How Billy Elliot writer is bringing theatre to the community
Hall's new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's anti-war classic 'Mother Courage and Her Children', is the first production by one of Britain's most unlikely theatre companies.
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The Guardian
21 hours ago
- The Guardian
A Mass of Life review – magical and ecstatic Proms performance of Delius's magnum opus
It is 37 years since A Mass of Life was last done at the Proms, and that 1988 outing was only the second complete Proms performance. The neglect is barely credible, and this outstanding occasion showed what audiences have been denied. If ever there was a piece ideally suited to the Royal Albert Hall it is Delius's voluptuous 1905 magnum opus, with its double chorus, vast and sensuous orchestration, and the ecstatic affirmations of its Nietzsche text. And no conductor is more ideally suited to bringing all this together than the lifelong Delius advocate Mark Elder. Why the disregard? Partly, perhaps, the enduring boldness of Nietzsche's atheist polemic Also Sprach Zarathustra, from which the text is culled. The main reason, though, is surely that Delius's defiantly individual aesthetic – 'a little intangible sometimes but always very beautiful', as Elgar, no less, put it so well – remains a hard sell to audiences who want their music to have more obvious structure and progression. And yet few big pieces have a more clearcut beginning, middle and end than A Mass of Life. The opening summons leaps magnificently off the page. The atmospheric stillness at the start of the second part, with its distant horn calls – played high in the Albert Hall gallery – is a magical piece of writing. And the final chorus is an emphatic summation, admirably marshalled here by Elder to avoid any hint of bombast. Undeniably, the work has weaker moments, in which Delius's music lingers less cogently. Yet few are without interest and none lacks artistry. The influence of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, philosophically as well as musically, is there. So is the echo of Delius's exposure to African American singing in his Florida years. The orchestration is always alive with subtle changes of timbre and phrasing. All this was sensitively realised by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with Alison Teale's bass oboe providing a distinctive presence in the fine woodwind section. Among the vocal soloists, the baritone carries most of the weight, with Roderick Williams bringing clarity and taste to his marathon task. Jennifer Davis, Claudia Huckle and David Butt Philip showed they were not there to make up the numbers. The BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Philharmonic Choir never flagged. Surtitled translations of the German text were a good idea. But it was Elder who did most to make the case for A Mass of Life so conclusively. Why not a repeat in a year or two's time? Listen again on BBC Sounds until 12 October. The Proms continue until 13 September.
Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
6 unmissable Japanese festivals happening in Tokyo this August 22-24 weekend
This August 22–24 weekend is set to be one of Tokyo's most festive this summer, with traditional Japanese celebrations taking over various districts and neighbourhoods across the capital. From lively Bon Odori dances to the renowned Koenji Awa Odori, there's plenty to look forward to. Though all of these festivals centre around street dancing, each has its own distinct origin. Bon Odori is a traditional way to honour ancestral spirits, while Yosakoi was created in Kochi in 1954 to help revive the postwar economy. The roots of Awa Odori are less clear, though one legend ties the lively group dance to celebrations marking the completion of Tokushima Castle in 1587. Today, however, the festivals serve above allas joyful summer events that light up the evenings. With the forecast calling for another scorcher, be sure to stay cool while enjoying the festivities. Koenji Awa Odori Aug 23-24 One of the most popular street dance festivals in Tokyo, Koenji's Awa Odori is returning this summer in full swing. This year, the celebration will feature over 150 Awa Odori dance groups parading around Koenji Station's North-South shotengai shopping arcade and Konan-dori street over the August 23-24 weekend. The tradition of Awa Odori can be traced back to Tokushima, in the Shikoku region. Legend has it that the local daimyo plied his citizens with booze to celebrate the completion of the local castle in 1586, leading to a citywide outbreak of dancing in the streets. Whatever the accuracy of that tale, the enthusiasm was contagious, and Koenji has been holding a street dance fest of its own since 1957. While the action starts at 5pm for both days, you'll need to arrive much earlier if you want to snag one of the best viewing spots along the two streets mentioned above. Aug 23-24 Late August is always a good time for dancing in the streets, with many major festivals happening around this time of year. The Yosakoi dance originated in Kochi prefecture in 1954, where it was created to help revitalise the struggling post-war economy. Tokyo's very own Super Yosakoi festival, however, while relatively new, has been going on for over two decades now. This massive event sees about 110 teams of brightly attired dancers trying to outdo each other as they strut their stuff to the rhythm of the naruko – a type of clapper that the people of Kochi originally used to scare birds away from the fields. The dance performances take place at various locations within the Harajuku/Shibuya area. But if you only see one thing, make sure it's the massive parade along the tree-lined Omotesando avenue on Sunday from 11.10am to 4.15pm. Stage performances will be held at Yoyogi Park from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and until 5pm on Sunday. There are also smaller parades at the Yoyogi Park Event Square, along the road between the NHK Hall and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, around the same time. At the Yoyogi no Mori Bon-Odori venue (5-68-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya), you can enjoy Yosakoi performances from 11.