Latest news with #Concerto
Scotsman
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Superb new spaces and fabulous food on board revamped Majestic Princess
My wife's favourite dessert is crème brûlée, so much so it was the crowning glory of our wedding breakfast. And she's mad on anything almondy - you know, cherry bakewell, marzipan and the like. So when an Amaretto Crème Brûlée was the pudding du jour in the Allegro restaurant on board the Majestic Princess, it was like Mars(ipan) had aligned with Venus as far as Karen was concerned, her eyes nearly as wide as the side plates when she excitedly pointed it out. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A twee intro I confess, but it just about sums up our experience on board this voluptuous vessel, just a couple of months out of dry dock after a major refurbishment. A brand spanking fresh look, sparkling new spaces, fabulous food and an amazing itinerary, all synergistically combined to make for us a fantastic week's foray into the Mediterranean. So, especially if you're new to cruising, let's first talk about what is included in the basic price of a cruise on board the Royal Class Majestic, a more than apt name for this sumptuous 3,560-guest, 18-deck, 143,700-tonner. Gleaming chrome and polished timbers abound, with elegant and contemporary decor, flooring and furnishings continually inspiring your awe and eliciting your gasps at every turn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Majestic Princess has been refitted for 2025 | Princess All guests can expect a comfortable en-suite stateroom, complimentary dining venues including the three main waiter-service dining rooms Allegro, Symphony and Concerto, and the World Fresh Market place buffet, open from 6.30am until late for continuous consuming (note: take some elasticated trousers). Coffee, tea, tap water, lemonade, iced tea, and juices are also included. The fabled Princess entertainment, including daily activities and West End-quality stage shows in the Princess Theater, also form part of your fare, as is the MedallionClass experience, incorporating a wearable device. This ingenious little Medallion, supplied with a complimentary lanyard (or treat yourself to a watch/bangle from the ship's shop) is all you need to carry around while on board, serving as your room key (it unlocks the door as you near your room!), tallying up any bills or drinks allowances, and also acting as a 'finder' for AWOL co-cruisers. Via the OceanNow® delivery service, available with the Princess Plus and Premier packages, you can order a drink via the app (I'll get to this), go down a deck or five, and your waiter will still find you! The impressive Atrium and Piazza area | Princess Free to download from the Play /App Store is the Princess app, which as well as ordering your favourite cocktail while soaking up the sun, has everything else at the touch of a button, allowing users to access bookings, manage their cruise experiences, and interact with the MedallionClass digital features on board, including what's happening on board the ship, activity and entertainment-wise. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If, like me, you also like a paper version of things, the daily Princess Patter pamphlet, detailing everything in print, is conveniently delivered to your stateroom the evening before. Of course, things like drinks are extra so there are various packages you can buy to suit all tastes. Princess Standard is included in the basic fare and covers the core Princess® MedallionClass® Experience, so you can purchase drinks individually at bars and restaurants on the ship and these are charged to your on-board account. The Hollywood indoor pool | Princess The Princess Plus package offers the MedallionNet® Max Wi-Fi (1 device per guest), crew appreciation and the Plus Beverage Package (15 drinks per day up to $15 each), unlimited juice bar, premium desserts (two per day), fitness classes (two per cruise), two casual dining meals per guest, OceanNow® delivery and room service delivery. This costs £50 pp/per day. For £75 pp/per day the Princess Premier Package offers the above plus Wi-Fi for up to four devices per guest, an unlimited Premier Beverage Package with drinks up to $20 each, unlimited premium desserts and fitness classes, a photo package of unlimited digital and three prints, unlimited speciality and casual dining meals and reserved theatre seating (for production shows only). