shakespeare’s kings, queens and emperors, not only the usual drunken porters, jesters or fools. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Ripon, ripontheatrefestival.org.

*Kai West’s poster for Bull’s Live At The Library day on May 19, based on the Cluedo board game design*

Gig announcement of the week: Bull present Live At The Library, York Explore Library & Archive, Library Square, York, May 19, from 12 noon

YORK Explore and Please Please You team up with York band Bull for a day of music, art and poetry to celebrate Explore York’s tenth birthday and raise funds for York’s libraries. The climax will be a 6.30pm to 10pm gig by Bull, Marnie Glum, Rowan and performance poet Stu Freestone (tickets, tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/1216274).

Free activities include open mic-style performances run by Bull frontman Tom Beer in the Marriott Room from midday, featuring Gabbie Lord, Maggie, Gilles, She Choir, Filipe, Old Time Rags, Eve Thomas & Co and more, plus art workshops for all ages hosted by Izzy Williamson (lino printing, 1pm) and Bull bassist and illustrator Kai West (T-shirt design and screen printing, 12 noon to 2pm) in the Garden Room, with donations welcome.

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

Which cult classics, music, drama and animated films will feature in The Groves Community Cinema festival at Theatre@41?

*The poster for The Groves Community Cinema week*

THE Groves Community Cinema returns to Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from May 5 to 11 for its third film festival with some “pay what you feel” ticket prices.

Looking to build on last year’s success, the event is supported by an ARG (Additional Restrictions Grant) Events and Festivals grant, Make It York and City of York Council.

Next month’s festival promises a wide variety of films, from cult classics and music to drama and animated fun.

“We have nine great films in the programme,” says Theatre@41 chair Alan Park. “Some famous titles and some less-known works…from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator to Sir Ian McKellen’s Hamlet, via Spiderman.”

The grants not only enable the festival to take place but also to keep tickets to a reasonable price, and in the case of the two children’s animated films, “pay what you feel”.

“It means families can come along and watch a great animated film on the big screen without spending a fortune,” says Alan. “There was a wonderful buzz last time and we hope this festival will become a regular event.”

Films showing at the Groves Community Cinema festival will be:

Sunday, May 5

CATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger in action in the 40^th anniversary release of his legendary sci-fi classic The Terminator at 6.30pm and stay on for T2 Judgement Day at 8.45pm.

Monday, May 6

FOLLOW the adventures of Marcel The Shell With Shoes On in a big screen debut for this internet sensation at 2.30pm. Pay what you feel.

Rather more serious matters unfold that evening in Anatomy Of A Fall, Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning legal drama that investigates the death of Samuel, found in the snow beneath the secluded chalet he shared with author wife Sandra. Did he fall or was he pushed? Find out if Sandra dunnit at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, May 7

“TO be or not to be” is the question at 7.30pm when the inimitable Ian McKellen appears in Hamlet, filmed using nearly every room of the Theatre Royal, Windsor, to recreate Elsinore Castle, from the basement dungeon to the roof-top battlement.

Wednesday, May 8

IN a 6.30pm programme of Social Cinema shorts from the Yorkshire Film Archive, the films explore everything from social and political issues – including gender equality, homelessness and poverty – to isolation and climate justice. An evening of thought-provoking topics that resonate with the present and question the future.

Friday May 10

HEAR the story of Hedwig’s life through her punk anthems and power ballads and be part of the action by putting your “head in a wig” at the 8pm screening of the cult classic musical Hedwig And The Angry Inch. Free glass of fizz for the most outrageous and inventive wigs!

Saturday, May 11

HOLD tight as Brooklyn teen Miles Morales discovers his new Spidey powers, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask in the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse at 2.30pm. Pay what you feel.

At 7.30pm, Jonathan Demme’s documentary Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense captures David Byrne’s legendary New York band in one of the greatest concert films of all time at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983. What’s more, the music doesn’t stop when the film does. Stay on afterwards for a drink and a dance to the hits of Talking Heads and fellow 1980s’ greats.

For more info and to book tickets visit Theatre@41 website: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/venue

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

2024 Yorkshire Schools Dance Festival cancelled after 242 per cent rise in hire charges at University of York since 2021

THE 2024 Yorkshire Schools Dance Festival will not go ahead.

“A significant increase in venue hire fees puts delivering the event beyond our financial capacity,” says producer Colin Jackson, who describes the annual November event as “the jewel in York’s children and young people’s creative crown”.

