Est.1956 Issue 2735 Friday 6 March, 2009 OLYMPIC CITY 2012
Pablo Picasso, Man with a Straw Hat and an Ice Cream Cone, 1938, Musée Picasso, Paris © RMN / Jean-Gilles Berizzi / Succession Picasso / DACS 2009
53 YEARS The No1 Magazine for International Visitors
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THE INTERNATIONAL SMASH HIT IS NOW
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Welcome to London
CONTENTS
Events
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Music
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Exhibitions
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Theatre
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Proprietor Julie Jones Advertising Janet Gardener
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As the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport I am delighted to welcome you to London. Our capital is a world-class city with a vast array of attractions. Our extensive public transport system will take you anywhere in London, but it’s a great city to walk around as well. There are sights to see on every corner whether it’s a grand Georgian square or an award-winning contemporary building. Or, take a trip down the River Thames, for centuries London’s transport backbone, to see the glories of Greenwich and the Houses of Parliament from a different viewpoint. You can taste cooking from around the world. Almost every cuisine is served ranging from Michelin starred restaurants, or, for those on a budget, London's cosmopolitan cafés. London is renowned for its creativity and sense of style. Our department stores feature top fashion from around the world. But to get a feel for current English style, pop into the small clothes shops of Soho or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, go to Shoreditch. The art galleries and museums have never been more alluring, with block-busting exhibitions at the Royal Academy and Tate Modern. Explore the small off-beat museums or lose yourself in the vast, free, national collections. London also offers visitors some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world to go and see. The new Wembley with its arch on its roof is a major landmark on the city's skyline and a must-see for any football fan. Near St John's Wood is Lords, the home of cricket, that also features the MCC Museum with exhibits including the Ashes urn, while Twickenham Stadium provides an electric home for English Rugby. And don’t miss the opportunity to see a show at the theatre. We are deservedly known for the quality of our acting and directing talent. And, we are a world centre for live music performances, attracting musicians of every type and from every culture. I hope you enjoy your stay here and will return soon to explore our wonderful city again.
Andy Burnham Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
VISITOR INFORMATION Emergencies 999 Police Ambulance Fire 24 Hour Casualty 020 8746 8000 Dentistry 0808 155 3256 The Berkeley Clinic, 19 Upper Berkeley St, W1. Tel: 020 7724 4004 www.theberkeleyclinic.com Heal, Rejuvenate, Thrive – The Natural Way
Victim Support 0845 30 30 900 free and confidential service
Visit London 020 7234 5833 Heathrow Airport 0870 0000123 Gatwick Airport 0870 0002468 Taxis 020 7272 5471 Dry Cleaner 7491 3426 Florist 7831 6776 Optician 7581 6336 Watches 7493 5916 Weather 0870 9000100 THIS
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HENRY VIII 500TH ANNIVERSARY AT HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Historic Royal Palaces are to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne with fascinating exhibitions and events at Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London. A major exhibition in partnership with the Royal Armouries, ‘Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill’, will open at The Tower of London on 3 April. Displayed across all three floors of the iconic White Tower, it will bring together, for the first time since the reign of Elizabeth I, the largest number of objects and items known to have belonged to Henry VIII. At Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s favourite royal residence, a programme of spectacular celebrations under the banner, ‘Henry VIII: heads and hearts’, will take place in and around the transformed Tudor palace, daily from 10 April. Henry VIII's State Apartments have been lavishly re-presented, featuring magnificent new furnishings, important historic exhibits, and the King's own council chamber which will be opened to the public for the very first time. T H I S
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Also at Hampton Court will be ‘Henry’s Women’, a temporary exhibition about Henry VIII's wives and his dynastic quest. Little-known 16th-century portraits of each of the wives, Henry VIII, and Henry's other women, his favourite sister Mary, and daughters Mary and Elizabeth will be brought together for the first time. Other items on display range from a lock of Kateryn Parr's hair, to the music book written for Anne Boleyn by one of her alleged lovers. The exhibition will be hosted in King Henry VIII's Council Chamber which will also be open for the first time to the public. Events begin on 20-23 March (Mothering Sunday weekend) with ‘Florimania – Flowers for the King’ at Hampton Court Palace. For further information on this year’s celebratory events at Historic Royal Palaces, telephone 0844 482 7777.
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A SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY TREAT ON THE RIVER THAMES Visitors to London on the weekend of Mothering Sunday, 22 March, will be tempted by a sumptuous three-course lunch on board the R.S. Hispaniola, a ship permanently moored on Victoria Embankment, with a superb view of Big Ben and the London Eye . The R.S. Hispaniola boasts spectacular views of the Thames, from St Paul's to the Houses of Parliament and offers a unique backdrop for a special lunch. Guests will be welcomed onboard with a glass of wine, followed by a special three-course menu, rounded off with coffee and petit fours, all to the accompaniment of the resident pianist, Norman Treiger.
The R.S.Hispaniola and the London Eye. Following lunch, you could adjourn to either one of the upper deck's two outdoor areas for a digestif or to the elegant cocktail bar, which is adjacent to the restaurant on the lower deck. The special Mother's Day lunch costs £30 per person and the price includes a glass of wine on arrival and a three course lunch. For further information and to make a booking, telephone 02077 400 400. L O N D O N
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NATIONAL THEATRE’S SELL-OUT WAR HORSE TRANSFERS The National Theatre’s sell-out production of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse, adapted by Nick Stafford, is transferring to the New London Theatre from 28 March. The story is set at the outbreak of World War One, when Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. Box Office telephone: 0844 412 4654.
COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE SPRING FAIR As the days get warmer and the evenings get lighter, we know that spring is on its way and what better way to welcome the new season than to visit the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair at the Business Design Centre from 11-15 March. This year celebrates the 18th annual Country Living Magazine Spring Fair, a much loved springtime event that will once again bring together local and national crafts, garden and home accessories, unique jewellery and clothing along with homemade food and drink you won’t find on the high street. For further information and to book tickets, call 08448 480 158.
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The spectacular effects of the National Theatre’s War Horse.
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do something different
Tan D un
Sat 21 Mar 7.30pm
Tan Dun
ao Tang Jun Qi
The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra The perfect opening to the Barbican’s festival of new music from China comes from Oscar-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Hero) with the UK premiere of an exciting new work. Featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra, cello soloist and China’s master of the bamboo flute Tang Jun Qiao.
