Brighton Dome Access Scheme Launches at Open Day

Posted on 20 February, 2020 by Admin

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival has launched a new service to assist visitors with disabilities and other access needs to make their experience at the venue easier and more enjoyable.

The Access Scheme enables customers who have additional requirements to book accessible seats, arrange for venue staff to assist them in advance of a show and ensure complimentary personal assistant tickets are allocated. Customers or carers can join the scheme by filling out a simple form, allowing Brighton Dome staff to register their needs and making bookings easier to complete. Visitors with hidden disabilities will also have the option to wear a Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard, which is a growing national scheme, as a discreet sign to front of house staff to offer extra assistance if it is needed.

Customers can sign up and find out more about the scheme at Brighton Dome’s Access Open Day on Sat 29 Feb, which will include free performances, talks and a backstage tour. There will also be a café takeover from Brighton based charity Team Domenica, who support people with learning disabilities into employment.

Brighton Dome developed the scheme in consultation with charity, Attitude is Everything which aims to improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to live performances.

Jacob Adams, Head of Research and Campaigns at Attitude is Everything said:

“Attitude is Everything welcomes the launch of Brighton Dome’s Access Scheme. The scheme provides efficient and person-centred customer service to Deaf and disabled people, enabling access requirements to be registered once without having to repeatedly submit evidence. It’s fantastic to see another major venue develop their offer, joining our flagship campaign to promote ticketing without barriers. This initiative benefits audiences but also staff tasked with ensuring the delivery of top-class customer service which enables audiences to access Brighton Dome’s full range of events.”

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival regularly programmes performances for adults and young people with a range of access needs in mind, including BSL interpretation and captioning, relaxed performances, touch tours, productions by disabled artists and a partnership with learning disability arts charity Carousel.

Christopher Wyer, Access Scheme member and Deaf Cultural Outreach Group (DeafCOG) volunteer said:

“I’ve certainly benefited from using Brighton Dome’s Access Scheme. I often have to repeatedly express my needs to ensure accessible service but this scheme is personalised so it makes you feel like you are being treated as a valued customer. It also allows venue staff to understand what I need when booking tickets or visiting the venue and makes access to information about BSL interpreted and captioned performances easier. DeafCOG are tremendously grateful for their effort in making the scheme a reality.”

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival added:

“By understanding our customer’s accessibility needs we can provide a much better experience for those who need extra help or support during a visit to our venues or Brighton Festival events. We want to make the arts as inclusive as possible so that everyone can participate without restrictions.”

Further information on how to join the scheme can be found online https://brightondome.org/access/ or telephone 01273 261541 and email: access@brightondome.org.

Access Open Day: Sat 29 Feb, 12 noon to 4pm, free admission

Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UE

ENO: Luisa Miller

Posted on 20 February, 2020 by Admin

London Coliseum, 19 February 2020

Luisa Miller is a genuine rarity, even allowing for Verdi’s large output. It also has a large amount of magnificent music which deserves to be heard more frequently. Any opera company mounting a new production is faced with a dilemma. Do they go for something fairly conventional which at least allows us to get to know the work and might enable more regular revivals, or do they go for a radical reinterpretation which will challenge the listener? In many ways Barbara Harakova’s new production for ENO falls somewhere between the two approaches. It is visually striking and certainly takes its own approach to the narrative, but the characterisation and inter-play on stage do not live up to the extensive notes from the director in the programme. I would have expected far more nuanced relationships rather than the broad brush-strokes we are given. Setting the whole thing in modern dress also confuses any sense of class or social relationships.

The only one who comes out of this with any real individuality is James Creswell’s magnificent Count Walter. A cynical autocrat, convinced he can get away with anything, rides roughshod over all those around him. His sudden collapse at the end of act one when faced with the possible revelation of his hidden past is unconvincing given the arrogance we have already witnessed.

The other really strong characters are both older men. Soloman Howard’s creepy Wurm is the personification of evil without ever becoming a stereotype, and there is genuine empathy in Olafur Sigurdarson’s Miller.

Elizabeth Llewellyn’s Luisa makes a strong case for the part but she seems a fish out of water given all those around her. The voice is fantastic and it would be good to see her in a stronger production. David Junghoon Kim sings Rodolfo well but his acting ability is very limited at present which makes his relationship with Luisa and his father all the more unbelievable. Christine Rice makes a finely focussed Federica though the part is underbalanced against Luisa.

Andrew Libermann’s set looks very good in its simple white state at the start but it soon becomes clear it is to be painted and daubed as the evening progresses. There are also intrusive elements which are never explained – like the vast upside-down hanging crucifix, and the naked young man and the barrel. It is as if the director can’t simply trust the music to tell the story, the stage has to be full of business. This is particularly true of the chorus. I thought we had dropped into The Bartered Bride by mistake at the start, given the clown costumes, but it soon appeared we were to be stuck with this idee fixe. There are also the ever present jokey masked dancers who frequently upstage the emotional depths of the music.

In the pit Alexander Joel creates a fine heart-on-sleeve romantic weight with his orchestra and it is this and the singing which carries the evening through. I’d love to encounter Luisa Miller again but I doubt this production will see the light of day in a future season.

