Latest news with #Elgar
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
A winless streak, subcontinent glory, stars discovered: A look back at South Africa's WTC 2023-25 run
London [UK], June 8 (ANI): After a series of heartbreaking losses in the ICC tournament knockout stages and finals, South Africa would be aiming for their first-ever major world title in international cricket as they take on Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's from June 11 onwards. They overcame an indifferent start to this cycle of the World Test Championship, wherein they lost three of their first four Tests, and went on to deliver a consistent string of results to top the World Test Championship standings with eight wins. Earlier in May, South Africa named a strong 15-player squad that will take on Australia in the big contest. With Lungi Ngidi joining Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen to form a world-class pace attack and Temba Bavuma leading the lineup consisting of Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, etc., all of them boasting strong bat performances, the Proteas would be aiming to make Australia sweat hard for every wicket and run and take home the gold. Here is a snapshot of SA's journey to the 'Ultimate Test', spanning six bilateral series: -versus India [1-1, Home] Temba Bavuma's side began their World Test Championship campaign with a two-match home series against India in December 2023, as per ICC. The Proteas flexed their muscle in a convincing victory by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test at Centurion, courtesy of Dean Elgar's magnificent 185 with the bat, even as Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger ran through the Indian lineup - snapping up seven wickets each, with Rabada getting a five-wicket haul in the first innings. KL Rahul's 101 in the first innings took India to 245 in the first innings, before Elgar's 185 outbatted India out of the game, taking SA to 408 before the pace-battery ran through India, with Virat Kohli offering resistance with a fiery 76 out of a total of 131 runs. Elgar took home the 'Player of the Match' award. However, in the second Test at Cape Town, India came back strongly to secure a commanding seven-wicket win as the Proteas witnessed back-to-back batting collapses under the stewardship of Dean Elgar, who stepped in due to Bavuma's injury in the first Test. Mohammed Siraj's six-wicket haul downed SA for 55 in the first innings while India maintained a lead. In the second innings, while Markram hit a masterclass century, India were left to carry out an easy chase of 79 runs. India levelled the series as long-time South Africa batter Elgar confirmed his retirement after an 86-Test career. versus New Zealand [0-2, Away] South Africa went to New Zealand in February 2024 with a number of changes to their lineup, with Neil Brand taking the reins. Mainstays of the side were busy in the SA20 season two back home. The Proteas' disappointing outing saw them lose both Test matches. The Kiwis secured a massive win by 281 runs at Mount Maunganui, followed by a seven-wicket triumph at Hamilton in the second Test, securing their first-ever Test series victory against South Africa. In the first Test, Proteas could not chase down 529 runs assigned by Kiwis thanks to a Rachin Ravindra double ton and Kane Williamson's century, but Bedingham's resilient 87 was a positive. The second Test was a much balanced one, with Dane Piedt's eight-wicket haul in the match (including a five-wicket haul) and Bedingham's century being the highlights. NZ, though, chased down 267 runs thanks to a masterclass knock from Williamson (133*). -versus West Indies [1-0, Away] Bavuma returned to the side, along with several experienced campaigners such as Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj, for the two-match series in the West Indies in August 2024. The first Test at the Port of Spain ended in a stalemate. The result meant South Africa were now winless in four Tests on the bounce. Keshav Maharaj's four-wicket hauls in each innings and fifties from Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs served as standouts. Keshav also got the 'Player of the Match' for his efforts. The visitors, however, returned to fine form in the second Test in Providence, securing a win by 40 runs in a low-scoring thriller as the Proteas bowlers outshone their Caribbean counterparts. WI was shot down for just 222 in a run-chase of 263 runs. Wiaan Mulder took home the POTM honours, with a knock of 42, spells of 4/32 and 2/35. Maharaj was adjudged Player of the Series Award for his exploits across both Tests as he secured a total of 13 scalps. -versus Bangladesh [2-0, Away] Markram donned the captain's armband in this series as Bavuma missed out in Bangladesh owing to injury. Dewald Brevis and Lungi Ngidi were included in the side to substitute for Bavuma and pacer Nandre Burger, who was also ruled out injured. The first Test at