Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
Just over a week ago I went to a lunchtime concert by the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North entitled Summertime. On Sunday I went to another called Opera In The City in Millennium Square which should really have been named Singin’ in The Rain. The concert started at 5.30pm, about half an hour after…
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It was just my luck to discover last year’s Dewsbury Town Hall Lunchtime Concert Season only in time to catch the last one so I had resigned myself to waiting until the end of September for the next. What a pleasant surprise to find out that there was a one-off event to celebrate Summertime on…
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This is the first production in an Opera North season devoted to Orpheus, and why not! There is no mention of his being in The Underworld, probably because they knew that the Tubes were on strike. A Tale of Orpheus & Eurydice is a prequel to Orpheus by Monteverdi, who is generally credited with the…
Read MoreAnyone taking even a passing glance at this site will know how much I enjoy going to this venue. The great thing is, because it specialises in one-night stands, I get more opportunities to indulge myself as well as broadening my musical knowledge with every trip. I hope that once you have seen what is…
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Should you ever meet Richard Wagner in another life I suggest that you greet him by just saying ‘Hello’. I get the feeling that if you ask ‘How are you?’ you will spend a couple of days listening to his answer. He is the Cecil B DeMille of opera, taking as much time as he…
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Last Saturday we were treated to a programme of classical music performed by violinist Tai Murray and pianist Martin Roscoe. Tai Murray is an American violinist who made her professional concert debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the tender age of nine! She went on to study at Indiana University and the Juilliard School…
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It is amazing how one small act of kindness can lift your mood in a spectacular way. Last Saturday night I was booked to see the above concert in Leeds and so, as I have had some disastrous experiences with Harrogate Bus Company’s 36 recently, I set off ridiculously early to get there in time.…
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Can’t get to Glastonbury or afford Glyndebourne but still crave music in an exotic location with an open air element this summer, then fret not, there is a feast of live concerts in and around Leeds, and best of all they are free! The ones at Lotherton Hall and Meanwood Valley Urban Farm require that…
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Bloody typical, you wait 72 years for a throat singer and then two come along at once! Unlike the Asian version I saw last week, this was of the African variety and only a single register, the deep growl, was sung at one time. Here it was employed in moderation unlike last week where it…
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When I told people that I was going to a concert of Tuvan Throat Singing at Howard Assembly Room on Friday their reactions generally fell into three categories; a roll of the eyes, a ‘What the … is throat singing?’ and ‘You do realise that Friday is April Fool’s Day’. There was a fourth which…
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Tyke It To The Limit 