In the ‘60s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was all the rage: Benjamin Britten’s opera premiered in 1960, Balanchine’s ballet opened in 1962, Ashton’s The Dream came along in 1964, and Peter Hall’s film (with future Dames Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren, and Judi Dench, among the cast) was in 1968.It was no passing fad. Both ballets are now set firmly in the repertoire, the opera is … [Read more...] about Balanchine’s Dream sprinkles its magic fairy dust over La Scala for the last time
Benjamin Britten
Joyce DiDonato reveals her Desert Island Discs
Music runs to the very core of mezzosoprano Joyce DiDonato, guest on yesterday’s BBC Radio 4’s long-running and beautifully judged programme, Desert Island Discs.Even if she is tired before a show, everything changes when the music starts… “This business feeds me”.Her first disc to take to the desert island is to make her feel good: an Argentinian tango.Carlos … [Read more...] about Joyce DiDonato reveals her Desert Island Discs
Photos – First look at Britten’s Turn of the Screw at La Scala
Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece Turn of the Screw opens tonight at La Scala and runs until 17 October.It will be the first time that the opera has been sung in English at the theatre as it’s only other appearance, at the end of the ‘60s, was in Virginio Puecher’s production which was in Italian.The new production marks the debut in Milan of Danish director Kasper … [Read more...] about Photos – First look at Britten’s Turn of the Screw at La Scala
Benjamin Britten in photos with Frederick Ashton, W H Auden, E M Forster et al
Rare photographs of Benjamin Britten including family and personal snapshots from his boyhood and professional life are on display at at the National Portrait Gallery, ahead of his centenary this weekend. Spanning all sixty-three years of his life, it starts with a rarely-seen photograph of the composer at one-year-old and ends with the gallery’s newly-acquired 1984 portrait … [Read more...] about Benjamin Britten in photos with Frederick Ashton, W H Auden, E M Forster et al
Pavarotti water, Bocelli wine, now Britten beer
San Pellegrino teamed up with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation to create special bottles of Big Lucy mineral water. Andrea Bocelli, together with brother Alberto, produce a range of wines from the family home in Lajatico, near Pisa. Now, demonstrating that this isn't just a tenor tendency, Aldeburgh Music's Chief Executive, Jonathan Reekie, has commissioned a Benjamin Britten … [Read more...] about Pavarotti water, Bocelli wine, now Britten beer