Mirpur saw South Africa march to a comfortable win with seven wickets in hand. Kyle Verrynne's 114 off 144 deliveries in the first innings set the foundation for the Proteas' win. Rabada's six-fer in the second innings left SA with 106 runs to chase down, which they did easily. Kyle's century earned him the 'Player of the Match' award. However, the visitors were an even more formidable force in the second Test at Chattogram, breezing past Bangladesh by an innings and 273 runs. Tony De Zorzi's incredible knock of 177 served as a catalyst, while Rabada lived up to his impressive standards with a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Tony walked away with the POTM honour. Rabada was adjudged the Player of the Series as he accrued 14 scalps from the two outings, bringing the Proteas' World Test Championship campaign back on track. This was SA's first series win in the subcontinent in a decade. -versus Sri Lanka [2-0, Home] Bavuma returned to lead the Test side as Sri Lanka arrived on South African shores for a two-Test match series in November 2024. The hosts could not have got off to a better start in Durban as they came all guns blazing and forged a 233-run win. Left-arm quick Marco Jansen was the star with the ball to take the POTM award, as he ended up with figures of 7/13 in the first innings and 4/73 in the second innings. Stubbs and Bavuma also hit centuries in the second innings, setting an impossible 516 runs to win for SL. While there were signs of a Sri Lankan comeback in the second Test in Gqeberha, South Africa brushed them aside quickly to seal another dominant win. Dane Paterson shone with the ball, notching figures of 5/71 and 2/33 across the two innings to take away the POTM, which included three wickets in an over in a first-innings burst. Rickelton also scored a century in the first inning, along with Kyle, to give SA a huge platform. SL showed immense fight in their chase of 348 but were folded for 238 runs. Bavuma was named Player of the Series award for his inspirational run with the bat as he seized 327 runs across both Tests, including a century and three fifties. -versus Pakistan [2-0, Home] South Africa's final assignment of the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle saw Pakistan visit for a two-Test series in December 2024. The first Test at Centurion was a close affair, with the hosts edging out by two wickets in a tricky chase that was capped by Jansen and Rabada's memorable stand with the bat, guiding SA to the chase of 148 after they had collapsed to 99/8. Markram got the POTM honours for knocks of 89 and 37. The win in the Boxing Day Test ensured that South Africa became the first team to qualify for this year's WTC Final. Eyeing a seventh Test win in a row and wrapping up their campaign in style, the Proteas produced a masterful display in Cape Town. Ryan Rickelton had his finest day as a Proteas red-ball international as he scored an unbeaten 259 off 343 deliveries, with Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne also fashioning tons in the first innings. This helped the Proteas secure a 10-wicket triumph, closing the World Test Championship cycle with 100 points on the board. Jansen was deemed the Player of the Series for his 10 wickets across the two Tests. Among the positives for the Proteas en route to Lord's was David Bedingham, who finished as the team's top-scorer with 645 runs across 12 World Test Championship 2023/25 outings at an average of 33.92, with a century and three fifties. Skipper Bavuma was not too far behind with his 609 runs from seven Tests, with two tons and four fifties. Meanwhile, Rabada was the highest wicket-taker for the Proteas with 47 wickets in 10 Tests. South Africa Squad for WTC Final: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson. (ANI)
Qatar Living
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Qatar Living
Events this week : June 1
Celebrate Eid Al Adha with a diverse array of activities, from the vibrant Eid Flowers Celebration at City Center Doha, featuring kids' crafts and floral displays, to the thrilling TCG action at the Pull & Play Tournament at Art Of Cards – Gate Mall. Whether you're looking for family-friendly creativity or competitive card gaming, there's something for everyone this Eid. Eid Al Adha Flower Event Celebrate the joy of Eid with colors, creativity, and nature at City Center Doha! Join us for a vibrant Eid Flowers Celebration featuring kids crafts, planting workshops, and photo-perfect floral corners for the whole family to enjoy. Date: June 04 – 15, 2025 Location: City Center Doha mall Access: Free QPO Presents: Elgar's Enigma Variations Join the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra for a richly textured evening of music under the baton of Renchang Fu, featuring Richard Alonso Diaz as tuba soloist in a captivating programme that spans East and West, tradition and innovation. The evening opens with Xu Zhen-Min's evocative Night Mooring at Maple