Latest news with #OurEvenings
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mishka Rushdie Momen review – the poignancy and power of Schubert unleashed
Two Schubert sonatas were the main works framing Mishka Rushdie Momen's programme in the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's Steinway series. Given that both were in the minor mode – the A minor, D784 and the C minor, D958 – together they constituted quite a serious, heavyweight affair for a Sunday morning recital. A pianist of graceful poise and sensitivity, Momen has a highly fluent technique that allowed everything to carry well in this acoustic. And, despite seeming a slight slip of a thing, to use an old-fashioned phrase, in these sonatas she showed that she could unleash considerable power in Schubert's outbursts of high-volume dramatic tension, sometimes shocking in their immediacy. At the other extreme, her pianissimo was often pianississimo, so that lyrical lines, rather than quietly singing out, sounded understated and as a result curiously underwhelming. It was in the mercurial finale of the A minor sonata and the lilting, dance-like F major theme with its chromatic edge, poignant and piquant at every appearance, that Momen captured most expressively the happy/sad ambivalence of this composer's musical makeup. That same tendency to play on vast dynamic contrasts was present in the C minor sonata too, the first of Schubert's final three almost symphonic sonatas in which trauma and foreboding coexist with the consoling beauty of music. Again, it was the Allegro finale – febrile, fast and furious – that communicated best. Three pieces from Janáček's On an Overgrown Path, No 1 Naše večery (Our Evenings), No 9 V pláči (In Tears) and No 10, Sýček neodletěl! (The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away!) formed a neat tripartite sequence. In these Moravian-inflected melodies, Momen negotiated the balance of serenity and volatility in a way which resonated with Schubert. Momen has written about her affinity for the keyboard music of William Byrd and this was manifest in her playing of his Prelude and Fantasia in A minor, MB 12 and 13. Here was fine rhythmic clarity and conviction, but with an element of playful fantasy too. It felt refreshing for being a foil for the big sonatas and, heard in this context was also, for many, an illuminating introduction to the Renaissance master. In recital at Wesley Centre, Harrogate, 2 June ; at Wigmore Hall, London, 8 June
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Book Club: Let's Talk About Alan Hollinghurst's ‘Our Evenings'
The novel 'Our Evenings,' by Alan Hollinghurst, follows a gay English Burmese actor from childhood into old age as he confronts confusing relationships, his emerging sexuality, racism and England's changing political climate in the late 20th and early 21st century. It's the story of a life — beautifully related by a literary master whose 2004 novel 'The Line of Beauty' won the Booker Prize and was named to the Book Review's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Reviewing 'Our Evenings' for us last year, Hamilton Cain wrote that the book 'is that rare bird: a muscular work of ideas and an engrossing tale of one man's personal odyssey as he grows up, framed in exquisite language, surrounding us like a Wall of Sound.' You can join our book club discussion in the comments here. We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review's podcast in general. You can send them to books@
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Book Club: Read ‘Orbital,' by Samantha Harvey, With the Book Review
Welcome to the Book Review Book Club! Every month, we select a book to discuss with our readers. Sometimes that's a new book we're excited about and would love to introduce you to; other times, it's an older book that's back in the cultural spotlight. What do all of our selections have in common? They're great reads primed for robust, thoughtful conversations. Last month, we read 'Our Evenings,' by Alan Hollinghurst. (You can also go back and listen to our episodes on 'Small Things Like These,' 'James' and 'Intermezzo.') I have a confession: I've never been that excited about space. It's not that I dislike it; I've just never been able to fully grasp it, with all its vastness and mystery. Intellectually, I recognize that it is fearsome and awe-inspiring, but emotionally, I've never felt it. Until I read 'Orbital,' by Samantha Harvey. The novel, which won the Booker Prize last year, has a tight, poetic frame: We follow one day in the lives of six people working on a space station above Earth, orbiting the planet 16 times every 24 hours. But this is not a saga of adventure or exploration. It's a quiet meditation on what it means to be human, prompted by a series of personal reckonings each character faces while floating 250 miles above their home. Space unlocks something in these characters as they look back on the planet from orbit and reflect on life's difficulties — and witnessing that made me cherish Earth a little bit more and unlocked in me a deeper appreciation of the cosmos too. I hope it'll unlock something in you, too. In February, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss 'Orbital,' by Samantha Harvey. We'll be chatting about the book on the Book Review podcast that airs on Feb. 28, and we'd love for you to join the conversation. Share your thoughts about the novel in the comments section of this article by Feb. 17, and we may mention your observations in the episode. Here's some related reading to get you started: We can't wait to discuss the book with you. In the meantime, happy reading!
