Set in 16th-century France and Spain, Don Carlos tells of the political and amorous rivalry between King Philip II and his son, Don Carlos, over Elisabeth de Valois. Boasting an international cast in one of Verdi’s most popular operas, Luc Bondy’s moving production is the original French version restored to five acts.
David Bowie
Ever since he burst on to the music scene in the early 1970s, David Bowie has been one of rock’s most consistently inventive performers. Driven by manic creativity and restless energy he has constantly assumed new roles, each signalling a change of personal and musical direction. In a wide-ranging interview Bowie talks about his many reinventions of himself and his music, and these remarkable changes are charted in memorable performance extracts and archive film.
A Concert of Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
The highlight of the celebrations in March 1987 during the fifth anniversary of the opening of the London Barbican Centre was the concert of the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir George Solti. The special event was held to celebrate the creation of a cultural centre and a residential complex which with ist numerous theatres, cinemas and galleries is the largest of ist kind in Europe and whose new large concert hall has now become the home of the “LSO”. Solti””s programme concept for the evening was to offer variety with a unified theme, an appropriate concept for the place. Solti said “I have selected this Beethoven programme to represent three very different moods – the heavyweight Coriolan overture, the light, Mozart-like first piano concert, and finally the wonderful glorification of dance represented by the seventh symphony.”
Roger Daltrey
Having rocketed to fame in the 1960s as lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey went on to make a name as a film actor. Featuring his music and extensive Clips from his screen appearances, this profile looks at his career and at how he copes with success. It also focuses on his portrayal of the villain Macheath in Jonathan Miller’s television production of The Beggar’s Opera.
William Walton Gala Concert
Sir Andre Previn conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in this gala concert, given to mark the eightieth birthday of one of Britain’s best-loved twentieth-century composers, Sir William Walton (1902-83). Recorded live from London’s Royal Festival Hall, in Walton’s presence, it features three of his most famous works: the Coronation march, Orb and Sceptre, Concerto for Violin in B minor (soloist Kyung-Wha Chung), and Belshazzar’s Feast for baritone (Sir Thomas Allen), chorus (the Philharmonia Chorus) and orchestra.
London Festival Ballet Double Bill: Sanguine Fan & Graduation Ball
SANGUINE FAN / A stylish ballet of wit and bitter-sweet romance, to Sir Edward Elgar’s only ballet score. Originally inspired by a mythological drawing in sanguine chalk on a fan, this production by Peter Docherty represented a very special place in the repertory of Festival Ballet. GRADUATION BALL / A comedy set in a fashionable Viennese girls’ school. An end-of-term dance, to which the cadets of a neighbouring military academy have been invited, begins with formal politeness and some shyness. Natural liveliness and youthful high spirits soon break through however – particularly when the headmistress and the elderly general are discovered to have embarked on a flirtation.
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake
Matthew Bourne’s triumphant modern re-interpretation of Swan Lake, with its cast of male swans, has turned tradition upside down and taken the ballet fraternity by storm. Never has such a contemporary re-working of a traditional ballet thrilled both ardent critics and modern dance enthusiasts in such equal measure. “Matthew Bourne has turned Swan Lake on its head, he has given it a sex change and catapulted it into another universe … some of the best performances you will ever see on a ballet stage. It will be a great big hit” The Times
Helene Grimaud and Christoph Eschenbach at the Proms
There’s always a unique atmosphere at the BBC Proms: the summer music festival at which the world’s greatest artists perform before an audience of 5,000 in London’s colossal Royal Albert Hall. Some might say that it was Hélène Grimaud’s misfortune to make her debut there on the tragic date of 11 September 2001, but that only makes her achievement the more powerful – a fiercely intelligent, often dazzling performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto. Eschenbach’s account of Symphonie Fantastique with this great French orchestra has the same life-affirming energy: delivered to a rapt crowd in an atmosphere of unmistakably heightened emotion
BBC Proms 2023: Bollywood Legend – Lata Mangheshkar
Don’t miss this Prom’s tribute to the Nightingale of India: ‘Queen of Melody’ Lata Mangheshkar, whose voice was the soundtrack for generations of cinema-goers. The legendary Bollywood playback singer died in 2022, aged 92. For this concert, her legacy is celebrated by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra plays under the direction of Michael Seal, Indian singer Palak Muchhal and her younger brother Palash are doing the vocal parts. Together, they mark the immense career and catalogue of an extraordinary, era-defining artist. “Celebrate the musical legacy of Hindi cinema!” (The Daily Telegraph)
BBC Proms 2023: Northern Soul
Curated by writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie, the Northern Soul Prom is here to get you on your feet. This stomping celebration of British club culture brings a symphonic edge to the beats that took English towns across the industrial North and Midlands by storm in the 1960s and 1970s. What began as a celebration of forgotten American soul B-sides became a euphoric release at all-night dances for a young generation living for the weekends. “Extraordinary sound […] a full rhythm section and an unbelievable cast of vocalists” (The Prickle) “Pure euphoria, sweeping most of the pension-age crowd to their feet” (The Times)