Latest news with #ThePlanets
India.com
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Where is Lagaan star Gracy Singh? Why did she quit Bollywood and is still single at 44?
Bollywood actress Gracy Singh, renowned for her role as Gauri in the Oscar-nominated film Lagaan, captivated audiences with her grace and expressive performances. A trained classical dancer, she seamlessly transitioned into acting, delivering memorable roles in cult-classic films like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Gangaajal. Despite her early success in Bollywood, she chose the path less traveled and has not gotten married to date. The Journey Of Gracy Singh Gracy began her artistic journey as a classical dancer, touring with the dance group The Planets before making her acting debut in the television soap Amanat in 1997. Her breakthrough came with the Aamir Khan starrer Lagaan, where her portrayal of Gauri earned critical acclaim and contributed to the film's nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Following this success, she appeared in films such as Shart, Muskaan, Yehi Hai Zindagi, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Gangaajal, showcasing her versatility across different genres. When Gracy Left Bollywood To Explore… Despite her rising fame, Gracy gradually distanced herself from Bollywood. In interviews, she expressed that acting was not her life's sole mission and emphasised her desire to engage in projects that resonated with her personally. This perspective led her to explore roles in regional cinema, including Punjabi, Telugu, and Malayalam films, though these ventures met with limited commercial success. However, as per Hindustan Times report, after Gracy's manager passed away in 2008, she started declining offers made to her by renowned Bollywood directors. Gracy Singh's Shift Towards… In 2013, Gracy joined the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual organization, seeking a deeper sense of peace and purpose. She described experiencing boundless safety, joy, and understanding within the community, which influenced her approach to life and work. This spiritual alignment became evident in her choice of roles, notably her portrayal of Goddess Santoshi in the television series Santoshi Maa and its sequel Santoshi Maa: Sunayein Vrat Kathayein. Meanwhile, the actress has still not taken wedding vows to this day. However, during an interview with ETimes in 2020, the actress said that she does not think that this is an appropriate time for her to marry now, but in the future, she may get married to someone.
San Francisco Chronicle
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: S.F. Symphony and Giancarlo Guerrero deliver orchestral showstoppers
Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero's two previous appearances with the San Francisco Symphony amply showcased his flair for colorful, dramatic music. After a two-year gap, he's back at Davies Symphony Hall with a program of glittering orchestral showpieces. The late Kaija Saariaho composed 'Asteroid 4179: Toutatis' in 2005 as a complement to a Berlin Philharmonic concert featuring Gustav Holst's 'The Planets.' The asteroid in question is tiny and irregularly shaped, and at about four minutes in length, the music matches the object's scale. In addition to the astronomical theme, there are the typical Saariaho trademarks: beautiful, ingeniously layered orchestration and power that wells up over the course of the work. The piece opens with crystalline transparency, a piccolo, percussion and celesta floating above the larger orchestra. Massed brass instruments interrupt, and after a brief climax, the orchestra dies away into silence. It was a thoughtful start to this flashy program heard on Friday, May 2, the first of two concerts at Davies, concluding on Saturday, May 3. Igor Stravinsky's great ballet score 'Petrushka' unfolds on a completely different scale, taking some 40 minutes to tell the story of three puppets brought to life by a magician. Guerrero led a taut, exciting account of the work, performed in Stravinsky's revised 1947 version. One of the Costa Rican conductor's superpowers is his ability to throw a spotlight on a piece's structure through knife-edge timing and control of dynamics. Another is knowing when to step back and let the musicians do their thing. Tight ensemble playing was a hallmark of this 'Petrushka.' At the same time, Guerrero gave associate principal flute Blair Francis Paponiu complete freedom in her beautifully played cadenza. The conductor's emphasis on sharply articulated rhythms paid off throughout the work, especially in 'The Grand Carnival' section, when competing bands seemingly play in different meters. Every crescendo and decrescendo was perfectly timed. Occasionally, a section or player was drowned out in the welter of sound. John Wilson's casual virtuosity on piano, positioned right in front of the conductor, was a highlight of the 'Russian Dance,' but Guerrero covered Wilson's playing too often in the opening tableau. The strings were sometimes obliterated by the brass. Nonetheless, this was a thrilling account of a great work. What do Stravinsky and Ottorino Respighi have in common? Both composers studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the great orchestrators of the 19th century, and both came away with enormous skill in handling huge forces. The second half of Friday's program was devoted to Respighi's 'Fountains of Rome' and 'Pines of Rome,' flamboyant blockbusters that have to walk a fine line to avoid turning into kitsch. (This is never an issue with Stravinsky.) Guerrero performed them with a straight face, and his enormous technical skill and ear for color and dynamics made this music sound better than perhaps it fundamentally is. The first work makes its way around Rome, picturing fountains in different locations throughout the day. The 'Valle Giulia' movement, with chiming winds and a prominent celesta part, seemingly pays homage to Richard Strauss' opera 'Der Rosenkavalier.' Special kudos to Marc Shapiro, whose celesta playing contributed beautifully to all four works on the program, and to principal oboe Eugene Izotov and principal flute Yubeen Kim for their work in both Respighi pieces. The brass, too, played brilliantly throughout. It's an oddity of 'Pines of Rome' that the splashy first movement, 'The Pines of the Villa Borghese,' sounds more like an actual fountain than anything in 'Fountains of Rome.' In 'Pines Near a Catacomb,' Guerrero finely judged every climax; principal trumpet Mark Inouye was magnificent in his moody offstage solo (and also in 'Petrushka'). Principal clarinet Carey Bell's long-breathed, introspective solo in 'The Pines of the Janiculum' was another highlight, as were the silken strings and oceanic sound Guerrero conjured. As for the last movement, 'The Pines of the Appian Way,' here Respighi generates excitement through some of the more obvious tricks in a composer's arsenal: antiphonal brass playing from the terrace, full-orchestra chromatic slides and an admittedly electrifying five-minute-long crescendo. The movement is intended to evoke marching Roman legions, but it might just as well be invoking Italian Fascists or Imperial Stormtroopers. We describe, you decide. San Francisco Classical Voice.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