Bridge, followed by two beloved Chinese melodies—From Afar and A Lovely Rose. Diaz then takes centre stage in '' Concerto in F Minor for Tuba, a rarely performed gem that showcases the instrument's unexpected agility and rich character. After the intermission, the orchestra presents****Elgar's masterful Variations on an Original Theme(better known as the Enigma Variations), a work of profound emotional range and one of the cornerstones of the English orchestral repertoire. Date: June 04, 2025 Timings: 7.30 pm Location: Katara Cultural Village, Opera House Access: Ages 6+ years. Tickets available at Eid Al Adha Celebration at Msheireb Downtown Doha Celebrate Eid with us at Msheireb Galleria and enjoy a variety of fun-filled activities for the whole family! Date: June 06 - 10, 2025 Location: Msheireb Galleria, Msheireb Downtown Doha Samba Show Feel the rhythm of the carnival! Don't miss the Samba Show with live drums, capoeira, and roaming parades at the Oasis Stage, daily from June 6–14 at 6:00, 7:00 & 8:30 PM! Date: June 06 - 14, 2025 Timings: 6:00, 7:00 & 8:30 PM Location: Oasis stage – Mall of Qatar Access: Free to enjoy! Eid Al Adha Celebration at Tawar Mall Three-days of Eid Al Adha Event featuring captivating tales that celebrate the joy and wonders of this festive season! Date: June 06 - 08, 2025 Timings: 5:00PM - 9:30PM Location: Tawar Mall Access: Free for all Al-Bayt Al-Maskoon Theatrical Play Get ready for a double dose of fear and laughter in the Kuwaiti play "Al-Bayt Al-Maskoon" (The Haunted House)! A thrilling theatrical experience that blends horror, excitement, and comedy awaits you! Date: June 06 - 12, 2025 Location: Katara Drama Theatre Access: Ages 6+ years. Tickets available at Maskon Laila Theatrical Play Catch the thrilling Kuwaiti play "Maskon Laila" live in Qatar this Eid—don't miss it Date: June 07 - 08, 2025 Location: U Venue Access: Tickets available at LEGO® Shows 2025 LEGO® Shows Qatar will take place from June 7 to 22, 2025, at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), Halls 8 and 9, covering an impressive 10,000 square meters of LEGO® fun. Date: June 07 - 22, 2025 Location: QNCC - Hall 8 and 9 Access: Tickets available at ASFAR HUSSAIN LIVE IN DOHA Get ready for an electrifying night at Kyra Club, Doha on June 7th! 🌟 Saturday Desi Night just got bigger this Eid! Date: June 07, 2025 Timings: 8:00PM onwards Location: Kyra Club, Doha Access : Ages 18+ years. Tickets available at Al Meera Ain Khaled / Umm Al Seneem Branch Turns 1 Special Offers Only at Ain Khaled Branch from May 29 till June 4 • 5% discount on selected items • 5X Meera Rewards points when you shop at Ain Khaled / Umm Al Seneem Branch Date: Until June 04, 2025 Timings: Thursday to Saturday (5:00 PM – 9:00 PM) Location: Al Meera Ain Khaled / Umm Al Seneem Branch Access: Free entry Flamenco Show A Flamenco Show will be held at the Cultural Village #Katara, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of #Spain in #Qatar. 🎟️ Free entry (registration required) Date: June 3, 2025 Timings: 7.00 pm Location: Katara Drama Theater, Building 16 Access: Free entry. Register at Sonic at Place Vendome Get ready for the ultimate speed challenge in Sonic's world of adventure! Race against time, conquer thrilling obstacles, and see if you can keep up with Sonic's legendary pace. From 5 to 14 June at Place Vendôme. Date: June 5 - 14, 2025 Location: Place Vendôme Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Katara Cultural Village Katara Cultural Village will be hosting a dazzling fireworks display to celebrate Eid Al Adha 2025 from 6 - 8 June 2025. Date: June 6 - 8, 2025 Location: Katara Cultural Village Meet & Greet with Karen Wazen Join us for a Meet & Greet — an exclusive chance to meet the fashion icon & founder up close. We're bringing fashion, glam, and inspiration to the most exclusive address in town — and you're invited. Date: June 4, 2025 Timings: 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm Location: Galeries Lafayette - Accessories department Access: RSVP at @galerieslafayettedoha The Circle: Summer Edition Where creativity comes full circle — in the spirit of summer. A celebration of community, bringing together over 25 emerging and established creatives. Set within a thoughtfully curated space, the experience extends beyond retail. You are invited to engage, connect, and explore a hub for creative exchange. Date: June 3, 2025 Timings: Saturday: 3 PM – 9 PM Sunday–Tuesday: 12 PM – 9 PM Location: M7 – Gallery 1 Pull & Play – TCG Tournament Two days of TCG fun and action! Date: June 7 & 8, 2025 Location: Art Of Cards – Gate Mall --- Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content. Instagram - @qatarliving X - @qatarliving Facebook - Qatar Living YouTube - qatarlivingofficial
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Purcell shaped classical music – here are the pieces that prove it