www.barbican.org.uk/beyondthewall 0844 848 8438 Tickets from £9 T H I S
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MAYOR PLANS FOR LASTING 2012 LEGACY The Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the Government last week announced how they will secure a lasting legacy for the Olympic Park after the 2012 Games, which will include thousands of new homes and jobs, world class sporting, education and cultural facilities, as well as the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years The Mayor, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell have agreed to establish a dedicated 2012 legacy delivery company to plan and maximise the opportunities available from this huge area of public sector land. Commercially driven and community focused, it will work with the host boroughs and local people, building on the enormous investment and momentum already underway to transform the Park into a treasured asset for the capital and the country. The company’s remit will include securing a viable future for the venues that will remain post-2012, as well as creating distinctive new communities, ranging from buzzing urban centres to quieter areas for families surrounded by waterways and green open spaces. Ultimately, it will drive a major long term programme of development and regeneration in east and south-east London over the next two decades, welcoming visitors from near and far, drawn by their experience of the unique imprint of the 2012 Games. T H I S
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THE MONUMENT REOPENS The Monument, one of the City of London’s most outstanding landmarks and visitor attractions, has reopened to visitors after an extensive programme of improvements and repairs. Sir Christopher Wren’s and Dr Robert Hooke’s 202 ft monument to the Great Fire of 1666, the tallest free-standing stone column in the world, undergoes repair work only once in every hundred years. Stonework has been cleaned and repaired and the famous golden orb which flames from the top of the column has been painstakingly re-gilded by hand. A stunning new gallery 'cage' has replaced an old cage on the viewing platform 160 ft above the ground, from where visitors can experience exhilarating 360 degree views of the City, the Pool of London and beyond. Inside the monument, light will beam up from the Cellar Laboratory, used for experiments by Wren and co-architect Robert Hooke and now revealed to the public for the first time. Beside the Monument, the mirrored roof of a glass pavilion will bounce the glow of the orb back up to the viewing gallery, while panoramic cameras relay live views from the top down to the plaza below. A pleasant pedestrianised and landscaped square has been created around the Monument, marking the extent of Wren’s original Monument Yard between Fish Street Hill and Pudding Lane – the starting point of The Great Fire. For information, call 020 7626 2717. CELEBRATE ITALY’S FOOD AND WINE AT LA DOLCE VITA La Dolce Vita, the annual celebration of the Italian good life brings an authentic taste of Italy to London with a host of foodie events, celebrity chefs and fabulous produce lined up to showcase the country’s world-renowned food and wine. The four-day lifestyle event at the Olympia Exhibition Centre, from March 26-29, this year makes food its focus. At the heart of the show is the ‘mercato’, a
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buzzing showcase for some of the finest artisan producers, gourmet food and boutique wines from all over Italy. All the delicious pasta, handmade chocolate, beautiful wine and artisan cheeses of the Italian kitchen will be available to taste and discover. Visitors to the show can mill about in the ‘piazza’, a vivid recreation of the heart of every Italian town, where they can check out some of London’s top Italian restaurants including Theo Randall, L’Anima, Zafferano and Locanda Locatelli and sample some Scuola di Cucina delicious home-made food. Meanwhile, top Italian chefs will be onhand to give top tips on recreating mouth-watering Italian food at home. In the Wine Academy Italian producers will showcase their wines and there will be advice on how to buy and drink great wine from experts including Olly Smith, Tim Atkin, Anthony Rose, Tom Cannavan and Joanna Simon. EVENING PLAYTIME FOR ADULTS AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM To help banish the credit crunch blues and winter weather misery, the Science Museum has announced a permanent programme of free, adult-only, late-night events, when adults can have the Museum, its world-class collections and interactive galleries, all to themselves in the new Science Museum Lates. Adults can enjoy shameless playtime in the famous interactive gallery Launchpad – blowing bubbles, spinning like skaters and capturing multicoloured shadows – without having to let the kids go first. Anthony Richards, Gallery Programmes Manager for the Science Museum, said, 'The Science Museum is the best place in the world to enjoy science and most people have wonderful memories of visiting here as a child. Our fascinating collections, exhibitions, and thought-provoking events have great appeal with adults. And it’s all free – a perfect night out to banish the winter blues.' The next date is 18 March. For further information, call 0870 870 4868.
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT ST JOHN’S Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra returns to St. John's, Smith Square on Friday 6 March (19.30) to present a programme of symphonic classics by Beethoven, Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov. Beethoven's rugged Overture to Goethe's Egmont, one of the composer's finest and most dramatic works, describes the struggle of Count Egmont against the tyrannical Duke of Albany, leading to the former's martyrdom; the work ends in a triumphant hymn of righteousness. Then follows Sibelius's only concerto, the Violin Concerto (soloist: Catherine Myerscough) of 1903, a rhapsodic masterpiece of burning intensity; Sibelius's virtuosic solo writing for the violin makes this one of the most challenging works technically as well as musically, and his inimitable soundworld makes this one of his most profound musical utterances. Arguably, Rimsky-Korsakov's greatest masterpiece, Scheherezade describes the well loved story of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights and demonstrates the composer's mastery of orchestration, with a tinge of the Oriental. CUSO, founded in 1990, is the premier student-run symphony orchestra in Cambridge, drawing from the best and most dedicated student musicians. Box Office tel: 020 7222 1061.
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David Parkhouse.
LONDON HANDEL FESTIVAL The 32nd London Handel Festival continues this week with several performances dedicated to the famous composer. The year 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Handel's death and offers a wide range of concerts showcasing works of both Handel and other composers of his era. The first of these performances is 'From Handel to Haydn', on Saturday 7 March at St. George's Hanover Square. There will be performances of works by JC Bach and Franz Joseph Haydn, culminating in Handel's grand ceremonial Hettinger Te Deum. This work reveals the transition from baroque to classical style in works of the other two other foreigners who came to London - Bach and Haydn - whose music was performed in the 'Hanover Square Rooms'. On Tuesday, 10 March, 'Haydn in London' celebrates the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, in which the Revolutionary Drawing Room performs three of his great string quartets, two of them written for London audiences and the third his last complete work in the genre. Two days later, on 12 March, at the Trinity College of Music in Greenwich, the English Opera Concerto presents another concert for the 2009 London Handel Festival. In Il triumph del Tempo e del Disingenuous, Handel included a Sonata for organ and orchestra which is the earliest known music for solo keyboard with orchestral accompaniment. From the mid-1730s, he began to incorporate organ concertos between the acts of his oratorios and, as a result, he is often credited with 'inventing' the organ concerto. The English Opera Concerto seeks to place Handel's much performed and recorded concertos in the context of the much less frequently heard examples by his English contemporaries such as William Hayes, John Hook and John Stanley. Next week, a concert on 17 March dedicates itself to another one of the greatest English composers, Henry Purcell, and the 350th anniversary of his birth. It will be held at St. George's Hanover Square. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 01460 54660.
THE PARKHOUSE AWARDS FINALS AT WIGMORE HALL The Finals of the Parkhouse Award take place on Saturday 7 March from 14.30 at the Wigmore Hall. Visitors to London can join the audience and jury to hear four chamber ensembles of piano with strings compete for the prize. Each ensemble will perform for 30 minutes. The jury chooses the winner of the Parkhouse Award, and the audience has their chance too by voting for the ensemble they think should win – the Audience Prize. The Parkhouse Award was founded in 1990 in memory of the internationally renowned pianist David Parkhouse to continue his work in the encouragement of young chamber ensembles at the outset of their career by providing them with three concerts in prestigious London venues. For tickets, telephone 020 7935 2141.
