Matt Howden has now been writing, performing and recording under his ‘Sieben’ alias for nearly a quarter-century, and the fundamental recipe remains constant. Voice, violin and electronics. However, this apparently limited set-up has never been a constraint. On the contrary, it’s acted as a springboard for a relentlessly restless artist, allergic to repeating himself, hurtling…
Category: review
ENO staging of ‘Suor Angelica’ recalls a dark time in Ireland’s female history
Suor Angelica is a rarely performed, one-act opera by Puccini. When played at all, it is often sandwiched together between two other short operas, Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi which probably explains why the work has been overlooked (Gianni Schicchi has tended to be favoured over the other two). Director of ENO, Annalise Miskimmon, was…
Explore Ambient Soundscapes in Resonating Earth
Resonating Earth, the new album from from American pianist Carolyn Enger, was created in response to the climate crisis and emerged from her deep connection to nature and her dedication to environmental activism. Enger lives in a wooden house outside Manhattan, a building which creates a wonderful chamber in which the sound of her seven-foot…
Charted territory: an African art music update
Rebeca Omordia is a pioneering champion of African art music – that is, works by African composers that blend the influence of both their own musical roots with their experience and knowledge of the Western classical ‘canon’. Back in spring 2022, I wrote about Omordia’s CD ‘African Pianism’ (SOMM Recordings), a stunning collection of solo…
‘Now You See Us’ at Tate Britain Women artists 1520-1920
Tate Britain honours all things female in painting and photography from the 16th century to the earlier part of the 20th century. In this exhibition, expect to uncover women artists you wouldn’t have heard of, and also to revisit works by Angelica Kaufman, Artemisia Gentileschi and photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron. At the show, things take off in…
Nature and Mysticism, Sibelius and Holst at the proms
This week the BBC Proms offered up an evening of music by Jean Sibelius, Gustav Holst and contemporary woman composer, Lara Poe, all three works sharing in the themes of nature and mysticism. Sakari Oramo, a regular guest composer of the proms, had the job of leading the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra and…
Liner notes: Tavares Strachan, ‘There is Light Somewhere’, Hayward Gallery, London
This stunning exhibition educates as it enthrals. Strachan’s themes are serious and consistent: he focuses our attention on black people and their achievements that have been sidelined or obscured by our overwhelmingly white understanding – and re-telling – of history. He navigates this over-arching topic through a wide range of disciplines and media: sculpture, paint,…
Marital jealousy and the tears of a clown at Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park’s decision to bring two operas together in a double-bill was a stroke of genius yesterday evening. Il segreto di Susanna and Pagliacci deal with the same theme of marital jealousy, but in style and content they couldn’t be more different. ‘Il segreto di Susanna’ by German-Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, is a little-known…
Emotional intelligence: ‘Eno’
This post is about Gary Hustwit’s new documentary on musician, producer, artist, thinker and what-you-will, Brian Eno. Please feel free to read the sections in any order. Pro-Bono This version of U2’s lead singer – still a youngster, suspended between earnest rookie and later model of save-the-world self-assurance he would eventually become – pours every…
‘Edgar’ – Puccini’s early unloved opera performed at Opera Holland Park
2024 is the centenary of Puccini’s death. In order to honour the great man, James Clutton, Director of Opera at OHP, opted to put on Tosca this season and also Edgar, a little-known early work of Puccini’s. Edgar premiered at La Scala in 1899 and received a lacklustre reception. Believing he could improve on the opera,…
ARTMUSELONDON 