In an official statement released today, he states: “The festival has been held at the University of York since 1999. Our long-established and positive relationship with the university combined with the event’s strong community focus saw us attract a subsidised rate for the hire of Central Hall for many years.

“The charges made to cover building hire and staff costs made it an affordable and viable event to run. It meant that we were able to charge schools a reasonable rate to participate, offer wraparound enrichment activities for school staff and students and make the event accessible for all by keeping ticket prices low. It was very much a partnership between us and the university.”

The event was last held at Central Hall, University of York, in 2022. “Despite a 130 per cent increase in the hire rate from the previous year, we were able to balance the books through generous financial support from Yorkshire Dance and other sponsors/donors,” explains Colin.

The festival organisers entered into discussions with York Conferences, who manage bookings for the university, in 2023 and were informed that the hire charges would again rise by another 51 per cent.

“This represented a 242 per cent increase from the 2021 rate,” says Colin. “To provide an illustration, were the hire rates £1,000 in 2021, in 2023 they would have been £3,420. The actual figures and financial increase are, of course, far more.”

The 2023 festival was relocated to the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds with the hope that the hire rates could be renegotiated for a return to the University of York this year.

“At the end of last year we were told that the figure quoted still stood,” says Colin. “Despite our best efforts since then to achieve additional sponsorship, we have not been able to plug the gap.

“Passing the increased costs on to schools would mean significant increases in the fee to participate and ticket prices. While some schools and families could have afforded this, many would have struggled to either take part or come along to watch and removed our core objective to make the festival wholly inclusive.”

The festival organisers wrote to the University of York’s vice chancellor last year, stressing the festival’s importance for the 1,200 children and young people that took part every year and emphasising the value of the event in supporting the university’s Strategic Vision to exist for public good and the founders’ vision for strong social purpose, combating inequality and opening up access to the campus. “Our approach made no impact,” says Colin.

“Central Hall is the perfect location for the event,” the statement continues. “A large auditorium, backstage areas and additional rooms meant that we could comfortably accommodate the children, young people and staff from schools, as well as the families that came along to watch.”

While the model at The Carriageworks was successful, limited space made for a far smaller event with a reduced number of schools taking part and reduced capacity for audiences.

“At this stage, we feel we have no choice but to cancel the event,” says Colin. “We continue to hope that the university can reconsider their position and see the event for what it is.

“Not only does it have huge benefits for schools, teachers, students and pupils, its impact upon the local economy is marked. The event provided significant employment opportunities for freelance dance artists, freelance event staff and wider providers.

“We know that the festival has put dance on the map in many schools and resulted in enhanced curriculum provision for the subject. It has long been the jewel in York’s children and young people’s creative crown.”

“We have done all we can,” Colin concludes. “If you feel it appropriate to do so, you can make contact with the University of York or York Conferences.

“We must stress that we do not expect the event to make a loss for the university and we recognise that there are financial challenges for them as well as us.

“We suspect, however, that the two weekends in November that are normally earmarked for the festival will see Central Hall either dark or holding events that are not for social purpose, designed to combat inequality or open up access to the campus.”

CharlesHutchPress has contacted the University of York press office this morning for an official response and is awaiting a reply.

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on Angela Hewitt, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, April 12

*Angela Hewitt: “A multitude of subtleties and a sensational technique”*

PIANIST Angela Hewitt played preludes and fugues, framing examples by Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Barber with the original master himself, J S Bach. These bare facts mask a multitude of subtleties and a sensational technique. She held her capacity audience spellbound.

Most performers are ill advised to open with an address, just when the punters are all agog with anticipation. But her words were delivered so graciously, with wit and charm, that we were delighted to hear her insights. And she was insistent on no applause until the interval, a smart decision that helped everyone’s focus.

In mid-career Mendelssohn made a deliberate study of Bach’s counterpoint, which resulted in his six Preludes & Fugues, Op 35. The first of these swerves between E minor and E major. Hewitt made a stunning moto perpetuo of its prelude, before robustly highlighting the fugue subject in a majestic crescendo to its climactic chorale.

Shostakovich was another composer to hold Bach in reverence and he wrote a full set of 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op 87 in 1951. The spare textures of the F minor fugue, No. 18, are ideally suited to Hewitt’s style and its counterpoint emerged with immense clarity.

Even more incisive was the demanding fugue that concludes Barber’s piano sonata, its relentless cross-accents dazzling at high speed.

Hewitt had opened with the earliest numbers from the Book I of Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier, a handful more than the programme had promised – perhaps she was in the zone and forgot herself. No-one minded in the least, quite the contrary. Her ability to give differing degrees of prominence to contrapuntal lines, even as many as three or four, remains one of the wonders of her intelligent approach to Bach.