The Ultimate in Sightseeing Cruise between Westminster, Waterloo (London Eye), Tower and Greenwich Piers. Enjoy the riverside sights with lunch, afternoon tea or a flight on the London Eye
For full details call 02077 400 or www.citycruises.com
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The candlelit church will resonate to the sounds of instruments ancient and modern in an imaginative and atmospheric programme with works for orchestra, choir, harp, cello, fiddle and flute. Most of the Locrian Ensemble are Irish musicians working in London and they certainly know how to enjoy themselves on Paddy's Day! Jean Kelly and Dermot Crehan, who were soloists on the soundtrack to ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, will be performing Paul Honey's St. Patrick's Suite of Old Irish tunes. Fiona Kelly will perform her grandfather TC Kelly's Irish Suite in the Baroque Style. The St Patrick Singers will sing ‘An Irish Blessing’ by Rutter and, of course, Danny Boy. There is a wonderful Celtic lament for cello and orchestra, ‘Cariad’, by the eloquent composer Julie Cooper, performed by Justin Pearson. The concert pays special tribute to Ireland's national composer, the blind harpist, Turlough O'Carolan whose music has been arranged by Jean Kelly for harp and strings and to end the evening off
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Jean Kelly. there are pipes, whistle, flute, fiddle and more to raise the roof and set your feet tapping with a celidh band. Stephen Barlow will be the conductor for this concert. In keeping with the Irish theme, the Café in the Crypt will be serving bottled Guinness and authentic Irish fare before the concert and during the interval. Tickets telephone 020 7766 1100 or at the door on the night. YAMAHA 'CHAMBER AT CHAPPELL' EVENING CONCERTS Yamaha’s popular new series of chamber music concerts continues throughout March and April in their recital room housed within Yamaha London at Chappell in Wardour Street Soho. The events, hosted by the newly formed Yamaha Artists Services team showcase some of the UK's most talented and acclaimed musicians, many of whom have already participated in Yamaha's popular lunchtime conservatoire concert series. Next concerts include a recital on 17 March by the charming brother and sister Duisen Duo featuring Dina Duisen
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(piano) and Ordabek Duisen (violin). Originally from Kazakhstan, and with both parents music scholars, Dina and Ordabek started their amazing music career very early. Ordabek Duisen now lives in the US, and has won several awards at numerous international competitions including 1st prize in the Franz Schubert competition in Italy, while Dina Duisen, semi-finalist in Krainev’s competition in Ukraine (1996), now studies at the Royal Academy in London with Christopher Elton. The duo performs around the world and gets an ecstatic welcome in their home country. Tokyo born Kumi Liley is the manager of Yamaha Artist Services Europe in London and she comments, 'We were delighted by the capacity audience who attended the February concert. We want to become a vibrant player within London's world class music scene and we hope these Chamber concerts will continue to introduce new audiences to live classical music in an intimate and up-close setting. The series will also provide exposure and publicity for some of the UK's very best emerging classical musicians.' All concerts start at 18.15. For booking enquiries, call 020 7432 4439.
Duisen Duo.
AN IRISH MUSICAL CELEBRATION AT ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS The Locrian Ensemble will perform a stunning programme of music that explores both Celtic spirituality and the exuberance of the Irish soul to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday 17 March (19.30), at St Martin in the Fields.
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James Gilchrist.
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THE BACH CHOIR PERFORM JS BACH ST MATTHEW PASSION The Bach Choir returns to the Royal Festival Hall for its annual performance of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion, on Sunday 8 March. The Choir will sing Bach’s great masterpiece complete, and in English. The Bach Choir will be joined by an outstanding team of soloists. James Gilchrist (pictured) sings the role of Evangelist, with Jeremy White as Christ; the solo arias are sung by Sarah Fox (soprano), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Timothy Robinson (tenor) and Roderick Williams (baritone). The line-up is completed by the outstanding period instrument ensemble, Florilegium, as well as a choir of talented young singers drawn from schools in London and the South East. David Hill, Musical Director of The Bach Choir, conducts. The performance will start at 16.30, and there will be an interval of 45 minutes between Parts I and II. Tickets priced from £9 to £50 are available from the Southbank Centre Ticket Office on 0871 663 2500. The Bach Choir also offers limited free tickets for children under 16 (when accompanied by an adult), as well as discounts for groups. For full details, contact The Bach Choir Ticket Office on 01223 365 110. For further information about The Bach Choir’s performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, or to find out more about all the Choir’s concerts, recordings, and other events, visit the website at www.thebachchoir.org.uk. T H I S
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THE MALCOLM SARGENT FESTIVAL CHOIR AT ST JOHN'S The Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir is performing at St John's Smith Square, on Saturday, 14 March, the Choir’s sixth appearance at the Church. The programme for the concert will include Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens. Also performing will be Rebecca Outram, Soprano: Madeleine Shaw, Mezzo: Mark Dobell, Tenor and Lukas Kargl, Baritone with Malcolm Martineau (piano) and Nicholas O'Neill (organ). Simon Over, Director of Music for the Choir, which is a registered Charity, will be conducting. The Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir, through performances such as the one at St John's, helps to perpetuate the memory of Sir Malcolm Sargent and the work undertaken by him to make classical music available to everyone. The Festival Choir is drawn from members of Choirs from every part of England, from the South Coast to Newcastle in the North, from Bristol in the West to Cambridge in the East, after passing an audition. They pay all their own travel and personal expenses to rehearsals in London, however far afield the concerts are scheduled. Where possible this choir helps to raise funds to support children's charities. The concert begins at 19.30. Tickets are available from St John's Smith Square box office tel: 020 7222 1061. LYLE LOVETT AND BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLIE AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE A writer of intelligent songs of humour and heartbreak, Lyle Lovett is in a great tradition of American songwriters that includes Randy Newman and fellow Texans Willie Nelson, Guy Clarke and Townes Van Zandt. Known as 'the thinking man's cowboy' when he started out in the mid 1980s, Lyle presaged the Alt.country boom of the 1990s with his eclectic take on American traditional music that incorporated rock, swing, jazz and folk. Lyle Lovett’s latest album It’s
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Not Big It’s Large was released in August 2007 to critical acclaim and he returns to the Royal Festival Hall London on 21 March for his only date in England as part of a European tour. Splenetic purveyor of music of dark and gothic beauty, Bonnie 'Prince' Billie (AKA Will Oldham or, Palace, or Palace Music) is emblematic of the Alt.country boom of the 1990s. Though, like Lovett before him, as two decades of deeply idiosyncratic music attest, he constantly undermines any attempt to pigeon hole him. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy returns to Southbank Centre on 20 April for a special gig, featuring songs from his new and most ambitious album to date entitled Beware! (out 16 March 2009 on Domino). For further information and bookings, telephone the Southbank Ticket Office on 0871 663 2500. WINDSOR FESTIVAL SPRING WEEKEND Highlights of the fifth Windsor Festival Spring Weekend which will take place 12-15 March, include a performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor in the beautiful, historic surroundings of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and a concert by the Cappa Ensemble which includes Brian O’Kane, winner of the inaugural Windsor Festival International String Competition held last year. The Ensemble will be playing works by Mozart, Schubert and Dvorak in the newly refurbished Picture Gallery at Royal Holloway University of London. The highly popular literary series will also continue with talks and book signings by well known authors and public figures including a lunch with Jane Wellesley and Simon Scarrow and presentations by Melvyn Bragg, Virginia McKenna and crime writer Patrick Lennon. These will be combined with a programme of family events, films and heritage walks, which provide a fascinating insight into the local area. For tickets and further details, telephone 01753 740121. L O N D O N
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Luis Parés, Aleksei Kiseliov and And Karaback.
THE TEP ANNUAL CONCERT The TEP (Turkish Education Project) annual concert will take place at St James's Church Piccadilly on Saturday 14 March at 19.30. Luis Parés (piano), Aleksei Kiseliov (cello) and And Karaback (clarinet) will perform a programme of Beethoven, Brahms, Gaubert and Messager. This trio of performers are young talents who have already won international awards and are ideal role-models for the Turkish speaking young people in Britain whom TEP aim to support and encourage. Aleksei Kiseliov was born in Belarus in 1985 and began his music studies at the Republican Music College five years later with Vladimir Perlin. In September 2003, Aleksei received a special prize for 'Best interpretation of a British composer' at the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition and a successful debut at St. John's Smith Square in London was followed by a recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and important appearances at the Aix En Provence Festival. Born in 1981, Turkish clarinettist, And Karabacak, has performed as a soloist and an orchestral musician in many countries including the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Turkey. He has given many solo performances accompanied by a number of different orchestras in Turkey including Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Trakya University Symphony Orchestra, Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra and Capital City Chamber Orchestra, Ankara. And won the Talented Young Musicians T H I S
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Competition in Turkey in 1995 when he was just 15. In October 2007, he was accepted by the Royal College of Music London for a postgraduate programme where his now studying with world famous clarinettists Janet Hilton and Timothy Lines. Venezuelan/Italian pianist, Luis Parés, is much in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, having performed in many countries such as the USA, UK, Spain, Venezuela and Italy. He started his musical studies with Juan Antunez and also studied with Sergio Cimarosti, the Trio di Trieste and Igor Lavrov. This fundraising event for TEP, supported by Turkish Bank (UK) Ltd, will raise funds to be used in improving the educational standards of the children of local communities in North London. Despite the efforts of the local educational services, there appears to be a shortage of targeted teaching to reach not only the young but also their parents so they can be motivated to help their own children. Language difficulties, lack of knowledge of the British educational system, learning disabilities, social acceptance and proper integration are all issues they aim to eradicate. In these difficult economic times, it is doubly gratifying to support projects that benefit others at the same time as enjoying an evening out. Tickets at the door on the night or, for further information, call 020 7381 0441.