On this day: organist on Interstellar soundtrack to perform at Minster
On this day in 2024, the York Press reported that the organist on Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for the movie Interstellar was set to perform at York Minster. This was part of a series of organ concertos to be hosted by the Minster on Thursday evenings during July and August of 2024. The recitals were to feature well-known classic compositions as well as contemporary pieces. The series, which was to open with a performance from the Queen's Medal for Music recipient Thomas Trotter, was to feature a variety of iconic musicians for six nights of organ music. To mark the 10th anniversary of Interstellar's release, featured organist Roger Sayer was to conclude the series at the Minster. While working as director of music at Temple Church London, Mr Sayer was selected by Zimmer to create the prominent organ role on the film's soundtrack. One listener said of Mr Sayer's work on the film: "If Hans Zimmer is the heart of Interstellar, then you, sir, are its soul." At the Minster, he planned to share his experience working on the iconic soundtrack before playing his own version for listeners. He then planned to perform other space-related music, including movements from Holst's The Planets.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Home of renowned composer given listed status
The former home of a renowned composer and conductor has been protected with Grade II listed status. Imogen Holst lived at 9 Church Walk in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, from 1964 until her death in 1984, and described the bungalow as "the loveliest house in the world". She was the daughter of renowned composer Gustav Holst - known for his seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with the advice of Historic England, listed the home due to its architectural and historical significance. Holst became Benjamin Britten's musical assistant - who was also from Suffolk - and in 1952 she was invited to help him as he worked on the opera Gloriana marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. She later became the artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival. Her Church Walk home was created by Jim and Betty Cadbury-Brown - designers for the 1951 Festival of Britain's Southbank site. Her rent consisted of just a crate of wine for the couple at Christmas and a supply of Aldeburgh Festival tickets. When thanking the Cadbury-Brown's for the house, she wrote: "My immense and perpetual gratitude for the loveliest house in the world." The property included some of her personal items such as her writing desk as well as her father's oak music cupboard where she stored his manuscripts. The house is owned by Britten Pears Arts and is available as a holiday rental. It is also open to the public every year for Heritage Open Days. Sir Chris Bryant, heritage minister, said the "significance" of the home "extends far beyond its status as an unassuming yet notable example of Jim Cadbury-Brown's architecture". Historic England's chief executive, Duncan Wilson, added that the home told of Holst's "contribution to British music and her connection to the Aldeburgh Festival, which continues to enrich our cultural landscape". Andrew Comben, chief executive of Britten Pears Arts, said: "The Grade II listing of her house will help us to continue to tell her story on a national and international scale." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Benjamin Britten's birthplace up for sale 'I'm graduating, not retiring,' says charity boss Britten's concert hall gets listed status upgrade Britten Pears Arts Historic England Department for Culture, Media & Sport
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bungalow which was home to composer Imogen Holst protected with listed status
A bungalow where the composer Imogen Holst once lived has been protected with Grade II listed status. Holst, who died in 1984 aged 76, was the daughter of the renowned composer Gustav Holst, who is best known for his seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets. Imogen Holst was also a composer and for 12 years she worked as an assistant to Benjamin Britten in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. In 1952, she was invited to help Britten as he worked on the opera Gloriana, marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Holst accepted and she became Britten's musical assistant, and later the artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival. She occupied a series of lodgings and rented flats in Aldeburgh until 9 Church Walk became her home. The bungalow, designed by architects Jim and Elizabeth Cadbury-Brown, has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England. The single-storey modernist home, built from 1962 to 1964, was designed for Holst and constructed on land owned by the Cadbury-Browns. Her rent consisted only of a crate of wine for the Cadbury-Browns at Christmas and a steady supply of Aldeburgh Festival tickets. In thanking them for the house, Holst wrote of her 'IMMENSE and perpetual gratitude for the loveliest house in the world'. 'I think of you both every night of the year and send blessings in your direction for having enabled me to get on with my work in such heavenly quiet and solitude and comfort,' Holst wrote. She lived at 9 Church Walk until her death in 1984. The house features innovative design elements including a soundproofed music room where Holst worked and thoughtfully positioned windows framing views of the parish church. The property, now owned by the cultural charity Britten Pears Arts and available as a holiday rental, has many original features. These include built-in shelving systems, curtains with recessed tracking, and Holst's personal items such as her writing desk and coloured glass panel hung on the window in front of her desk to diffuse the sunlight. The property also houses Gustav Holst's oak music cupboard, where Imogen stored her father's manuscripts. The house is open to the public every year for Heritage Open Days. Heritage minister Sir Chris Bryant said: 'The significance of Imogen Holst's home extends far beyond its status as an unassuming yet notable example of Jim Cadbury-Brown's architecture. 'It was here at 9 Church Walk where some of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century converged, exchanged ideas and laid the foundations of the Aldeburgh Festival – now a cornerstone of British classical music in its 76th year. 'By listing this remarkable building, we preserve not only its architectural merit but also the rich legacy of Holst and her peers, ensuring their contributions continue to inspire generations to come.' Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: 'The listing of 9 Church Walk celebrates an architecturally significant modernist home and a significant piece of musical history.'