The last of Bach’s six partitas (dance suites in all but name), BWV 830 in E minor, is one of the towering monuments of the keyboard repertory. The crispness of her rhythms was especially apparent here.

After a rhapsodic Toccata, with a fine central fugue, the Allemande was phrased with particular subtlety, so that the succeeding Corrente, taken at some pace, had a jack-in-the-box flavour by comparison; the abrupt Air was brisk too.

The stately Sarabande was deeply melancholic, its dotted rhythms making it taut, even edgy. There was room here for a touch more serenity. After a witty Gavotte, the Gigue, even with the jagged intervals of its fugue, was remarkably balletic, further testament – although none was needed – to Hewitt’s prodigious dexterity, both mental and physical.

As an encore, she wound down with the very first of Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words, in E major, generating a wonderful cantabile.

Review by Martin Dreyer

April 18, 2024April 19, 2024

More Things To Do in Ryedale, York and beyond “the carriage ride of your life”. Hutch’s List No. 11, from Gazette & Herald

*Katherine Lea: Making her Hotbuckle Productions debut in Pride & Prejudice*

BUCKLE up for Austen’s sister act, Shakespeare’s battle of the sexes and Sheridan’s scandalous comedy of manners, plus music, art and poetry in the library, baroque and blues concerts and tragic opera, advises Charles Hutchinson.

Ryedale play of the week: Hotbuckle Productions in Pride & Prejudice, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

IN artistic director Adrian Preater’s humorous, multi role-playing adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Hotbuckle Productions enter the world of the Bennets.

*Patricia Qua: Ceramicist and graphic designer taking part in York Open Studios for the first time in Hempland Drive, York*

Art around every corner: York Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

AS many as 156 artists and makers who live or work within a ten-mile radius of York will be welcoming visitors to 106 workspaces to show and sell their art, ranging from ceramics, collage, digital, illustration, jewellery and mixed media to painting, print, photography, sculpture, textiles, glass and wood. Among them will be 31 new participants. Full details and a map can be found at yorkopenstudios.co.uk. Look out for booklets around the city too.

*Keeping an eye on things: English Touring Opera in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at York Theatre Royal*

Opera of the week: English Touring Opera in Manon Lescaut, York Theatre Royal, Friday, 7.30pm

ENGLISH Touring Opera returns to York in Jude Christian radical production of Giacomo Puccini’s heartbreaking Manon Lescaut, for which she brings incisive direction to her sharp, poetic new translation.

Puccini’s 1892 breakthrough hit presents a devastating depiction of a woman wrestling with her desire for love on her own terms and the rigid double standards imposed on her by society. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*London Obbligato Collective: Opening the York Baroque+ Day at the NCEM*

Classical concert of the week: London Obbligato Collective, York Baroque+ Day, National Centre for Early Music, York Saturday, 12 noon

FORMED by Masumi Yamamoto, the new London Obbligato Collective focuses on “accompanied harpsichord sonatas”, where the harpsichord is given the solo role within the trio sonata texture, highlighting and enriching the colours and nuances of the instrument.

Next Saturday’s programme includes 18th century music by Felice Giardini, Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

*Lydea Perkins, as Lady Teazle, and Joseph Marcell, as Sir Peter Teazle, in Tilted Wig’s The School For Scandal. Picture: Anthony Robling*

Marcell plays Sir Peter Teazle, who believes his young wife is sleeping with someone else. Not true, but she is starting to think that if her husband believes it, she should give it a go. After all, if you are going to cause a scandal, you may as well enjoy it. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*Florence Poskitt: Stepping in to play Kate in York Shakespeare Project’s The Taming Of The Shrew*

Seventies’ Shakespeare play of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Taming Of The Shrew, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 23 to 27, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday

*Redfish Blues Band: Returning to Milton Rooms, Malton*

Blues gig of the week: Redfish Blues Band, Ryedale Blues Club, Milton Rooms, Malton, April 25, 8pm

NOMINATED for Blues Band of the Year and Blues Album of the Year in the UK 2024 Blues Awards, Redfish Blues Band return to Malton with Christian Sharpe on vocals and guitar, Steve McGuckin on Hammond, Rod Mackay on bass and Steve Gibson on drums.