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GET SET FOR THE UK’S LARGEST DANCE EXHIBITION – MOVE IT! The UK’s biggest dance event, ‘Move It’, is taking place from 6-8 March at Olympia. With over 100 live stage performances and 250 dance classes, this three day extravaganza gives visitors the chance to taste a whole host of dance styles and techniques. From Bollywood to Ballet and Salsa to Swing, there are demonstrations, classes and experts on hand to cater for every age and ability. Informative seminars, fabulous main stage performances and expert practical tutorials are on offer to get you started, whilst the exciting and diverse exhibition displays a host of dance equipment and accessories. The Main Stage will provide a showcase for some of the world’s most exciting dancers, with live performances from the latest in youth talent, urban dance, modern and contemporary styles, dance classics and Bollywood favourites. Hundreds of artists, performing up to five shows a day will ensure visitors get an unrivalled, vibrant and inspiring dance experience. Celebrity choreographers, professional dance tutors and West End stars will be coming together to provide visitors with a wealth of Dance Class options. Tickets cost £10.50 on the day.
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BEYOND THE WALL – EXPLORATION OF CHINESE MUSIC AT THE BARBICAN Beyond the Wall is the Barbican's exploration of Chinese music concentrating on the bridge between East and West and on the influence each has had on the other. Grammy and Oscar winning composer Tan Dun will play a central role, as some of his works receive a UK premiere. The concerts also include a glimpse of Beijing's underground music scene and Mongolian and Kazakhinfluenced folk, as well as a chamber opera by Liu Sola. The UK Premiere of Tan Dun's 'The Map' will take place on Saturday 21 March at the Barbican. 'The Map' is written for a full symphony orchestra with cello soloist and three screens placed at different points about the stage. In a similar manner to Bartók and Kodály at the beginning of the 20th century, Tan Dun elaborates traditional music from his native China to music of his own time; the video performers are
THE PARKHOUSE AWARD Registered Charity
2009 FINALS CONCERT Four ensembles of piano with strings chosen from an international entry compete for the 2009 Award and Audience Prize
Tan Dun. traditional musicians from the Hunan province including leaf blowers and crysinger, and the live orchestra and soloist play with and against the music/visuals on the screen. The performance is conducted by the composer himself. From 18.00, Tan Dun introduces a group of Chinese musicians who play in the foyers of the Barbican prior to the concert. The Zhangjiajie Folk Daliuzi Group performs music to old Chinese mysterious rituals, traditional stories and antiphonal courtship songs. The performances include leaf blowing, gongs and cymbals. Premiered in New York in April 2008, the piano concerto entitled The Fire was
dedicated to Lang Lang and inspired by Tan Dun’s love for the martial arts. Tan Dun’s immensely various work soars across boundaries of classical and contemporary work, or of expectations of east and west. His new concerto is the second major work he has written for pianist Lang Lang who, for Tan, embodies the qualities of a martial arts master in his playing. Mahler was 24 when he began working on his First Symphony, premiered in its final form 12 years later in 1896. ‘I was totally unaware that I had written one of my boldest works,’ he said of this audacious, almost violent creation. The UK premiere will take place on Tuesday 21 April (19.30), at the Barbican. Further concerts take place on 23 & 26 April at LSO St Luke’s, followed by Tan Dun’s ‘Ghost Opera’ at the Barbican on Sunday 10 May (19.30). Ghost Opera is a five movement work for string quartet and pipa, with water, metal, stone and paper. Tan Dun describes the work as a reflection on human spirituality. He was inspired by childhood memories of the shamanistic ‘ghost operas’ of the Chinese peasant culture. In this over 4000 year old tradition, humans and spirits of the future, the past, and nature communicate with each other. Box Office on 0845 120 7550. www.barbican.org.uk/beyondthewall
ADJUDICATORS: Chris de Souza (Chairman), Lowri Blake, Adam Gatehouse, John Gilhooly, Brian Hawkins Catherine Mackintosh, Hamish Milne
WIGMORE HALL 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP Director: John Gilhooly Tickets £5
Box Office 020 7935 2141 www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
Saturday 7 March: 2.30pm The Parkhouse Award is supported by
THE GORDON FOUNDATION THE TERTIS FOUNDATION GBZ MANAGEMENT
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David Crookes, Warner Classics 2005
BORIS BEREZOVSKY IN SOUTHBANK RECITAL NEXT SATURDAY Boris Berezovsky has established a remarkable reputation, both as the most powerful of virtuoso pianists and as a musician of unique insight and sensitivity. Born in Moscow he was described by The Times after his London Wigmore Hall debut as ‘an artist of exceptional promise, a player of dazzling virtuosity and formidable power’. Two years later, he fulfilled that promise when he won the Gold Medal at the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Berezovsky regularly works with the top international orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw, Philadelphia Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. He also has an impressive list of recordings which have earned the respect of critics worldwide as well as receiving many international awards. Berezovsky's recital in the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 15 March (15.00) marks his RFH recital debut in a programme which shows off his incredible talents. He opens with one of Beethoven's most popular sonatas, the 'Waldstein' and then tackles Schumann's monumental Davidsbundlertanze - a set of character pieces reflecting the assertive and dreamy sides of the composer's volatile personality. The recital finishes with Liszt's epic B minor sonata - a thrilling piece which will be a real tour de force in the hands of this outstanding pianist. After the recital Berezovsky will be signing CDs so don't miss this chance to hear this fantastic artist and come away with a signed souvenir of the occasion! Box Office 0871 663 2500. T H I S
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CARMEN IN-THE-ROUND AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL London is currently dazzling with fiery passion as Bizet’s classic opera, Carmen, returns to the Royal Albert Hall with final performances taking place this weekend. The stunning new cast, performing the opera in English, join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in one of the most eagerly anticipated performances of the New Year. Sultry, sensual and seductive, Carmen is set in the sizzling heat of Spain and follows a tempestuous journey of infatuation, obsession and lust. The critically acclaimed Cristina Nassif, who has made waves across the Atlantic, and Guildhall-trained Louise Poole, who is a regular at Glyndebourne, will be sharing the starring role, leading a cast of hotly-tipped new performers which include David Kempster and the award-winning Elizabeth Atherton. The superb production is set in-the-round, allowing spectators to be part of the action. Celebrated designer David Roger has creative control of the show and the lavish costumes for the talented cast.
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Carmen is brought to the stage in a co-promotion between the Royal Albert Hall and the UK's leading classical music promoter, Raymond Gubbay, whose previous collaborations include Madam Butterfly, Tosca, La Bohème and, with English National Ballet, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet and, in 2008, Strictly Gershwin. There is only a limited time to see the essence of Spain brought to life on the British stage, so don’t miss it! Tickets are available from the box office telephone 020 7838 3100.