After the death of Henry Purcell in 1695, his friend the organist Henry Hall wrote a notable couplet: 'Sometimes a HERO in an Age appears/But scarce a PURCELL in a Thousand Years'. Unfortunately, the prediction turned into near-prophesy, as English music produced no-one to rival Purcell's genius, arguably until Elgar, 200 years later. Purcell died far too young at 36, but he had made his mark. His memorial in Westminster Abbey says that he has 'gone to that Blessed Place where only his Harmony can be exceeded', a stirring remembrance of a composer who changed the course of British music and continues to have a unique resonance for our time. Now, after a century of the early music revival, Purcell's stock as a reinventor of a truly British musical style has never been higher – but what does this have to tell us about his unique achievement? Take his dramatic music: no-one has written a lament of the depth and intensity of Dido's 'When I am laid in earth' from Dido and Aeneas, with its piercing cries of 'Remember me!'. No-one has written dance music of the exuberance and sophistication displayed in The Fairy Queen, with its bubbling rhythms and intoxicating energy. There are some very specific things which made Purcell a revolutionary in the English music of his era, but which also binds him securely to our own time. Here are some reasons he matters – and the music you should listen to. 1. Purcell was a musical magpie His style was cosmopolitan and outward-looking. Like all the best British composers, he drew inspiration from the melting-pot of styles around him. When you listen to the dazzling Passacaglia from King Arthur 'How happy the lover', its lilting triple time flow and endless variations over a repeated set of harmonies are clearly derived from the French passacaglias of Lully and his contemporaries. On the other hand, Purcell's trio sonatas reflect precisely the innovations of the Italian style that Corelli pioneered, with two violins contesting contrapuntally. Yet behind this is the English tradition of equal-voiced counterpoint that Purcell first explored in his chromatically adventurous Fantazias for viols, written when he was in his 20s: it's a distinctive, heady stylistic brew. Sonatas in 3 parts: Christopher Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music 2. Purcell enjoyed rumbustious fun There was no condescending snobbish division for him between the intense spiritual language of his church anthems like the sublime 'Remember not Lord our offences', and the bawdy catches he wrote for coffee and ale-houses – in which the texts of these rounds become ever more salacious the more vocal parts are added and the texts can be heard combined. Listen: Remember O Lord our offences/Simon Preston/Christ Church Cathedral Choir Purcell in Court and Tavern: Mark Brown/Pro Cantione Antiqua 3. Purcell loved a good tune He set English words better than anyone (maybe until Arthur Sullivan), and his melodies have a natural flow that was sensed by Benjamin Britten, who arranged many of them to sing with his partner Peter Pears. In the 1940s, Michael Tippett heard the countertenor Alfred Deller sing 'Music for a while shall all your cares beguile' and said that 'in that moment, the centuries rolled back'. What could be more perfectly shaped than the melody of 'If love's a sweet passion'? Or the descriptive melisma of 'I attempt from love's sickness to fly….'? Purcell songs realised by Britten: Allan Clayton/Joseph Middleton 4. Purcell knew how to sell his wares He grew up in the shadow of Westminster Abbey where his family worked, and never moved from the area (sadly, none of the places he lived survive, nor can exact addresses be found, so he has no Blue Plaque). As a young boy he survived the Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666; he trained and sang as choirboy until his voice broke, when he repaired instruments and grew in composing skills, becoming Organist at the Abbey. He was determined to advance his own cause; his contemporary Thomas Tudway said that 'he had the most commendable ambition of exceeding everyone of his own time', an aim in which we may say he totally succeeded. There were bumps along the way: he was censured for selling places in the organ loft for the Coronation of William and Mary, making the large sum of £500 which he had to repay to the authorities. He formed a friendly alliance with the publisher John Playford and his son Henry, who sold music at the Inner Temple, and Purcell's wife Frances continued to publish and circulate his music, especially his songs, after his all-too-early death. A Purcell Songbook: Emma Kirkby/Anthony Rooley/Christopher Hogwood 5. Purcell was a master of his craft From his earliest years in Westminster he would have practised music and studied it every day of his life. His expressiveness, whether in complex counterpoint or simple melody, came from a total mastery of the musical techniques he had available to him. Nowadays there seems to be a scepticism that the study of musical notation, and harmonic practice, are necessary to composers. Yes, we value improvisation and spontaneity, and they were vital to Purcell's style, but for him they were built on the foundation of impeccable learning and constant practice. When we read in a contemporary account that the air 'Tis nature's Voice' in his Ode Hail bright Cecilia was 'sung with incredible graces by Mr Purcell himself', we can be sure that the elaboration and freedom applied to his music was based on fundamental mastery of the language. 