CDs/DVDs February 2020 (2)

Posted on 20 February, 2020 by Admin

IN NO STRANGE LAND – CHORAL MUSIC BY MARTIN BUSSEY

Sonoro, Michael Higgins, organ, Neil Ferris, conductor

RESONUS RES10251 70’29

This is a beautiful CD collecting a range of sacred choral music by this former Kings College, Cambridge Choral Scholar who has been active in a range of vocal musical activity for many years. Texts range from the Song of the Nuns of Chester and Robert Southwell’s The Burning Babe to Jesu, pro me perforates (a Latin translation of Toplady’s Rock of Ages) and Oscar Wilde’s version of Ave Maria. As with previous recordings from Sonoro sound quality and expression is superb.

O GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD – CHORAL WORKS BY THOMAS TOMKINS

The Choir of HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace

Rufus Frowde, organ, Carl Jackson, conductor

RESONUS RES10253 74’25

This collection sensitively presents a lovely selection of music by this former Gentleman of the Chapel Royal and Composer of the King’s Musick in an appropriate setting by a very appropriate choir. Alongside two sets of Preces & Responses and Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis there are verse-anthems, four part psalms and organ pieces.

PALESTRINA LAMENTATIONS- BOOK 2

Cinquecento Rennaisance Vokal

HYPERION CDA68284 72’11

This music has been with us for a long time and yet here it comes fresh out of the speakers. From Palestrina’s prolific and masterful work here are settings for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

SCHUTZ- THE CHRISTMAS STORY

Yale Schola Cantorum and instrumentalists, David Hill, conductor

HYPERION CDA68315 71’13

The text of the accompanying booklet describes the working situation of Schutz as in some ways similar to that of JS Bach a century later. Alongside what is probably his most enduring and celebrated work there are also here shorter German and Latin Christmas settings including a (not just for Christmas!) Ave Maria and Magnificat.

GOTTFRIED AUGUST HOMILIUS – SIEHE, DER HERR KOMMT – CHRISTMAS & ADVENT CANTATAS

Hanna Herfurtner, sop, Franziska Gottwald, alto, Georg Poplutz, tenor, Mauro Borgioni, bass

Kolner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens

CPO 555 278-2 66’13

It is interesting that this repertoire follows on chronologically with the Protestant German repertoire of the CD above. This music is far less familiar by far and it is good to see this material presented in this way. A good addition to the recorded Christmas repertoire.

JOHANN PACHELBEL – COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS III

Michael Belotti, organ of St Walpurgis, Grossengottern

Christian Schmidt, organs of Klosterkirche, Rheinau & St Cyriakus, Duderstadt

James David Christie, organ of Crucis-Kirche, Erfut

CPO 777 558-2 (3 SACD) 189’34

This latest volume of the thorough exploration of the complete keyboard music of Pachelbel concentrates on liturgical organ music. The works here are divided over three disks each with a different organist and organ(s) and dividing them into works derived from Passion hymns, Psalms and Chorale partitas. Each historic organ is chosen to be appropriate to the particular material and the organists are clearly at home with their repertoire and setting. These discs can be played on a standard CD but are also in SACD format.

GIOVANNI BATTISTA SAMMARTINI – HARPSICHORD SONATAS

Simonetta Heger, harpsichord (Mascheroni, after Christian Vater, Hannover 1720)

DYNAMIC CDS7841 62’36

There seems to be a resurgence of interest in harpsichord music of late with many recordings of works only available in manuscript or in obscure printed editions being brought to the fore. As with many early keyboard composers there is much to entrance the ear in terms of tonality and rhythm as well as often virtuosic technique. Simonetta Heger does a good job here to introduce us to these 18 sonatas from a prolific but less remembered composer.

MALCYS & VASKS – BALTIC INSPIRATION – PIANO QUARTETS

Ippolitov-Ivanov Piano Quartet

Naxos 8.574073 66’49

This was a very surprising disk. I was immediately drawn into this music so satisfyingly played by the Quartet. The Latvian & Lithuanian composers were both unknown to me. All the music dates from the turn of the last century. Peteris Vasks’ Piano Quartet (2001) balances beautifully the three separate descriptive pieces by Arvydas Malcys Blackthorn Eyes (1999-2004), Hyacinth of the Snowfields (2012) and Milky Way (2002-12) which arranged together here have the effect of another piano quartet.

HER VOICE – PIANO TRIOS BY FARRENC, BEACH & CLARKE

Neave Trio

CHANDOS CHAN 20139 72’04

Three piano trios, chronologically sequenced, each composed by a female composer, whose names we thankfully now know and respect. Excellent music, which deserves to be better known, expertly played. Whilst continuing to welcome such releases let us all hope and work for the time when it is no longer necessary to programme a CD by the gender of the composers in order to right a wrong that still persists.

BLISS – MARY OF MAGDALA; THE ENCHANTRESS;

MEDITATIONS ON A THEME BY JOHN BLOW

Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano, James Platt, bass

BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

CHANDOS CHSA 5242 76’58

Here are three contrasting works of Bliss’ later years. The two vocal pieces set Greek pastoral poetry and words from St John’s Gospel. The theme in question is Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd. The programming of these three pieces makes for a satisfying experience, highlighting the inventiveness and flexibility of Bliss, still an underappreciated composer.