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Never Stand Still – Jacob’s Pillow documentary Click here for tickets Everybody who loves dance in any or all of its forms will love this film. It is a documentary about the past and present of Jacob’s Pillow since Ted Shawn, an innovative male dancer, built the first ever theatre designed for dance. In this excellent film, narrated by choreographer Bill T. Jones, legendary dancers and choreographers Marge Champion, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Shantala Shivalingappa, Frederic Franklin, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside newer and less well-known innovators to reveal the passion, discipline, and daring of the world of dance in Never Stand Still Filmed at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, this first-class documentary, directed by Ron Honsa, features performances by world-renowned dancers interwoven with intimate interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and rare archival footage. Founded in the 1930s by visionary dance pioneer Ted Shawn on a farm in the Berkshires, today the Pillow is an idyllic mecca for artists and audiences from around the world, a place where dance in all its forms – from ballet to jazz to contemporary – is studied, created, performed and celebrated. Winslow Homer - Force of Nature – National Gallery Click here to watch Last time I was in New York I saw this enthralling exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum which has now moved to the National Gallery in London. Until then, I had known very little about Winslow Homer except his name. Now I know a little more. Winslow Homer (1836–1910), was a the great American Realist painter who confronted the leading issues facing the United States, and its relationship with both Europe and the Caribbean world, in the final decades of the 19th century. Homer’s career spanned a turning point in North American history. He lived through the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery, so-called Reconstruction, and war with the last colonial European power in the Americas, Spain. From his sketches of battle and camp life, to dazzling tropical views and darker restless seascapes, the works reflect Homer’s interest in the pressing issues of his time; conflict, race, and the relationship between humankind and the environment – issues still relevant for us today. After the war, Homer’s subject became the lives of Americans in the wake of the war and abolition with a focus on the lives of formerly enslaved African Americans. Homer travelled to France, England, the Bahamas, Cuba and Bermuda. In England, he painted scenes of heroism and resilience that he saw while staying in Cullercoats, a town on the North East coast. In the Caribbean, his paintings became more vivid as he painted the transparent turquoise waters and lush vegetation. His interest in conflict remained constant and he often explored the issue through painting the life and struggles of Black people. With more than fifty paintings, covering over forty years of Homer’s career, 'Winslow Homer: Force of Nature' is part of a programme of National Gallery exhibitions that introduce major American artists to a UK and European audience and follows previous exhibitions about George Bellows and the Ashcan painters, Frederic Church and Thomas Cole. This film is an introduction to Homer’s work and well worth watching. In Song: Pretty Yende – San Francisco Opera Click here to watch San Francisco Opera's In Song is a series of intimate video portraits featuring remarkable artists who draw us into their distinctive spheres through stories and song—from classical to bluegrass, spirituals to mariachi and spanning Zulu, Samoan and Egyptian music. This one is a 19-minute film about Pretty Yende, the South African soprano equally loved by audiences from Covent Garden to San Francisco to Cape Town, where this was filmed. It came to me from a dear friend in San Francisco (thank you, Harvey) and it's lovely. Steeped in Zulu culture in the timber city of Piet Retief, this 19-minute episode of In Song opens a window into the world of this enchanting artist, following her home as she visits with her congregation and family and performs with the young students of her alma mater, the Ndlela Secondary School. Featured performances include the Zulu folk song "Iqhude" (The Rooster), the hymn “Hlengiwe” (Redeemed), and excerpts of Donizetti’s "L'amor funesto" (“Sad Love”) performed with pianist José Dias. From overcoming a "very, very small voice" as a member of the school choir to winning national competitions to training in Cape Town, this delightful film, full of joy, aspiration and inspiration, is one great singer’s journey to international stardom. Songs for Troubled Times - Music from Reformation England - Cinquecento Click here for tickets I love the idea behind this concert. Normally this admired ensemble, Cinquecentro, which specializes in 16th-century repertoire, devotes itself to Austrian works, but here it turns its attention to England and the rupture in liturgical music caused by the Reformation, as composers had to change style according to whether their monarch was Catholic or Protestant. The programme is wonderfully varied and eccentric:
Cinquecento consists of: Achim Schulz tenor Ulfried Staber bass Tim Scott Whiteley baritone Dominic Bland tenor Terry Wey countertenor Livestreamed on Nov 11 at 1pm UK timebut available on demand for 90 days thereafter.
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AuthorRuth Leon is a writer and critic specialising in music and theatre. Archives
March 2024
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