London Handel Festival 2009 250th Anniversary of Handel’s death 23 February to 14 April Laurence Cummings musical director Adrian Butterfield associate director leader London Handel Orchestra
Box Office 01460 54660 or buy online www.london-handel-festival.com Venues: St George’s Hanover Square, Grosvenor Chapel, St Lawrence Whitchurch, Royal College of Music, Foundling Museum, Handel House, & Wigmore Hall Promoted by the London Handel Society 269184
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PICASSO: CHALLENGING THE PAST The National Gallery's first exhibition dedicated to Pablo Picasso, which opened in the Sainsbury Wing last week, reveals how the greatest artist of the 20th century pitted himself against the great European painting tradition. Seizing on the signature themes, techniques and artistic concerns of painters such as Velázquez, Rembrandt and Cézanne, Picasso transformed the art of the past into 'something else entirely', creating audacious paintings of his own. Sometimes his 'quotations' from the past were direct, at other times more allusive and, occasionally, full of parody and irreverence. 'Picasso: Challenging the Past' features over 60 of the artist's seminal works and focuses on the enduring themes of European art history and his own career, with sections on the self portrait, characters and types, the nude, still life, models and muses and the artist's later 'Variations'. Every major period of Picasso's oeuvre is represented with loans from among the leading public and private collections of Europe and North America.
Pablo Picasso. Self Portrait with a Wig, 1897 © Museu Picasso de Barcelona (MPB110.053) /Succession Picasso/DACS 2009. T H I S
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Pablo Picasso. Portrait de Jaime Sabartès en Grand Espagne, 1939. Oil on canvas. 46 x 38 cm. Museu Picasso de Barcelona (MPB 70.241) © Museu Picasso de Barcelona/Succession Picasso/DACS 2009.
Picasso's complex self portraits attest to his deep fascination with a genre tackled by many of the artists he admired most. In 'Self Portrait with a Wig', 1897 (Museu Picasso, Barcelona), the sixteen-year-old depicts himself as an 18th-century gentleman, manipulating his appearance, challenging the Old Masters but also paying tribute to Goya and Rembrandt. The artist's close examination of portraits and genre paintings inspired a startling community of traditional male characters and 'types' in his work. In his 'Portrait of Jaime Sabartés', 1939 (Museu Picasso, Barcelona) Picasso recasts his long-serving secretary, who had followed him from Barcelona, in the guise of a Spanish nobleman of the 16th century. An extraordinary painter of women, Picasso continually celebrated female beauty through the representation of the
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nude. The artist adapted the conventions of this well established genre to his own vocabulary and successive styles. Like Ingres, Picasso looked back to the purity and monumentality of the antique, but exaggerated and transformed it, as seen in his masterly 'Large Bather' of 1921 (Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris). A section on the artist's arresting still lifes, including 'Skull with Jug', 1953 (Nahmad Collection, Switzerland), reveals a highly informed dialogue with artists like Chardin, Goya and Delacroix, as well as more contemporary figures, notably Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne. The final room of the exhibition shows the climax of Picasso's increasing obsession with art history. Late in life, he conceived a series of bold 'Variations' after masterpieces of the 17th and 19th centuries. The young artist first saw Velázquez's 'Las Meninas' when he was fourteen. Over 75 years later, he completed a series of deeply personal interpretations of the same painting – three of which are displayed in London – including 'The Infanta Margarita', 1957 (Museu Picasso, Barcelona). A group of four 'Variations' after Manet's 'Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe', painted between 1960 and 1961 (Musée National Picasso, Paris) provides another highlight of the exhibition.
Pablo Picasso. Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, after Manet 1961. Musée Picasso, Paris (MP216) © RMN/Jean-Gilles Berizzi/Succession Picasso/DACS 2009. L O N D O N
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JONAS MEKAS – LITHUANIA AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR Forces of time, memory, change and human collide in Jonas Mekas’ compelling work Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR (2008). The work’s title refers to the historical time when the world watched as Mekas’ home country of Lithuania fought for independence from the stronghold of Soviet rule. Comprisingf 4 parts with a total running time of 4 hours and 46 minutes, it will be presented in 4 parts at Tate Modern on Sunday 8 March (from 10.00), with short breaks for reflection, as a chronological overview of Lithuania’s birth as an independent nation. With a video camera, Mekas recorded newscasts that played daily from 1989 to 1991 on his television set at home. Footage includes reports of the Soviet Union’s use of 'aggressive actions' that called for Lithuanian back down, freedom demonstrations, interviews and statements made by top politicians, journalists and analysts that include Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis, Deputy Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskiene, Soviet Leader
strong sense of place. The artist combines traditional techniques and working processes with a dynamic approach to composition to create striking contemporary images of the Cornish landscape. Sarah studied at Falmouth College of Art, Gloucestershire College of Art and the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1987. She has produced work in France, Spain, South Africa, India and North America, and is represented in private and corporate collections in the UK and abroad. All works are in oil. Prices range from £1,200 to £8,500. The Maas Gallery is situated in Clifford Street, W1. Telephone 020 7734 2302.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and United States President George H.W. Bush, among others, as well as moving portraits of the Lithuanian people who were directly affected by the conflict. Mekas’ account, reported by news outlets in the United States, also reveals the shaping and shifting of political, economic, and social relations between the Eastern Europe and the West at the time. The Lithuanian Embassy in the UK is at 84 Gloucester Place, W1. Telephone 020 7935 9872. SARAH ADAMS NEW EXHIBITION AT THE MASS GALLERY A new exhibition of paintings by Sarah Adams will be on view at The Maas Gallery from 17-27 March. The exhibition showcases the artist's recent work, including images of the North Cornish coast and the Isles of Scilly. These dramatic, atmospheric and intimate paintings are rooted in observational studies made on site in all weathers, giving them a
The Wapping Group of Artists London and its River 63rd Annual Exhibition of paintings Monday 2nd to Saturday 7th March 2009 At The East Gallery The Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 Tel 020 7930 6844 Also available
The Wapping Group of Artists Sixty Years of painting by The Thames A full colour book including history, 200 illustrations and insight into the essence of the Group and its work. T H I S
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TIME FOR TEA AT THE LONDON SILVER VAULTS What arrived in England with a Portuguese princess? Was turned in to an afternoon tradition by a Duchess of Bedford? And of which was said it ‘amuses the evenings, solaces the midnights and welcomes the mornings’ by the great Doctor of the English dictionary, Dr Johnson? 'Time For Tea' is a celebration of tasty silver treats for the tea table to be found at The London Silver Vaults. With its 30 specialist shops it’s the best place in the world for finding any and all types of silver, antique or modern. A special Springtime selling exhibition explores the delights of the wonderful institution of tea, expressed through the silversmith’s skills. From breakfast in bed to High Tea, the exhibition celebrates in silver the English obsession with the taking of tea by displaying all manner of tasty silver treats. The collector of tea paraphernalia will delight at the range on offer and be keen to snap up such gems as an 1800 Bateman tea caddy, an 1880 Victorian tea machine (the ancestor of the 'teasmaid'), a George III tea set and a soldier’s four-piece campaign set that packs away into its tea pot, made by Hukin and Heath in 1887. Tea has had a remarkable history and caused more than a teaspoon stir since it was first discovered and its crops fought over. In the first century AD, legend has it that the Chinese chanced upon the brew when a few leaves blew into a pan of boiling water, thus T H I S
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discovering a refreshing alternative to the leafy infusions they were used to. In Europe, it was the Dutch who first brought tea from China but the Portuguese were also early traders with China, and it was Catherine of Braganza, Portuguese wife of King Charles II, who introduced tea drinking to the English court in the 1660s and started a fashion for the new brew. Afternoon tea was invented by Anna Maria the wife of the Seventh Duke of Bedford in the 1840s when tea was taken together with some choice bites such as scones and biscuits and tiny sandwiches. She found the period between lunch and supper too long! There is no end to the inventiveness of British silver to compliment tea: tea kettles, tea caddies (complete with lock and key from the days when tea was a luxury item kept under strict control of the lady of the house), caddy spoons in shapes of all sorts from jockeys’ hats to oak leaves, tea strainers, tea bowls and tea spoons.