6. Purcell provides one model for future music education When Benjamin Britten was commissioned to write after the Second World War what was then rather patronisingly called a 'Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra', he chose a theme from Purcell's theatre music. It was a way of demonstrating, brilliantly, how it could be varied to show the character of all the different instruments of the orchestra, across strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and harp, building a tremendous fugue which is combined at the close with Purcell's melody – the piece is now more often known as the Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. It could be the starting point for new explorations of contemporary music scoring in a new generation. Britten/Purcell Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra: Andrew Davis BBC SO 7. Purcell inspired future generations Britten and Tippett venerated Purcell at a time when they wanted to cast aside the legacy of the 20 th -century English pastoral tradition, which had been caricatured as the 'English cowpat' school of music depicting 'a cow looking over a gate'. Instead, they reached much further back in English musical history and Purcell's imprint can be heard in much of their work. Purcell later entered the world of techno music and film: Wendy Carlos took the hypnotic march from the Funeral Music for Queen Mary (with its hypnotic drum beats that had actually been added by their 20 th -century editor Thurston Dart) and turned it into a powerful piece for Moog synthesiser. That turned up as the scary opening music to the score for Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. One way or another, Purcell had achieved a place alongside the greats of Western music. Nicholas Kenyon, the Telegraph's Chief Opera Critic, gave the inaugural Purcell Lecture at the Stationers Hall, London this month
Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Elgar is the soundtrack to VE Day celebrations — this is his story
With his magnificent moustache, tweed suit and noble air, Edward Elgar looked every inch the proper English gentleman of his day. And as the composer of the Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 — from which comes Land of Hope and Glory, now almost an unofficial national anthem — his music seemed to sum up the spirit of an all-conquering imperial Britain, full of rousing sentiment and flag-waving patriotism. It'll 'knock 'em flat', Elgar boasted of his stirring tune. Here was, at long last, a great British composer to rival Purcell, who gave voice to a proud nation and a swaggering empire. Elgar's flair for pageantry and pomposity served him well. In 1897 he wrote an Imperial March for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee; in
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Elgar: The Kingdom review – respectful and admirable, but this is still a work hard to love
Completed in 1906, The Kingdom was intended as the central panel in what Elgar had conceived as a New Testament triptych, preceded by The Apostles, from three years earlier and to have been followed by The Last Judgement, a score that got no further than a few sketches. Elgar himself thought highly of The Kingdom, calling it 'the best of me', and though it has never achieved the popularity of The Dream of Gerontius, some Elgarians have agreed with him, claiming it as the greatest of his oratorios, with its orchestral writing in particular seen as far superior. Yet where Gerontius has operatic roots, which give it a compelling dramatic intensity, The Kingdom seems to be wedded too much to the Victorian oratorio, which for all its incidental highpoints makes it inert and uninvolving. That lack of popularity is reflected in the scarcity of recordings. This performance, conducted by David Temple and recorded in the newly restored Victorian theatre at Alexandra Palace in London, seems to be only the fourth of the complete work currently available. Temple is clearly a huge admirer of the score – 'a gem from first note to last', he calls it – and that admiration shines through his performance with the excellent Crouch End Festival Chorus and a fine quartet of soloists. But to my ears at least it lacks immediacy and, alongside the existing versions – conducted by Adrian Boult, Richard Hickox and Mark Elder, it never quite matches up, for all its good intentions. Listen on Apple music: This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Listen on Spotify:
