Latest news with #Dido
Spectator
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The forgotten story of British opera
British opera was born with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and then vanished for two-and-a-half centuries, apparently. Between the first performance of Dido in 1689 and the première of Britten's Peter Grimes in 1945, serious British operas effectively didn't exist – or so we're told in textbooks and biographies. But what if there was a different story; a forgotten story of a lively, eclectic British operatic tradition that thrived in those missing centuries, and was buried only through a combination of accidents, economics and our enduring national snobbery about theatre that's sung rather than spoken? And what if there was an organisation devoted to excavating these forgotten works and giving them a chance to live again? For more than a decade, the non-profit record label Retrospect Opera has been doing just that: researching, resurrecting and then recording British operas from the age of Garrick through to the 1920s. Its newest release, Granville Bantock and Marjory Kennedy-Fraser's 1924 'Celtic folk opera' The Seal-Woman, comes out in June after years of research. It's a rare and lovely thing: a Hebridean tragedy of a Selkie bride that weaves traditional Scottish melodies into a glowing, autumnal chamber orchestra setting. For Retrospect Opera's founder, Valerie Langfield, it's a near-perfect demonstration of what they're trying to achieve. 'It's hard work to persuade a country that its own composers are worth championing,' she says. 'But before Britten, there was, at the very least, Ethel Smyth, who is the big name at the moment. And throughout the 19th century there were dozens of English-language operas, all really popular.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's killings in Gaza
Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters marched through the Dutch capital on Sunday (May 18, 2025) to demand their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, in what organizers called the country's biggest demonstration in two decades. Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest. 'We hope this is a wake-up call for the government,' said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband and their 12-week-old daughter, Dido, who slept in a carrier as her parents brandished a sign simply reading: 'STOP.' The march took the young family past the Peace Palace, headquarters of the United Nations' International Court of Justice, where last year judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. As the protest wound its way past the court, canals and the seat of the Netherlands' right-wing government, Israeli forces continued to pound northern Gaza, where they have launched new ground operations. Airstrikes in the offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza's main hospital to close. An Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is now in its third month, with global food security experts warning of famine across the territory of more than 2 million people. David Prins, whose yarmulke was printed with the image of a watermelon — which shares the colors of the Palestinian flag — told The Associated Press he was attending the protest 'to speak out against the atrocities.' The 64-year-old was standing across the street from the synagogue he attended growing up, which overlooks the field where the demonstration began. Protesters walked a 3-mile (5-kilometer) loop around the city center of The Hague, to symbolically create the red line they say the government has failed to set. 'We are calling on the Dutch government: stop political, economic and military support to Israel as long as it blocks access to aid supplies and while it is guilty of genocide, war crimes and structural human rights violations in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,' Marjon Rozema, of Amnesty International, told the AP. Israel strongly denies that it is committing genocide or violating international law in Gaza. Some unable to make the trek through the city sat along the route to cheer on the marchers. 'It's beyond time for the government to act,' Aletha Steijns told the AP, while holding crutches for a knee injury. She was joined by several friends in camping chairs on the sidewalk. Dutch policy toward Israel is just one of many issues causing splits in the Netherlands' fragile coalition government. Hard-right leader Geert Wilders is staunchly pro-Israel and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom holds the largest number of seats in the country's parliament. Last week, however, foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp of the minority center-right VVD party urged the European Union to review a trade agreement with Israel, arguing that its blockade of humanitarian aid violated international law. Wilders hit back, denouncing the call as an 'affront to cabinet policy.'
The Hill
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters marched through the Dutch capital on Sunday to demand their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, in what organizers called the country's biggest demonstration in two decades. Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest. 'We hope this is a wake-up call for the government,' said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband and their 12-week-old daughter, Dido, who slept in a carrier as her parents brandished a sign simply reading: 'STOP.' The march took the young family past the Peace Palace, headquarters of the United Nations' International Court of Justice, where last year judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. As the protest wound its way past the court, canals and the seat of the Netherlands' right-wing government, Israeli forces continued to pound northern Gaza, where they have launched new ground operations. Airstrikes in the offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza's main hospital to close. An Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is now in its third month, with global food security experts warning of famine across the territory of more than 2 million people. David Prins, whose yarmulke was printed with the image of a watermelon — which shares the colors of the Palestinian flag — told The Associated Press he was attending the protest 'to speak out against the atrocities.' The 64-year-old was standing across the street from the synagogue he attended growing up, which overlooks the field where the demonstration began. Protesters walked a 3-mile (5-kilometer) loop around the city center of The Hague, to symbolically create the red line they say the government has failed to set. 'We are calling on the Dutch government: stop political, economic and military support to Israel as long as it blocks access to aid supplies and while it is guilty of genocide, war crimes and structural human rights violations in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,' Marjon Rozema, of Amnesty International, told the AP. Israel strongly denies that it is committing genocide or violating international law in Gaza. Some unable to make the trek through the city sat along the route to cheer on the marchers. 'It's beyond time for the government to act,' Aletha Steijns told the AP, while holding crutches for a knee injury. She was joined by several friends in camping chairs on the sidewalk. Dutch policy toward Israel is just one of many issues causing splits in the Netherlands' fragile coalition government. Hard-right leader Geert Wilders is staunchly pro-Israel and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom holds the largest number of seats in the country's parliament. Last week, however, foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp of the minority center-right VVD party urged the European Union to review a trade agreement with Israel, arguing that its blockade of humanitarian aid violated international law. Wilders hit back, denouncing the call as an 'affront to cabinet policy.'
San Francisco Chronicle
18-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters marched through the Dutch capital on Sunday to demand their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, in what organizers called the country's biggest demonstration in two decades. Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest. 'We hope this is a wake-up call for the government,' said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband and their 12-week-old daughter, Dido, who slept in a carrier as her parents brandished a sign simply reading: 'STOP.' The march took the young family past the Peace Palace, headquarters of the United Nations' International Court of Justice, where last year judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. As the protest wound its way past the court, canals and the seat of the Netherlands' right-wing government, Israeli forces continued to pound northern Gaza, where they have launched new ground operations. Airstrikes in the offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza's main hospital to close. An Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is now in its third month, with global food security experts warning of famine across the territory of more than 2 million people. David Prins, whose yarmulke was printed with the image of a watermelon — which shares the colors of the Palestinian flag — told The Associated Press he was attending the protest 'to speak out against the atrocities.' The 64-year-old was standing across the street from the synagogue he attended growing up, which overlooks the field where the demonstration began. Protesters walked a 3-mile (5-kilometer) loop around the city center of The Hague, to symbolically create the red line they say the government has failed to set. 'We are calling on the government to stop political, economic and military support to Israel,' while the country continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, Marjon Rozema, of Amnesty International, told the AP. Some unable to make the trek through the city sat along the route to cheer on the marchers. 'It's beyond time for the government to act,' Aletha Steijns told AP, while holding crutches for a knee injury. She was joined by several friends in camping chairs on the sidewalk. Dutch policy toward Israel is just one of many issues causing splits in the Netherlands' fragile coalition government. Hard-right leader Geert Wilders is staunchly pro-Israel and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom holds the largest number of seats in the country's parliament. Last week, however, foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp of the minority center-right VVD party urged the European Union to review a trade agreement with Israel, arguing that its blockade of humanitarian aid violated international law. Wilders hit back, denouncing the call as an 'affront to cabinet policy.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huge crowd piles pressure on Dutch government to seek an end to Israel's campaign in Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters marched through the Dutch capital on Sunday to demand their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, in what organizers called the country's biggest demonstration in two decades. Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest. 'We hope this is a wake-up call for the government,' said teacher Roos Lingbeek, attending the march with her husband and their 12-week-old daughter, Dido, who slept in a carrier as her parents brandished a sign simply reading: 'STOP.' The march took the young family past the Peace Palace, headquarters of the United Nations' International Court of Justice, where last year judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. As the protest wound its way past the court, canals and the seat of the Netherlands' right-wing government, Israeli forces continued to pound northern Gaza, where they have launched new ground operations. Airstrikes in the offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza's main hospital to close. An Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is now in its third month, with global food security experts warning of famine across the territory of more than 2 million people. David Prins, whose yarmulke was printed with the image of a watermelon — which shares the colors of the Palestinian flag — told The Associated Press he was attending the protest 'to speak out against the atrocities.' The 64-year-old was standing across the street from the synagogue he attended growing up, which overlooks the field where the demonstration began. Protesters walked a 3-mile (5-kilometer) loop around the city center of The Hague, to symbolically create the red line they say the government has failed to set. 'We are calling on the government to stop political, economic and military support to Israel,' while the country continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, Marjon Rozema, of Amnesty International, told the AP. Some unable to make the trek through the city sat along the route to cheer on the marchers. 'It's beyond time for the government to act,' Aletha Steijns told AP, while holding crutches for a knee injury. She was joined by several friends in camping chairs on the sidewalk. Dutch policy toward Israel is just one of many issues causing splits in the Netherlands' fragile coalition government. Hard-right leader Geert Wilders is staunchly pro-Israel and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom holds the largest number of seats in the country's parliament. Last week, however, foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp of the minority center-right VVD party urged the European Union to review a trade agreement with Israel, arguing that its blockade of humanitarian aid violated international law. Wilders hit back, denouncing the call as an 'affront to cabinet policy.'