Time For Tea will include a tasteful abundance of sterling silver tea sets; decorative Georgian, Victorian and Art Nouveau through to the simpler, more angular lines of Art Deco, and on to the contemporary 1960s with an example from renowned silversmith Gerald Benney. And no tea table would be complete without cake stands, toast racks, egg cups, preserve jars, butter dishes and bread knives. London Silver Vaults are in Chancery Lane, WC2. Telephone 020 7242 3844.
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MAJOR SURVEY OF WORK BY REBECCA WARREN The Serpentine Gallery is presenting the first major solo show in a UK public gallery of the work of British artist Rebecca Warren (b 1965). Warren is known internationally for her exuberant, roughlyworked clay sculptures, bronzes and vitrines containing carefully assembled objects that the artist has collected. Described as ‘an original and formidable talent’, Warren’s oeuvre combines rich art historical and contemporary references. The artist challenges sculptural conventions while also engaging with the history of figurative sculpture and her position within this predominantly male tradition. Alongside such art historical figures as Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin, Warren’s work also refers to contemporary artists such as Swiss duo Fischli/Weiss and sculptor Charles Ray. Warren’s shape-shifting sculptures in clay and bronze range from amorphous to more recognisable forms, which are sometimes sexually explicit, embracing both the formal and the grotesque. She says of her work: ‘Though my work evolves through a process of appropriation and reference, it is nondidactic, being closer to revelation and discovery’. Her vitrines play with ideas of display and value, imparting a sense of the museological to an array of otherwise unassuming objects and materials. This Serpentine Gallery exhibition displays pieces from throughout Warren’s career and features a selection of her best known works including the iconic Helmut Crumb (1998), work from The Agony and the Ecstasy (2000) and Dark Passage (2004), alongside new work made specifically for this exhibition. The Serpentine Gallery is situated in Kensington Gardens, W2, near the Royal Albert Hall. Telephone 020 7402 6075.
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CHU TEH-CHUN RECENT PAINTINGS AND WORKS ON PAPER The first London exhibition of the Paris-based Chinese artist Chu TehChun opens this week at Marlborough Fine Art and comprises 5 major oil paintings, including the Diptych Tendre intermède, and 8 works on paper. In his works on paper Chu employs the traditional Chinese technique of wash painting, combining the customary black with coloured inks in pale greens and dusty reds for many of the works. Further drawing on traditional motifs, the ink paintings are in both the 'quafu' or vertical and the 'shoujan' or horizontal format. In his oil paintings, Chu depicts the same flowing abstract forms through a different medium, seeing a return to the Western practices of his early career. Chu was born in 1920 in Jiangsu Province, China, to a family of doctors and Chinese painting collectors. In 1935, the same year as the painter Zao Wou-Ki, Chu joined the School of Fine Arts in Hangzhou. After his studies, Chu taught at the National Central University of Nanjing and dedicated himself to a
'Western' painting style which at that time in China meant a choice for the media of oil and colour. In 1949, Chu left China and moved to Taiwan where he became a teacher at the Fine Arts department of the National University. In 1955 Chu arrived in Paris where he became a regular visitor to the Louvre and attended drawing lessons at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. After starting in a figurative style, the work of Nicolas de Staël inspired him to meditate on non-figuration and on the necessity of 'vision' rather than 'representation'. Since 1958, Chu’s work has been the subject of almost one hundred solo exhibitions, including a large travelling show in 1997 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing, which travelled to Hong Kong and Taipei, and retrospectives at the Shanghai Art Museum, 2005, and The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, in 2007. Chu was the first artist of Chinese origin to be elected to France’s prestigious Académie des arts et lettres and he is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.
LE CORBUSIER – THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE BARBICAN Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture is the first major survey in London of Le Corbusier, the internationally renowned architect in more than 20 years. This timely reassessment presents a wealth of original architectural models, interior settings, drawings, furniture, vintage photographs, films, tapestries, paintings, sculptures and books by Le Corbusier. It also features key works by his contemporaries, Fernand Léger, Amédée Ozenfant, Juan Gris and Charlotte Perriand, among others. The Barbican celebrates Le Corbusier with a host of events, concerts, films and talks. The last truly utopian urban planning project in London and greatly inspired by his aesthetic, the Barbican itself is the perfect backdrop to discover the man and his legacy. The Barbican is in Silk Street, EC2, nearest underground station St Paul’s or The Barbican. For further information, telephone 0845 120 7550.
A major retrospective exhibition celebrating poster design for the Capital’s public transport network Open late on Fridays www.ltmuseum.co.uk London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza, London WC2E 7BB Tel 020 7565 7298
Supported by
Registered charity number 1123122
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L'Abandon (Sakountala) by Camille Claudel (18641943) 62cms (24.5ins).
RARE BRONZE EXHIBITED BY ROBERT BOWMAN AT TEFAF MAASTRICHT A rare bronze by the French sculptress Camille Claudel which was inspired by her passionate love affair with Auguste Rodin is one of a number of important works of art to be offered for sale by the leading British dealer Robert Bowman at The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in the Dutch city of Maastricht from 13-22 March. The stunningly beautiful L'Abandon (Sakountala) is not only a reminder of an extraordinary love story but also the earliest of an edition of only 18 lifetime casts ever to have appeared on the market. Rodin was already famous when, aged 42, he met the 18 year-old Claudel at an artist's studio in Paris in 1883. Soon afterwards they began an affair which was to last 15 years and was the catalyst for some of their finest work as well as inspiring many subsequent books and films. L'Abandon (Sakountala) was originally conceived in terracotta in 1886, only three years after Claudel and Rodin began their T H I S
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affair. Because of lack of funds it was not cast in bronze until 1905 when two sizes were produced. The work to be exhibited at TEFAF Maastricht is one of the larger type and is the second in an edition of 18, the first cast having being kept by the owners of the foundry. The bronze is based on the eponymous 5th century Hindu legend in which the heroine, Sakountala, loses the affection of her beloved prince only to regain it once more. It depicts a man on his knees in front of a seated woman and is a reversal of Rodin's 1881 sculpture Eternal Spring where it is the woman who kneels. Claudel's work is a powerful symbol of tenderness, equality and hope contrasting strongly with the chauvinism of Eternal Spring. It also echoes Rodin's own words to Claudel in a letter written in late 1884 or early 1885: ‘My very dearest, down on both knees before your beautiful body which I embrace.’ After their affair ended, Claudel remained in touch for some years hoping that Rodin would come back to her. L'Abandon (Sakountala) serves as a poignant reminder of her unfulfilled dream for he never returned. The price of L'Abandon (Sakountala) will be £950,000. The Robert Bowman Gallery will also be exhibiting a lifetime cast of Le Baiser, one of Rodin's most famous sculptures which was originally conceived as part of The Gates of Hell, the entrance to the planned Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. The sculpture was intended to represent the love story of Paolo and Francesca in Dante's Inferno. The obvious passion between the figures caused some consternation in the late 19th century and the sculpture was displayed in an inner chamber at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This example of the bronze, signed by Rodin, is priced at £580,000. It is also widely accepted that another
