Rhodri Huw
Created to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, Ghosts in the Ruin is a performance work that features original choral music, projections of archive imagery and poetry by local writers. The piece takes audiences on a physical journey between the new cathedral and the ruins of the original site, retelling the history of the space and exploring themes of reconciliation and sanctuary that characterise the city. This is the film of the site-specific performance, commissioned by Coventry Cathedral and the Coventry City of Culture Trust, and created by Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement recipient Nitin Sawhney CBE with the people of Coventry.
Always a highlight of the EFG London Jazz Festival, Jazz Voice returns this year with a host of special guests and a celebration of some of the classic jazz scores written for the silver screen. English jazz trumpeter and composer Guy Barker is once again at the helm of this musical extravaganza, conducting a specially formed 45-piece orchestra, who take centre stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Hosted by Jumoké Fashola, this year’s guest performers include cellist and vocalist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Kurdish singer Aynur, neo-soul and contemporary jazz singer Ego Ella May, vocalist and composer Georgia Cécile, singer Sachal Vasandani and saxophonist and spoken word artist Lakecia Benjamin.
A gripping dramatisation of the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of the young painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Based on surviving court transcripts, Breach Theatre’s award-winning show blends history, myth and contemporary commentary to ask: how much has really changed in the last four centuries? The story centres on an unwelcome visit from Tassi to Artemisia’s home while her father is away. What happens next is disputed. In court, the accused man’s strategies - questioning the victim’s morality, rubbishing the evidence and nobbling the witnesses - mirror the smokescreen tactics of sexual abusers today. Filled with rage, shot through with satire and including re-enactments of Gentileschi’s celebrated biblical paintings, this critically acclaimed play shines a spotlight on a remarkable woman who went on to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.
Mike Bartlett's play Albion, directed for the stage by Rupert Goold, is a tragicomic drama about national identity, family, passion and the disappointment of personal dreams. Filmed at London’s Almeida Theatre, the play is set in the garden of an English country house. The house has been bought by successful businesswoman Audrey Walters, who intends to restore the ruined garden to its former glory and create a memorial to the son she recently lost in a foreign war.
Hamlet captures the Almeida Theatre's 2017 acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's great play, recorded as-live in its West End transfer on the stage of London's Harold Pinter Theatre. Robert Icke's innovative modern-dress production, featuring Andrew Scott, Juliet Stevenson, Angus Wright and Jessica Brown Findlay, has been widely acclaimed as a dazzlingly intelligent, forcefully contemporary staging. The Evening Standard hailed Andrew Scott's 'career-defining performance... he makes the most famous speeches feel fresh and unpredictable.'
Julius Caesar depicts the catastrophic consequences of a political leader's extension of his powers beyond the remit of the constitution. As Brutus (Harriet Walter) wrestles with his moral conscience over the assassination of Julius Caesar (Jackie Clune), Mark Antony (Jade Anouka) manipulates the crowd through his subtle and incendiary rhetoric to frenzied mob violence. Phyllida Lloyd takes her tense, arresting production of Shakespeare’s famous discourse on power, loyalty, and tragic idealism into a gripping version for screen.
Gospel Christmas returns from the heart of Cardiff to celebrate a special evening of music and spiritual cheer with Sir Tom Jones and Beverley Knight. The blend of traditional gospel, carols and songs of spiritual intent from modern greats like Prince and Bob Dylan are performed by choirs and a house band from the British gospel scene, and will add up to the freshest of winter warmers.
The French have occupied Sicily, and Hélène is held hostage by Montfort, the French governor, who has had her brother executed. She turns to the partisan Jean Procida and the rebellious patriot Henri in her bid for vengeance. Les Vêpres siciliennes is one of Verdi’s lesser-known mature operas, but was vital to his development as a composer. It was created for the Paris Opéra in 1855, providing Verdi with an opportunity to embrace the elaborate style and traditions of French grand opera. First seen at the Royal Opera House in 2013, this staging of Verdi's rarely-performed opera Les Vêpres siciliennes – directed by Stefan Herheim and conducted by The Royal Opera’s Music Director, Verdi specialist Sir Antonio Pappano – went on to win the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production.
Documentary following English folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention as they celebrate their 45th anniversary in 2012. Fairport's iconic 1969 album Liege and Lief featured some of folk music's biggest names - including singer Sandy Denny, guitarist Richard Thompson and fiddler Dave Swarbrick - and was voted by Radio 2 listeners as the most influential folk album of all time.
Rodrigo / Chabrier / Rachmaninov / Cañizares / Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
Part of BBC Four's Black Music Legends of the 1980s, this documentary explores how Prince - showman, artist, enigma - revolutionized the perception of black music in the 1980s with worldwide hits such as "1999," "Kiss," "Raspberry Beret" and "Alphabet Street." He became a global sensation with the release of the Oscar-winning, semi-autobiographical movie "Purple Rain" in 1984, embarking on an incredible journey of musical self-discovery that continues to this day.
Highlights from the first ever Doctor Who Prom, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in July 2008, featuring Murray Gold's celebrated music for the television series, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Choir under the baton of Ben Foster. Described as the 'hottest ticket in town', the concert is presented by Freema Agyeman (aka Martha Jones), with a surprise guest appearance by Catherine Tate (aka Donna Noble), and features a specially filmed scene written by Russell T Davies, starring David Tennant and a mischievous Graske. Throughout the concert the music, is accompanied by sequences from the series and Christmas specials, as well as a host of monsters and aliens, including the Doctor's oldest enemies, the Daleks and Cybermen.