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If you're not on the Princess Premier Package and wish to spoil yourselves, there are a la carte restaurant options onboard. These include The Crown Grill for a surf n turf experience par excellence, The Catch By Rudi, specialising in fine fish and succulent seafood, Alfredo's Pizzeria and Sabatini's Italian Trattoria, formerly Harmony Restaurant. A stateroom with balcony | Princess The latter is Princess' signature authentic Italian trattoria with a taste of Tuscany and beyond, featuring family recipes from handmade pastas to robust sauces and rich slow-braised meats. It's here we sampled the amazing Frescobaldi Grand Tuscan Dining Experience, a special evening dedicated to the heart of Italian hospitality, where we immersed ourselves into an exquisite six-course dining experience paired with Frescobaldi wines, designed to showcase the rich flavours of the Italian region. ($99pp) New spaces, I hear seasoned Majestic cruisers ask? I would first reassure them that the feel of the ship has not been compromised, rather an injection of appealing additions to complement the familiar features regulars look forward to year in year out. So, the former Vines Wines Bar has been given a Gaelic going over and is now O'Malley's pub, offering classic Irish comfort food paired with an extensive drinks choice including a curated selection of beers (including Guinness, obvs) and whiskey flights. Live music makes this place a great gathering place to enjoy the craic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The clever Medallion! | Dean Mellor It's one of several 'open plan' bars in and around the glorious and ornate Piazza and, so to avoid clashes, when one live act finishes another one starts – a bit like the Jools Holland stages – giving the Piazza the air of a musical hub with many guests even happy to give the production shows a miss and just move their cocktails from bar to bar. The nearby Bellini's Cocktail Bar is another addition to Majestic's drinking venue line-up (10 in total). Inspired by the popular drink, bellinis and cocktails are served up and finessed with Italian flair by snazzily-suited staff. The Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar (extra cost applies) is also new, as are The Shops of Princess, Alfredo's Slice - a poolside pizza lover's paradise serving authentic Neapolitan pizza crafted from scratch and made to order, and the Salty Dog Cafe, a poolside grill serving cooked-to-order burgers, hot dogs, tacos, loaded fries and more. A fabulous fish dish in The Catch, by Rudi | Dean Mellor A unique feature on Majestic is the indoor Hollywood Pool Club. Covered by a glass dome, it provides a comfortable temperature regardless of the weather outside and ideal on cruises to cooler climes and for family swims. It gets its name courtesy of a Tinseltown-themed environment with luxurious loungers, sculptures, and topiaries. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's so much more to talk about with excellent kids' and teens' clubs, the Grand Casino, Lotus Spa, Fitness Center - the list just goes on to keep everyone of any age entertained on this superb seafarer, but the final mention must go to the efficient, professional and ever-smiling staff who constantly strive for guest satisfaction - scratch that - guest delight. An amazing trip and ship, thoroughly did I mention that Majestic Princess will soon be sailing from Southampton? Keep on reading! One of the delicious desserts served on the Frescobaldi evening in Sabatini's | Dean Mellor So where did we go? We joined the cruise halfway during the voyage on this 10-day itinerary, the ship having already visited Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes and Kusadasi before we joined in Chania, Crete, then cruising on to Katakolon (for Olympia), Corfu, Naples and Civitavecchia (for Rome). There are myriad trips for each destination available from the Shore Excursions Desk, but we enjoyed the following. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Olympia & Archaeological Museum (from cruise port of Katakolon) We put on our walking shoes for a guided tour via headsets through ancient Olympia where the Olympics began over three millenniums ago. Our first destination was the Olympia Archaeological Site, home to the Temple of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Temple of Hera was also ours to explore, as was the stadium where the Olympics began nearly 1,500 years ago. Here's where more than 40,000 spectators would witness contests ranging from foot races to the pentathlon, and after nearly 1,500 years, the 2004 Olympic Games held the shot-put contest. A short walk away, the Archaeological Museum displays amazing artifacts from the site. Olympia, the original home of the Olympic games from 3,000 years ago | Dean Mellor Corfu Town & Cooking Demonstration A tour that wined and dined us! After a scenic 30-minute drive to the Corfu countryside, we arrived at a traditional restaurant, observing demonstrations of traditional Greek cooking before sitting down to a feast accompanied by wine. With a delicious meal behind us it was on to the island capital's Old Fortress, which stands guard over the harbour and Corfu and a guided tour of the town. Pompeii & Time On Your Own In Sorrento We spent a full day visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pompeii, marvelling at the archaeological excavations of a lost city buried beneath ashes from Mount Vesuvius's eruption in 79 AD. Our knowledgeable guide took us on a two-hour walking tour, pointing out the remains that hint at daily Roman life and how they entertained, decorated and lived. Highlights included stunning frescoes and mosaic-inlaid floors of wealthy homeowners' villas. We then travelled onto the beautiful city of Sorrento, where lemons abound! With 2.5 hours of free time there was plenty of opportunity to discover this charming place with splendid views of the sea and the colourful marina below, strolling the flower-filled main street, Corso Italia, lined with quaint boutiques and sidewalk cafes, and enjoying the must-have speciality - pizza! One of the quaint streets in Sorrento, Italy | Dean Mellor How to book Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As I mentioned Majestic Princess will be sailing from Southampton on a 12-night British Isles tour with France & Belfast. The cruise departs on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, calling at Cork (Cobh – for Blarney Castle), Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow (Greenock), Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Invergordon, Edinburgh (South Queensferry) and Le Havre (for Paris/Normandy). Princess Standard fares start from £1,149pp*, based on two people sharing an inside stateroom. Princess Plus fares start from £2,049pp*, based on two people sharing a balcony stateroom. For more details, click here If you like the sound of the places we visited, sister ship Enchanted Princess will be sailing the Mediterranean next year on a similar itinerary. A 14-night Mediterranean, Aegean & Adriatic cruise, sailing roundtrip from Civitavecchia (for Rome), onboard Enchanted Princess. Cruise departs on Tuesday 26 May 2026, calling at Naples (for Capri & Pompeii), Santorini, Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Katakolon (for Olympia), Civitavecchia (for Rome), Corfu, Dubrovnik, Kotor and Naples (for Capri & Pompeii). Princess Standard fares start from £1,249pp*, based on two people sharing an inside stateroom. Princess Plus fares start from £2,819pp*, based on two people sharing a balcony stateroom. For more details, click here *Correct at time of writing Holiday Extras Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Holiday Extras' is the UK market leader in airport parking, lounges, and hotels – and last year its customers saved an average of £196 per trip by booking their airport parking in advance. Booking an Airport Hotel with Parking means you can enjoy more holiday with less hassle. Plus with Flextras, if you need to cancel, you can without charge. One night's accommodation in a Standard Room at the Premier Inn Heald Green with eight days' Meet & Greet Parking at Manchester Airport (T3) is available for £264.28. Based on arrival on Tuesday 8th July 2025. For more information and to book, visit Escape Lounge Manchester Airport's Escape Lounge is available in all three terminals and offers passengers to chance to put their feet up, catch up on last-minute business, or simply enjoy some peace and quiet as they enjoy the complimentary food and drink on offer. The lounge caters to passengers of all ages and offers fast unlimited Wi-Fi, flight information boards, bar service for complimentary alcoholic and soft drinks, along with buffet service for seasonal meals and snacks. Prices start from £33.99 when booked in advance. For more information or to book visit:
Scoop
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Bach Musica NZ Present An Evening Of Mozart And C.P.E. Bach In June
Join the renowned Bach Musica NZ, New Zealand's leading combined choir and orchestra, at the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday 22 June for an evening of exquisite performance with Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor & C.P.E. Bach's Magnificat. The June concert welcomes young award-winning pianist, Madeleine Xiao, as soloist in Mozart's famous Piano Concerto in D minor. Madeleine began learning the piano at age five. At just 16, she went on to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland. She won 3rd place at the National Concerto Competition in 2023 and received the Royal Overseas League Pettman Scholarship in 2024. In the second half of the concert, Bach Musica NZ's chorus and orchestra present the 45-minute glorious Magnificat by C.P.E. Bach, the gifted son of J.S. Bach. They are joined by vocal soloists Joanna Foote (soprano), 2024 Lexus Song Quest winner Katie Trigg (alto), Taliai Fifita (tenor) and Edward Laurenson (baritone). This concert is conducted by Bach Musica NZ's Music & Artistic Director, Rita Paczian. 'Mozart and Bach will forever remain two of the greatest composers, and that includes the gifted son Carl Philip Emanuel. His Magnificat is magnificent!' says Paczian. Bach Musica NZ also continue their popular workshop series, with their Sight-Reading Workshop on Saturday 17 May and Singing Workshop on Saturday 1 November. All ages and skill levels are welcome. "Bach Musica NZ offers a great shout of joy. With a lively Rita Paczian on harpsichord, surrounded by her string players, Bach's Gloria opened with a high celebration and ended with another, chorus and full orchestra giving their considerable all." – William Dart, NZ Herald Bach Musica NZ's full programme can be found here: Mozart Piano Concerto in D minor & C.P.E. Bach Magnificat Sunday 22 June 2025 at 5pm – Auckland Town Hall Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. Rita Paczian Conductor Madeleine Xiao Piano Joanna Foote Soprano Katie Trigg Alto Taliai Fifita Tenor Baritone
The Guardian
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Britten Sinfonia/Berman review – haunting premiere about memories of the Holocaust
There is memory, but there is also 'post-memory'. Mingled with the recollection of our own life stories, we humans also carry those of others, told or sometimes concealed by those we once knew, or even never met. But what is passed down becomes ours too. This interwoven fabric of past, present and future is the rewarding inspiration behind Michael Zev Gordon's compelling and intelligent new concert piece, A Kind of Haunting. Gordon's substantial setting is for two narrators, baritone and string orchestra. Premiered by the Britten Sinfonia under Jonathan Berman, it proves true to its title. The score explores Gordon's search for his Polish Jewish ancestors, murdered in the Holocaust in 1941: an event of which Gordon's own father barely spoke, and which the composer and his own children now own too. The focus is on the haunting not just the horror. As Gordon says, the work explores the potency of the Holocaust's aftereffects – a gift and a curse, as Marianne Hirsch's narration has it. Gordon's music is deceptively fragmentary. It starts with a shard of lullaby which disappears and reappears without crystalising. Other patterns and phrases recur and rebuild. But the structure is always clear and controlled. There is a strong focus on text, suggesting Gordon does not want the music to become too overwhelming. Occasionally it feels a little too restrained for what is being described, but Gordon's artistic tact pays dividends in the final pages. One narrator, the excellent Allan Corduner, depicts the search. The second, Louisa Clein, reflects, equally convincingly, on the meaning of the interwoven memories. James Newby brings vocalism of great nuance and controlled solemnity to five reflective arias of mounting intensity to texts by the poet Jacqueline Saphra. The opening half of the concert brought two contrasting masterworks of the Holocaust era itself. Under Berman, the Sinfonia played Martinů's Concerto for double string orchestra, piano and timpani with full toned ferocity. One had to remind oneself that the concerto, with Huw Watkins a formidable piano soloist, was written in 1938, before the events it otherwise seems to embody so strongly. Strauss's Metamorphosen, premiered in 1946, is a work of an altogether different kind, with violinist Zoë Buyers leading the 23 string players in a performance whose intimacy captured the veteran composer's vast sense of loss. This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 9 April The Britten Sinfonia: 1945: A Kind of Haunting is at Elgar Concert Hall, Birmingham on 26 March and Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden on 28 March
Associated Press
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
New Interactive Musical Play Space Opens at Cain Center for the Arts
CORNELIUS, N.C., March 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Make An Impact Foundation, the non-profit dedicated to promoting the education and well-being of underserved children nationwide, today announced the opening of a new playground at the Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, North Carolina. Now open, the interactive play space was designed to inspire creativity and engagement through music and movement. The play space features products from Miracle ® Recreation, a pioneer in manufacturing thrilling playgrounds for nearly a century. Installed pieces feature Concerto musical elements, including Tall Chimes, Small Cabasa, Large Cabasa, and Concerto Vibes, allowing visitors of all abilities and ages to create music while enjoying the Cain Center's vibrant outdoor space. 'Our mission is to promote the education and well-being of children, and this play space aligns with our mission,' said Dale Gillmore, founder and board chairman of Make An Impact Foundation. 'As a board member at The Cain Center For The Arts, I am excited and grateful that our community worked together on this project.' Make An Impact Foundation partners with organizations to create places where all kids have equal opportunity and ability to play freely without barriers. To make this music-themed play space a reality, it worked with Quest, North Mecklenburg Rotary Club, Peninsula Club Foundation, Cain Center for the Arts, Town of Cornelius Parks and Recreation, and Miracle Recreation. The Rotary Club played a key role in fundraising, contributing nearly half of the total project cost. Designed as a natural amphitheater, the outdoor space provides an ideal setting for the new musical play equipment. The installation offers a unique way for visitors to interact with sound and movement in an open-air environment. 