As witnessed on their Together Is Better album and Soho Rising (Girls, Girls, Girls) single, they play a delicious, bubbling gumbo of blues, soul, gospel and funk in live performances defined by energy and restraint. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Gig announcement of the week: Bull present Live At The Library, York Explore Library & Archive, Library Square, York, May 19, from 12 noon

YORK Explore and Please Please You team up with York band Bull for a day of music, art and poetry to celebrate Explore York’s tenth birthday and raise funds for York’s libraries. The climax will be a 6.30pm to 10pm gig by Bull, Marnie Glum, Rowan and performance poet Stu Freestone (tickets, tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/1216274).

April 18, 2024April 18, 2024

York International Shakespeare Festival is under way for 11 days of shows, talks, workshops, exhibition and scratch night

*Footsbarn Theatre in Twelfth Night: Making their first British apperance in 15 years at the 2024 York International Shakespeare Festival*

FOOTSBARN Theatre will premiere their new production of Shakespeare’s bittersweet comedy Twelfth Night in a triumphant return to British soil after 15 years at the York International Shakespeare Festival.

April 27’s evening performance and April 28’s matinee will be followed by a UK and European tour throughout the summer, taking in the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival in Romania next month and Verona International Shakespeare Festival, Italy, in August.

Directed by Sadie Jammett, this will be the first full-scale Shakespeare show to be performed by the iconic travelling theatre company in Great Britain since A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 15 years ago.

Footsbarn began life in Cornwall in 1971 when a group of young performers started rehearsing in the barn of Trewen, a farmhouse near the village of Trewidland. Born out of a dream to create a form of theatre that would be “popular, generous and accessible to all”, the company is noted for performing in its circus big top across the globe.

In more than 50 years – the last 25 based in Maillet, France – Footsbarn have put their name to most of Shakespeare plays, but this will be their first staging of Twelfth Night. Now, perhaps more than any other time, this play comes into its own by exploring the themes of gender identity that younger generations are bravely bringing to the world’s attention.

Artistic director Sadie Jemmett says: “It was important to choose a production that would continue the great legacy and style of the company while also appealing to a new generation of theatregoers, and I believe that Twelfth Night does just that.”

Established in 2014 to “showcase York adaptations of Shakespeare’s works alongside international interpretations and to make global Shakespeare accessible to UK audiences from York and beyond”, this month’s event will be the festival’s sixth staging and the first since it became an annual event.

Residents and visitors to York from today until April 28 will find the city filled with powerful, moving shows, lectures by internationally recognised academics, exhibitions and workshops presented by Shakespeare enthusiasts from all over the world.

The festival is in the first year of a three-year sponsorship by York St John University, resulting in the theatre in the new Creative Centre becoming the principal location.

Other partners include York Theatre Royal, York Explore Library, York Shakespeare Project, the Grand Opera House, York, Theatre @41, Monkgate, Riding Lights Theatre Company, Rise @ Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, and many volunteers.

Two world premieres will bookend the festival. Opening the event today will be the European Shakespeare Festivals Network’s ShakeSphere Award Winner 2024, Hamlet: Double Bill from Italy, featuring Hamlet & The Grave Diggers and Hamlet & The Players, selected from 76 proposals. Footsbarn’s visit will be the closing act.

Another recommendation is American actress Debra Ann Byrd’s powerhouse solo show Becoming Othello, chiming with the festival theme of Shakespearean identity, in a Wednesday evening performance and Thursday matinee for schools.

“If we’re talking about an international festival of Shakespeare, we’re talking about Shakespeare morphing with other cultures and then taking shape in their own work,” says festival director Philip Parr.

“Becoming Othello is about a black woman’s journey into theatre – and Debra Ann has had as rough a journey as you could imagine, in New York, where she was told ‘you can’t go to drama school; black women don’t go, and certainly not from Harlem. If you do go, you play maids and servants and certainly not Shakespeare leads’.

“Yet 20 years ago she founded the Harlem Shakespeare Festival. So Becoming Othello is her story, and it’s a brilliant piece of theatre that she worked on at the Shakespeare Institute, with Shakespeare specialists both here and in the United States. The show is really grounded in the nature of Shakespeare.”

In her week-long stay in York, Byrd will be mentor of honour at a Shakespeare Scratch Night at the Grand Opera House and will host workshops in schools too.

Further highlights will include first readings of English translations of Shakespeare inspired plays from Bulgaria and Turkey, and a first-time visit by two Ukrainian actors and a director to work for a week with Philip Parr, leading to two performances tomorrow (20/4/2024).

Literature fans can look forward to a variety of talks and lectures delivered throughout the festival by Shakespearean academics from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while York Explore will play host to an exhibition of 300 years of representations of Othello.

York youngsters and families will have free or low-cost opportunities to become involved with the festival “to enjoy a bit of Shakespeare”.

Philip says: “This will be the only time this year you will be able to see international theatre in our city. In our fast-changing world, the plays of Shakespeare provide a shared body of work, which explores essential values, and which is capable of infinite reinvention.

“They create a space in which we can exchange ideas, explore our differences, and find our common ground. We’re excited to be creating such a space in York.”

Tickets and full programme details are available at yorkshakes.co.uk/programme-2024.

April 18, 2024April 18, 2024

Husthwaite Players head to the woods in Lottie Alexander’s staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Husthwaite Village Hall

*Effie Warboys’ Helena, Sam Strickland’s Lysander and Rachael Williams’s Hermia in rehearsal for Husthwaite Players’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. All pictures: Jack Wells*

LOTTIE Alexander directs Husthwaite Players in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Husthwaite Village Hall, near Easingwold, from April 25 to 27.

“What happens when characters – and audiences and readers – are moved from the known to the unknown, from order to disorder?” asks Lottie. “When they step outside their everyday life and enter into a strange dimension, such as the island in Lord Of The Flies, or Neverland, or the wood in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

“The wood is the centre of Shakespeare’s play, a place inhabited by fairies, ruled over by Titania and Oberon, whose quarrel has had the effect of altering the seasons. The disruptive interaction of the fairies with the mortals who dare to enter the forest, the lovers, and the artisans rehearsing their play, forms the major part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Despite the play being set in Athens, the wood and the fairies are thoroughly English, as are the artisans who perform their play for Duke Theseus. “Our production is set in 1918 – and the setting is appropriate,” says Lottie.

*Marcus Pickstone’s Oberon stands overThomas Jennings’s Demetrius as they rehearse for Husthwaite Players’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream*

“In 1917, in England, the photographs, taken by two young girls, of cut-out paper fairies deceived many in England, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From the 18th century, England was changed forever, as the Industrial Revolution drove the change from rural life to the new mechanized society, and the countryside was swallowed up by railways and urban and suburban sprawl.

“As a reaction, the interest in stories of fairies and magic abounded, folk tales and ballads were collected by antiquarians, and Spiritualism flourished, particularly post-war.”

Lottie continues: “In the play, Theseus explains to Hippolyta that it is easy for mortal minds to be confused by unusual images and experiences, and, as Puck reminds the audience at the play’s end, it may all have been a dream.”

Casting an eye over her company, Lottie says: “We are a village with a small community, and most of our players are local, but we have been lucky enough to be able to attract outside talent in several of our previous productions.

*Thisbe, left, The Wall and Pyramus in the “Wall Play” finale to Husthwaite Players’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream*

“For A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we have four talented and dedicated players as our young lovers: Effie Warboys (Helena), Thomas Jennings (Demetrius), Rachael Williams (Hermia) and Sam Strickland (Lysander). Effie and Thomas have most recently performed with the York Shakespeare Project.”

Look out too for Ray Alexander, past director of York Mystery Plays and York Settlement Community Players productions, making an ass of himself in the role of Nick Bottom, the weaver.

“We hope audiences will enjoy our production. After all, as Philip Henslowe says in the film Shakespeare in Love: ‘Comedy, love and a bit with a dog. That’s what they want’!”

Husthwaite Players in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, April 25 to 27, 7.30pm; doors 7pm. Tickets: £10, children £5, family £25; 07836 721775 or email sheila_mowatt@btinternet.com.

*Husthwaite Players’ poster for Lottie Alexander’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream*

Cast

Duke Theseus: Paul Hampshire

Hippolyta: Rachael Bice

Philostrate: Euan Crawshaw

Egeia: Lydia Ebdon

Hermia: Rachael Williams

Demetrius: Thomas Jennings

Lysander: Sam Strickland

Helena: Effie Warboys

Polly Quince: Stella McDevitt

Nick Bottom: Ray Alexander

Francis Flute: David Aspinall

Robin Starveling: Jane Cluley

Sally Snug: Sheila Mowatt

Puck: Scott Lammas

Celandine: Bethan Simpson

Oberon: Marcus Pickstone

Titania: Emma Kissack

Conker (the dog): Himself

Fairies and sprites played by Hustwaite children.

Production team

Director: Lottie Alexander

Set design: Ray Alexander

Scenic artists: Sorrel Price, Emma Kissack

Wardrobe: Lynn Colton, Julia Hampshire

Props: Liz Walton, Doreen French

Stage management: Stephen Barker, Simon Eedle