Latest news with #Aldeburgh
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A Midsummer Night's Dream at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2025: Vocally sure singing, but has a revamp muted Britten's orchestral magic?
A Midsummer Night's Dream Blackwater Valley Opera Festival ★★★☆☆ How things change. Back in 2010 the first Lismore Music Festival, today's Blackwater Valley Opera Festival , presented sure-fire repertoire – Bizet's Carmen, with Fiona Murphy heading the cast of 10 in the title role – in a marquee in the stable yard of Lismore Castle, with an ensemble of violin, accordion, guitar, double bass and percussion standing in for the colourful orchestral score. Move on 15 years and the festival is offering Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with a cast of 19 and the Irish Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Brophy, with nearly five times as many musicians in the pit. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Piccolo Lasso, Ami Hewitt and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall The stage area is transformed this year. A raised platform now covers the entire performance area, not only allowing for greater freedom of movement but also creating a pit for the orchestra at floor level. (The tiny Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh, where Britten's opera was first performed, in June 1960, also had to be enlarged and improved to accommodate the work.) The festival has made cosmetic improvements, too, with better-looking seating – which, strangely, is less comfortable because of the way it tilts forward – and black ceiling drapes, which give a softer interior appearance; sadly, they seem to do little or nothing to damp the percussive onslaught of rain on opening night on Wednesday. READ MORE So far so good. What about the production itself, directed by Patrick Mason and designed by Paul Keogan (set and lighting) and Catherine Fay (costumes)? It's a handsome, brightly lit show, the central, white-curtained bed about as close as it gets to any suggestion of night, and with different social levels distinguished through costumes of different periods. The actor Barry McGovern's black-clad Puck, wielding a white feather/wand/baton, falls somewhere between master of ceremonies, wizard and wannabe conductor. The soprano Ami Hewitt's beautifully bewigged Tytania sweeps and soars in style and manages a suppleness of vocal line that is otherwise in short supply. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Barry McGovern. Photograph: Frances Marshall A Midsummer Night's Dream: David Brophy and Irish Chamber Orchestra. Photograph: Frances Marshall The voice of the countertenor Iestyn Morris is too ethereal for his Oberon to make a real impression, sounding mostly insubstantial rather than atmospheric. The various couples – Christopher Cull and Gemma Ní Bhriain as Theseus and Hippolyta, Peter O'Reilly and Sarah Richmond as Lysander and Hermia, and Gregory Feldmann and Amy Ní Fhearraigh as Demetrius and Helena – are more engaging, vocally sure and with real tension in the conflicts they experience as a result of the love-inducing magic juice that mismatches them. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Amy Ní Fhearraigh, Gregory Feldmann, Peter O'Reilly, Sarah Richmond and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall A Midsummer Night's Dream: Ami Hewitt and Dominic Veilleux. Photograph: Frances Marshall The mechanicals are a damp squib when going through the preparations for their play within a play but altogether livelier in their performance of that comedy. The Bottom of the bass-baritone Dominic Veilleux revels in the comic opportunities afforded him as the ass Tytania is made to fall in love with. But, musically, there is something pallid about the performance. I'm not sure that this is entirely the fault of either singers or conductor. The voices don't carry well, and the orchestra is often so soft and muted that much of Britten's orchestral magic fails to register. My seat near the back may have played a part, but my primary suspicion is that the drapes just absorb too much sound in a space that's already severely acoustically challenged. A Midsummer Night's Dream is at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival , Lismore, Co Waterford, on Friday, May 30th, Saturday, May 31st, and Sunday, June 1st; the festival runs until Monday, June 2nd
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Country pub of the week: The Parrot, Aldringham
George Pell could once be found at L'Escargot, the beguilingly louche French restaurant in Soho. When he headed to the Aldeburgh seaside in pursuit of a new dream, a gorgeous restaurant with rooms called The Suffolk, many of his London admirers followed him to see what the coast could offer. Lots, it turns out, including The Parrot, a 16th-century inn that serves fish caught in the sea nearby and tales of the smugglers who used to drink here alongside the Whigs. The pub is a white-washed beauty, simple but with terrific food, much of it from their own allotment. Order an Adnams — it too is made nearby — and get talking to the staff: they might tell you of the police raids in the 1700s, or simply the results of the weekly pub quiz. It closes early, often 9pm; afterwards, nip down the road for a cocktail in Pell's place. B1353 Aldringham, IP16 4PY,
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suffolk coastal town dubbed 'London-on-Sea'
A much-loved Suffolk coastal town has been dubbed 'London-on-Sea' after becoming so popular with those living in the capital. The national news outlet My London described Aldeburgh as a place Londoners are heading to for staycations or even permanent moves. The popular seaside town has earned the nickname 'London-on-sea'. My London said: "While taking a stroll along Aldeburgh Beach, you'll discover a trove of historical treasures, such as the Quatrefoil Martello Tower, a relic from the Napoleonic Wars era. "There's also a charming Norman church and a beautifully converted windmill known as Green Fort. "Make sure to keep an eye out for the iconic Aldeburgh Scallop, a striking four-meter high steel shell sculpture installed on the beach to honour Benjamin Britten, the esteemed 20th-century composer and a former local of Aldeburgh. "The buzz of the waterfront is only amplified by the quaint traditional fisherman's huts peppered across the sand, where visitors have the chance to purchase some freshly-caught seafood directly from the locals." There is plenty to do in the town whether it be enjoying the glorious pebble beach, visiting one of the many great restaurants or trying out some award-winning fish and chips. Those looking for a place to stay are spoilt for choice but one place that constantly receives national recognition is The Suffolk. The town has also been named one of the best places to live in the UK by the expert property finders at Garrington. It was described as "one of Suffolk's gems" with its pastel-coloured houses serving as the backdrop to the pebble beach.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'It still feels like it isn't real' : Pub owner's delight after opening
The owner of an east Suffolk pub has said "it still feels like it isn't real" after turning the place around in just two weeks. The Railway Inn, in Aldeburgh, was bought by Tanya Steadman after she ran The Crown, in Leiston, as a 'try before you buy'. After working as a nurse throughout lockdown, Ms Steadman retired and started rescuing dogs from Turkey before trying her hand at pubs. READ MORE: Suffolk and Essex Business News She said: "Covid was just horrendous for nurses, and I decided that was it for me. "I never expected to take over The Railway Inn, I mean, I knew the pub very well and people knew me, but it still feels like it isn't real. "After getting the keys and closing on the offers, we got to work. "I knew I didn't want the pub to be closed for long so we shut for two weeks in March and opened in April. "The pub always looked closed so I sorted the lighting, put a stage in, renovated and added decorations that make it feel like the local it is." The pub has undergone a revamp to make it feel more like its namesake (Image: Tanya Steadman)READ MORE: Aldeburgh News As a nod to its namesake, the pub now displays railway memorabilia and photos, along with Ms Steadman's long-standing collection of bowler hats. She continued: "It's become a community again. "I want to listen to what people need, I've brought in gins for the ladies and can bring in other drinks for the locals. "It really is a bit of a village, people knew me as a customer and I was often asked to look at broken fingers or hear about colds. "I am surprised it has happened, especially The Railway, but opening night was good fun and I'm excited for other people." A stage has been put in to encourage local acts to get involved (Image: Tanya Steadman) The Railway Inn has started on renovating the upstairs rooms, giving each an en-suite, the kitchen will begin food and the pub hopes to be able to put on drag brunches soon.