'The addition of the musical sculpture playground to Cain Park has enhanced the opportunity for community members to experience the joys and wonder of the arts at Cain Center,' said Justin Dionne, executive director of the Cain Center For The Arts. 'It has been wonderful to see people of all ages try new things and enjoy art while playing.' Located in the heart of Old Town Cornelius, Cain Center for the Arts first raised its curtain in 2023 to offer vibrant performing arts events, thought-provoking visual art exhibits, diverse arts education, and lively social experiences to the Lake Norman community and beyond. For more information about Miracle's Concerto music elements, please visit About Make An Impact Foundation: The mission of Make An Impact Foundation (MAIF), a 501(c)(3), is to promote the education and well-being of children. MAIF identifies children in severe need (homeless, poverty, etc.) as well as those with learning needs, emotional needs, disabilities, or disease and creates opportunities to produce a change in their lives. Our vision at MAIF is to meet the needs of children by identifying worthwhile projects, empowering project champions, and finding donor partners to help meet each need. For more information about MAIF visit our website, About Miracle® Recreation Founded nearly a century ago, Miracle Recreation inspires communities to develop kids with the character to lead tomorrow through its high-quality playgrounds. A division of PlayPower®, Inc., Miracle, pioneers the world of thrilling commercial outdoor play equipment with the belief that a lifetime of self-discovery, independence, and leadership begins on a playground. That's where children take perceived risks, which challenge and transform them, opening their minds to new perspectives. To learn more, visit
WIRED
09-02-2025
- WIRED
KEF's Punchy New Q Series Bookshelves Trade Style for Substance
I've yet to meet a pair of KEF speakers I didn't like. The brand's penchant for providing rigid and musical bass, a warm and smooth midrange, and effortless treble extension keeps wireless models like the LS50 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) and LSX (9/10, WIRED Recommends), and the wired R3 Meta (9/10, WIRED Recommends) among my favorites on the market. These trusty sonic hallmarks are present once more in the new Q Concerto Meta. Along with great sound, KEF's Q Series aims to give you more for your money, which in the Concerto's case equates to a bounty of drivers. You don't often see three-way bookshelf speakers at this price, but the Concerto deliver the goods in an efficient configuration. You'll get a hefty woofer, a midrange driver above, and at its center, KEF's signature concentric tweeter that has trickled down from some of the brand's best, including the highfalutin R3. The Concerto immediately evoke the R3, from their design aesthetic to support for KEF's 'Meta' absorption tech, aimed at eliminating unwanted cabinet frequencies. The similarities end there; the Concerto's sound (understandably) can't approach the R3's lofty heights, while their vinyl-wrapped facade feels more budget than KEF fans might expect. Still, this is a great package for the money, offering competitive sound with a focus on exemplary tonal balance and potent bass. Loaded for Bare I was positively giddy to be unboxing a sparkling new pair of KEF's latest bookshelves, but my excitement was tempered when I got the Concerto loose from their foam homes. The vinyl cabinets (available in black, white, and walnut) look clean and relatively sharp, but most speakers I've tested in their class and even a step below do better. Compared to the posh piano gloss of SVS' Ultra Evolution (9/10, WIRED Recommends), or the Focal Vestia No1's funky leather and woodgrain panels, the Concerto have a more bargain basement vibe. Attaching the plain-Jane magnetic grilles further pushes them toward boxy obscurity. Photograph: Ryan Waniata In fairness, I think these are purposeful corner cuts to invest more on hardware, and the Concerto certainly have it where it counts. Their three-pack of drivers per side includes a 6.5-inch hybrid aluminum cone woofer, a 4-inch aluminum cone midrange driver, and a .75-inch concentric waveguided tweeter bearing KEF's 12th-gen Uni-Q design (putting the 'Q' in Q Series). The drivers cross over at 450 Hz in the bass and 2.9 kHz in the treble, with a claimed frequency response of 48 Hz to 20 kHz (more on that later). Behind the drivers is KEF's Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which claims to eliminate '99% of unwanted frequencies.' It's cool to see the tech that has spread across the brand's top hi-fi speakers in approachable models. MA aside, most unwanted frequencies will likely come from your listening room, so you'll still want to consider tips from our Audiophile Gear Guide like acoustic panels, which are both effective and relatively affordable. The Concerto are rather large for bookshelf speakers, standing 16.3 inches tall, 8.3 inches wide, and 12.4 inches deep, and weighing over 20 pounds each. You'll want to secure a solid pair of stands suited for their sizable footprint. (KEF will happily sell you a $700 pair designed for the R3.)
