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REVIEW: Biblical heroines: BEMF

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Biblical heroines

Brighton Early Music Festival

Saturday October 31

7.30pm

St George’s Church, Kemptown

The London Handel Players

Adrian Butterfield violin

Katherine Sharman viola da gamba

Laurence Cummings harpsichord

Ruby Hughes soprano

The London Handel Players were joined by soprano Ruby Hughes in these rare and unusual performances of these two cantatas, Susanna and Judith, both of which focused on a Biblical heroine written by celebrated baroque composer and harpsichordist Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre,

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre--Le Sommeil d'Ulisse

The programme also included instrumental music by some of her French contemporaries including Jean-Féry Rebel and François Couperin and a superb ethereal piece from Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber; Rosary Sonata No.1 ‘Annunciation’ which started the evening off with pure, simple and refulgent tones.

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Hughes has an exceptional voice that had a warmth and clarity that bellied the dreadful passions of the libretto and it’s bloodthirsty narrative, she sang these exquisite cantatas of Suzanne fighting to protect her good reputation against some rather perverted elders which results in God helping her out and the false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs, phew, and Judith with her wondrous pleas to god for the strength of being a good liar before hoping off and cutting off the head of nasty old Holofernes. The singing and playing combined to transport the appreciative audience into a state of grace,

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Laurence Cummings on harpsichord and his solo portraits were a delightful contrast and his refined, precise and elegant playing lit up this music from within and allowed the people who had inspired these short portraits to appear once again in the blue vaults of St George’s.

In the refined acoustic of St George’s Chapel and with the BBC in attendance with their Radio 3 ‘In Concert’ broadcast this was a charming and accomplished event. I took myself up to the gallery for the second half and although the long wooden benches are a little harder to endure the view of the long blue barreled vaulted roof leading down to the staging at the far end of the chapel was worth it.

If you would like to listen to the concert you can still listen to the concern via the BBC iPlayer here:

A great collection of music and artists in a superb venue, exactly what the BEMF is all about, interesting quality music brought to us by passionate and accomplished players.

There’s still more excellent music from the Brighton Early Music Festival to come, this is the last week of a superb series of events.

For more information of this weeks and the weekends final events and to buy tickets, click here:  

 

PREVIEW: Jersey Boys comes to Eastbourne

Award-winning musical Jersey Boys come to Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre as part of its eagerly-awaited first-ever UK and Ireland tour.

Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys opened in London in 2008 and has been seen by nearly 23 million people worldwide. Now celebrating its eighth year in London, it is firmly established as one of the West End’s longest running and most popular shows, where it plays at the Piccadilly Theatre.

The musical is the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks.

These four musicians from New Jersey became one of the most successful bands in pop history, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they turned 30!

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The show is packed with their hits, including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December, 1963 (Oh What A Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, Fallen Angel, Rag Doll and Who Loves You.

Jersey Boys is the winner of 55 major awards worldwide including a Tony on Broadway, an Olivier in the West End and an Helpman in Australia for Best New Musical.

As well as still running on Broadway and in the West End and on tour in the UK and Ireland, Jersey Boys can be seen in Las Vegas and across the United States on its US National Tour.

This current UK tour has been staged by the entire original Broadway creative team.


Event: Jersey Boys

Where: Congress Theatre, Carlisle Rd, Eastbourne, East Sussex

When: Tuesday, November 24 – Saturday, December 5

Time: 7.30pm. Thursday and Saturday Matinees 2.30pm

Tickets: £29 – £49.50 concessions £3 off, groups 10+ £4 off, 20+ £5 off

To purchase tickets online, click here:

Or telephone: 01323 412000

 

 

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