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday and from 11.00am to 4pm on Sunday. Azabu-Juban Noryo Festival Aug 23-24 One of Tokyo's favourite traditional festivals, the annual Azabu-Juban Noryo Matsuri ('noryo' translates as 'cool of the evening') has been going on for over 50 years now. The festival is returning this year on August 23 and 24 at Patio Juban Square, the nearby Amishiro Park and along the streets of the fashionable Azabu-Juban shopping district. There will be plenty of dancing, performances and live music, along with food and game stalls, some of which are set up by local businesses. Additionally, the nearby Juban Inari-jinja shrine will host an ohayashi festival music performance, accompanied by Ise Ondo folk dancing. Dust off your yukata and prepare to mingle among the crowds. Roppongi Hills Bon Odori Aug 22-24 This lively Roppongi Hills festival features traditional Bon Odori dance by yukata-clad performers in the shopping centre's event arena. Traditional Japanese lanterns add to the festive atmosphere while the surrounding food stalls cater to hungry crowds. You can expect a varied gourmet selection prepared by popular restaurants in the area, including Roppongi Barbacoa, Diya, Rigoletto Bar and Grill, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Gelateria Raffinato, and more. There will also be plenty of activities like yo-yo fishing, ring tossing, and a face mask stall for children and adults to enjoy. While there's no Bon Odori dancing on Friday, you'll get to watch a modern interpretation of Gigaku (masked drama performance) and Dengaku (traditional Japanese dance) instead. The show is put on by Roppongi Raku, the venue's performing arts group that consists of about 150 people, starting at 7pm. Bon Odori dancing takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 5pm to 8pm. Tokyo Otsuka Awa Odori Aug 22-23 The annual Otsuka Awa Odori dance festival has been running since 1972, and it involves over 1,000 dancers every year. The pre-event festivities are held at the station-front plaza on August 22. There will be a ceremony, followed by mini Awa Odori dance performances. The main festival however, falls on Saturday August 23 from 4pm, with around a dozen groups of dancers parading along Minamiotsuka-dori street in front of JR Otsuka Station's East exit. This year, the festival is celebrating its 51st year with a line-up of venerable local awa-odori dance troupes, including Shinsuiren and the Toriren Awa Odori Club from Toshimagaoka Joshigakuen High School, which is one of only four such high school clubs in all of Japan. Chuo Ward Oedo Bon Odori Festival Aug 22-23 Head over to Hamacho Park for some communal dancing at the Chuo Ward Oedo Bon Odori festival. Held on August 22 and 23, this annual event marks the end of summer and honours the spirits of ancestors with a unique song and dance called the Chuo City Ondo – you can learn the steps here. As with similar festivals across Japan, you'll find food stalls serving crowd-pleasing street eats. Programme-wise, watch out for a traditional performing arts presentation at 4pm on Saturday. And make sure you catch the special taiko drum performances on Friday at 5.30pm and Saturday at 8.50pm – they mark the beginning and end of the Bon Odori festivities respectively. If you're looking to partake in the Bon Odori dance, the session starts at 5.40pm on Friday and 5.50pm on Saturday.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Look up: five hopeful novels about the climate crisis
'Can literature be a tool to encourage something better – creating eco-topia on the page, so it might be imagined off it?' asks the novelist Sarah Hall in this weekend's Guardian magazine. Climate fiction – or 'cli-fi' – continues to grow as a genre in its own right; the first Climate fiction prize was awarded this year. And while the roots of environmental fiction are in apocalypse and despair, these five writers are moving beyond dystopia to hopeful possibilities. Powers was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer for this love letter to the arboreal world. Mimicking the interlinked canopy and undergrowth of the forest, he weaves the stories of nine core characters whose lives are deeply connected to trees. Olivia and Nick, for example, set up camp in a giant redwood for a year to prevent it from being cut down. They connect with other characters over their environmental activism, with one tragic consequence. But ultimately the novel is a homage to the resilience of humans and trees. In Ghosh's globetrotting novel inspired by Bengali legends, environmental destruction surfaces again and again: climate change-induced migration, wildfires, beached dolphins. This is no dystopia, but climate realism. Yet the novel feels fundamentally hopeful, with Ghosh nodding to cross-cultural cooperation as a means of facing climate destruction. Two female characters, marine biologist Piya and historian Cinta, also fortify us. 'I don't think my book is climate fiction at all,' said Ghosh in a 2019 interview. 'It's actually a reality that in hard circumstances humans often discover joy and faith.' Originally published in 1993, Parable of the Sower is set between 2024 and 2027 in a California bordering on anarchy, marked by economic breakdown and climate change. The narrator, Lauren Olamina, suffers from hyperempathy syndrome, meaning she feels the pain of others acutely. She creates a new religion, Earthseed, which posits that humans have the power to 'shape God' and enact change. Verses from Earthseed's book of scripture are scattered throughout the novel: 'Belief initiates and guides action – or it does nothing.' Escaping an unhappy marriage on a failing Appalachian farm, Dellarobia is en route to meet her would-be lover when she is stopped in her tracks by a sea of orange monarch butterflies, set off their migratory course by climate change. Dellarobia's discovery draws an entomologist to the area, and with his help she undergoes a metamorphosis of her own. This slim novel, published in 2021, is set on a utopian moon, Panga, following a destructive 'Factory Age'. Humanity has since deindustrialised, transitioning to agrarian, sustainable living. Our protagonist, non-binary tea monk Dex, travels between Panga's villages in their wagon, offering personalised brews and a listening ear to troubled residents. But soon, Dex craves quiet, and journeys into the wilderness, where they strike up a friendship with a robot, Splendid Speckled Mosscap, who is looking to answer the question: 'What do humans need?' This cosy novella slots into the 'hopepunk' subgenre of speculative fiction for its optimistic exploration of life's meaning and humanity's relationship to nature and technology.