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bronze on the Robert Bowman stand at TEFAF, is the work of the young Rodin. Enlèvement d'Hippodamie (The Abduction of Hippodamie), dating from c1871, is signed by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse in whose studio Rodin was working at the time. The muscles and screaming face of the centaur abducting Hippodamie are very similar to Rodin's known works. The bronze is being offered for sale at £65,000. A magnificent equestrian sculpture by the Frenchman Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891) will also be exhibited by Robert Bowman at TEFAF. Horseman in the Wind or The Traveller illustrates a significant shift in the development of modern sculpture and may have influenced Degas. It depicts Marshal Ney, one of Napoleon's most powerful officers, and is priced at £85,000. The Robert Bowman Gallery, 34 Duke St, St James's, SW1, is run by the husband and wife team of Robert and Michele Bowman and specialises in 19th and 20th century sculpture. PICARDY – THE PERFECT BREAK Picardy, in Northern France, is a unique destination for those in search of great shopping, historic sites and very tasty food. One of France’s most accessible destinations, there is plenty to do for everyone. Discover the sumptuous Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens, France’s biggest gothic cathedral. It is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Find out about a weekend break in Picardy on www.picardietourisme.com or telephone the French Government Tourist office on 0207 061 66 36. L O N D O N
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ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE OPENS AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE The National Theatre, under its artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, is one of the cultutral glories of the great city of London and the Olivier the only theatrlcal venue in the West End in which you're likely to see contemporary plays conceived on an epic scale. It would be heartening to report that Richard Bean's England People Very Nice was as successful as it is ambitious, but despite its many qualities and its sheer breadth of scale, it's not the triumph it might have been. A play-within-a play, it involves a group of muti-racial asylum seekers and wouldbe immigrants in anxious limbo as they await to be informed by letter who will be granted work permits and who will be sent back to their countries of origin. To pass the time, they decide to put on a play of their own about immigrants, integration, and muticulturalism over the last four hundred years. It begins with the arrival of the persecuted Huguenots, followed by the Irish who are seeking refuge from famine, continues with the arrival of the Jews fleeing the Russian pogroms, and comes right up to date with the influx of Bengalis and Pakistanis. They all fetch up in London's East End, become Cockneys, inter-marry and attempt to assimilate into the British way of life while, at the same time, trying to maintain their ethnic identities as they contend with racialism and violence in their fight for acceptance. It's a massive canvas to say the least, and the problems inherent in making multiculturalism work in today's hateinfested society, are only superficially addressesd. But how could it be otherwise? As it is, the play is three hours long and, because Bean's message emerges very early on, hard-core content gives way to a series of T H I S
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episodic incidents, all of them saying similar things and culminating with the serious problem provided by today's Muslim fundamentalists, many of whom rejoiced in the catastrophe of 9/11 and continue to preach terrorism. Bean's approach to his subject is very much a comic-book one, and, benefitting from Pete Bishop's Pythonesque animations, encapsulates some of the more colourful events that occurred between the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 to 2008 when London's Bangladeshi population rose to 150,000. The origins of Chicken Tikka Massala in London to the invention of the ballpoint pen by Laszlo Biro in 1938 and the Bethnal Green tube tragedy in 1943 when 173 people were crushed to death as they entered the station's bomb shelter, are treated as sketches in some vast historic cavalcade, while the recurring characters are, in the main, racial caricatures. A rather feeble Jewish song, for example, is called Oy vey. Fortunately, political correctness is never an issue, and despite the abundance of laughs with which Bean has crammed his text – there is no question that there will be audiences who be offended by the bad language and the stereotypes. Others with a less squeamish disposition will celebrate its exuberant roller-coaster approach to history and find much to enjoy in it. As I did. What both camps will agree, however, is the energy and pace of Hytner's lifeaffirming direction, the inventive use of the vast Olivier stage, the aforementioned animation, and some engaging performances by a large cast, most notably Sophie Stanton as a Spittalfields barmaid and Sacha Dhawan and Michelle Terry as the on-going love-interest. England People Very Nice is far from perfection – but it's just the sort of play the National should be doing. CLIVE HIRSCHHORN
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BE NEAR ME Donmar Ian McDiarmid has not only adapted but also takes the central role in his stage version of Andrew O'Hagan's third novel. A co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and directed by John Tiffany, it's simply staged on an almost bare set with the cast – the citizens of the unwelcoming fictional Ayrshire town of Dalgarnock – seated upstage as disapproving observers. A rug, a chandelier, a few chairs are all that's used to conjure up the rectory and coastal bleakness of the parish where fifty something Roman Catholic priest David Anderton – half English, half Scottish by birth, but completely English by education – lives.
With his taste for literature and fine wine, he's something of a misfit in this divided community of unemployment and neglect, and takes to spending far too much time in the company of 15 year old tearaway schoolboy Mark (Richard Madden) and his girlfriend Lisa (Helen Mallon). It's a reckless and unlikely friendship destined to lead to trouble. With her forthright observations, Blythe Duff's ailing housekeeper Mrs Poole provides a morally and intellectually challenging foil to McDiarmid's effete, basically decent Father David. But despite the rough, restless, mouthy energy injected by the wayward teenagers, just as with the novel, you'll need patience to reap the rewards of this slow-paced psychological study of a priest who no longer has a calling. Louise Kingsley L O N D O N
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PLAYS THREE DAYS OF RAIN A major revival of Richard Greenberg’s play, starring James McAvoy and Nigel Harman, explores how the private worlds of one generation are reinterpreted by the next. APOLLO THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1101) THE 39 STEPS Maria Aitken’s tongue-in-cheek adaptation of John Buchan’s whodunnit has four actors playing 150 parts and includes all the legendary scenes from Hitchcock’s movie. CRITERION THEATRE Piccadilly Circus, WC2 (0844 847 1778) BE NEAR ME An Oxford-educated Catholic priest befriends two unstable teenagers in a dispirited Scottish town. A compelling story of love, morality and regret. DONMAR WAREHOUSE 41 Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 060 6624) PLAGUE OVER ENGLAND A new play by Nicholas de Jongh, based around the controversial 1953 conviction of Sir John Gielgud, which played a small, but distinct part in the battle to make homosexuality legal. DUCHESS THEATRE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1103) A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Major revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play with Ken Stott and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio. Lindsay Posner directs. DUKE OF YORK’S St. Martin’s Lane, WC2 (0870 060 6623) THE WOMAN IN BLACK An innocent outsider, a suspicious rural community, a gothic house and a misty marsh are the ingredients of this Victorian ghost story, now in its 17th year. FORTUNE THEATRE Russell Street, WC2 (0870 060 6626) ENJOY Famously Alan Bennett’s first theatrical failure when it premiered in 1980, director Christopher Luscombe has triumphantly re-visited the play to universal critical acclaim. GIELGUD THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0844 482 5130) Royal National Theatre (Plays In Repertory) OLIVIER THEATRE WAR HORSE Powerful and imaginative adaptation of the children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, about a boy who pursues his horse to the trenches in the First World War. Features magnificent, life-sized puppets. Suitable for 12+yrs.
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ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE A riotous journey through four waves of immigration from the 17th century to today. The emerging pattern shows that white flight and anxiety over integration is anything but new.
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LYTTELTON THEATRE BURNT BY THE SUN Poised at the beginning of Stalin’s Great Terror, the play shows a brutal future encroaching on the last days of a fading world. THE PITMEN PAINTERS Following sell-out seasons, Lee Hall’s new play returns to the Lyttelton. A humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics. COTTESLOE THEATRE MRS AFFLECK Samuel Adamson’s new play takes Ibsen’s ‘Little Eyolf’ as the inspiration for a passionate and tragic tale of obsessive love, set in 1950 England. NATIONAL THEATRE South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)
SISTER ACT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM 24 year-old US actress Patina Miller has been cast to make her West End debut playing the lead role of 'Deloris Van Cartier' in the new musical comedy 'Sister Act' which opens at the London Palladium in May. The role of was made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie of the same name. Box Office tel: 0844 412 2704.
DANCING AT LUGHNASA A major revival of Brian Friel’s award-winning play offering a bittersweet reflection on rural Ireland in the thirties on the brink of industrialisation. OLD VIC The Cut, SE1 (0870 060 6628) THE MOUSETRAP Agatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longest running play of its kind in the history of the British theatre. ST MARTIN’S THEATRE West Street, WC2 (0870 162 8787) ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE Originally staged in 1964, Joe Orton’s wickedly biting comedy stars Imelda Staunton and Mathew Horne. TRAFALGAR STUDIOS Whitehall, SW1 (0870 060 6632) ON THE WATERFRONT Best known as the multi-Oscar winning film starring Marlon Brando, a major production directed by and starring Steven Berkoff with a 12 strong ensemble with his trademark of bold physical theatre. THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET Haymarket, SW1 (0870 400 0626) WOMAN IN MIND Alan Ayckbourn’s most personal and powerful play which tells the mesmerising tale of a woman’s struggle with her imagination. VAUDEVILLE THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 890 0511) MADAME DE SADE Yukio Mishima’s play, translated from the Japanese by Donald Keene, starring Judi Dench, directed by Michael Grandage. WYNDHAM’S THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 950 0925) M A G A Z I N E
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SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS SpongeBob SquarePants, international star of the screen, is taking to the UK stage for the first time ever. The lovable sea sponge, his best starfish buddy and all their fun friends from Bikini Bottom are going on tour across the UK in a live action show, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Sponge Who Could Fly! The adventure-packed musical runs at Hammersmith Apollo from 4-8 March and again at New Wimbledon Theatre from 10-14 June. The show is based upon the television episode ‘The Lost Episode/ The Sponge Who Could Fly’ and features a magical set that transports the audience to SpongeBob’s underwater world. Tickets telephone 08448 480931. I S
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MUSICALS JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic family musical based on the Biblical story of the errant son and his jealous brothers. Includes the hit song, ‘Any Dream Will Do.’ ADELPHI THEATRE Strand, WC2 (0870 403 0303) DIRTY DANCING Based on the ‘80s movie, this famous tale involves a daddy’s girl and a dance instructor at a New York holiday resort during the long, hot summer of 1963. ALDWYCH THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 4000 704) WICKED THE MUSICAL Hit Broadway story of how a clever, misunderstood girl with emerald green skin and a girl who is beautiful and popular turn into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch in the Land of Oz. APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE Wilton Rd, SW1 (0870 161 1977)
THRILLER – LIVE Spectacular, high octane show celebrating the career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. LYRIC THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 890 1107) STOMP This British theatrical sensation has enthralled audiences across the world with its combination of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion. NEW AMBASSADORS West Street, WC2 (020 7369 1761) AVENUE Q An unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets tells the story of life on the wrong side of the tracks in this Tony Award-winning musical by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. NOEL COWARD St Martin's Lane, WC2 (0870 850 9175)
WE WILL ROCK YOU A unique collaboration between the legends of rock and Ben Elton, reflecting the scale and spectacle that marked Queen’s live performances. DOMINION THEATRE Tottenham Court Rd, W1 (0870 169 0116) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Long running epic romance by Andrew Lloyd Webber, set behind the scenes of a Paris opera house, where the deformed phantom stalks his prey. HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE Haymarket, SW1 (0870 890 1106)
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SPRING AWAKENING Inspired by Frank Wedekind’s 1891 masterpiece of repressed emotion and adolescent passion, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheikh’s new musical explodes onto the West End stage following a sell-out season at Lyric Hammersmith. NOVELLO THEATRE Aldwych, WC2 (0870 950 0935) PRISCILLA THE MUSICAL Based on the Oscar award winning film, a glamorous Sydney based performing trio take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. PALACE THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0870 895 5579) BLOOD BROTHERS Willy Russell’s powerful musical about twins from Liverpool, separated at birth, whose paths cross in friendship and finally in bloodshed. PHOENIX THEATRE Charing Cross Road, WC2 (0870 060 6629)
THE LION KING Disney‘s phenomenally successful animated film is transformed into a spectacular stage musical, a superb evening of visual delight. LYCEUM THEATRE Wellington Street, WC2 (0870 243 9000)
JERSEY BOYS Rags to riches tale of four blue collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Features such hits as ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and ‘Sherry’. PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 9191) MAMMA MIA Hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, set around the story of a mother and daughter, on the eve of the daughter’s wedding. PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE Old Compton Street, W1 (0870 850 0393) LES MISERABLES Much praised and spectacularly staged version of Victor Hugo’s epic novel. Mon-Sat at 19.30. Mats Weds & Sat at 14.30. QUEENS THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (0870 950 0930)
CHICAGO A dazzling mixture of sinuous bodies, tough broads, murder and fickle fame, the Ebb-Fosse musical goes from strength to strength in this monochrome production. CAMBRIDGE THEATRE Earlham Street, WC2 (0870 890 1102) SUNSET BOULEVARD A new and intimate production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly acclaimed musical, which premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in 1993, where it ran for almost four years and played to nearly two million people. COMEDY THEATRE Panton Street, SW1 (0870 060 6637)
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Major revival of the classic Jerry Herman musical, which became the biggest new American musical of the decade when it opened on Broadway in 1983. A timeless and deliciously funny tale of family values and the need to be proud of who we are, and where life is never a drag! PLAYHOUSE Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0870 060 6631)
GREASE THE MUSICAL Inimitable slice of 50s Americana, bursting with denim, cheerleaders and well-oiled quiffs. PICCADILLY THEATRE Denman Street, W1 (0870 060 0123)
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CAROUSEL The story of the love affair between Billy Bigelow, a smooth-talking carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a naïve young mill worker, the show is set to one of the most ravishing and celebrated scores of all time, including The Carousel Waltz, If I Loved You, June is Bustin’ Out All Over and You’ll Never Walk Alone. SAVOY THEATRE Savoy Court, WC2 (0870 164 8787) HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL Tracy Turnblad, the big girl with the big hair and an even bigger heart goes from 60s style dance show to a downtown rhythm and blues record shop in this musical based on the John Waters movie. SHAFTESBURY THEATRE Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 (020 7379 5399) OLIVER! Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’s classic musical, starring Rowan Atkinson as ‘Fagin’, along with a ‘Nancy’ and ‘Oliver’ chosen by the British public. THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE Catherine Street, WC2 (0870 890 1109) BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL The hit British film is transformed into a thrilling stage musical by its original director, Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John. VICTORIA PALACE Victoria Street, SW1 (0870 895 5577) L O N D O N
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ST PATRICK'S DAY A MUSICAL CELEBRATION 7:30PM - TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2009 Programme
O'CAROLAN - SUITE OF OLD IRISH MELODIES RUTTER - AN IRISH BLESSING FOR CHOIR AND STRINGS TUNES FROM THE HEART OF IRELAND INCLUDING DANNY BOY FOR CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA PAUL HONEY - SUITE OF IRISH TUNES FOR IRISH SOLOISTS AND ORCHESTRA CELEBRATED IRISH MELODIES FOR HARP AND STRINGS
CARIAD - JULIE COOPER
CÉILI BAND FINALE St Patrick Singers Locrian Ensemble of London Soloists: Jean Kelly Harp Fiona Kelly Flute Dermot Crehan Fiddle Mick Sands Vocals Clive Carroll Guitar Bob White Pipes Luke Daniels Accordion Stephen Barlow Conductor
£18.00, £15.00, £9.00
St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JJ Box Office: 020 7766 1100 online: www.smitf.org