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 Croissant Neuf festival returns for 5th year to the Usk Valley The multi award winning Croissant Neuf solar powered family festival returns to the Usk Valley this year and has just announced its impressive line up for its 2012 summer party. Since it first took place in 2007, the festival has gained an impressive reputation as being a great place to spend a UK family break, due to its community spirit and friendly atmosphere.
Seth Lakeman, who was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, will be appearing,as well as Willy Mason and the lead singer from Clannad Moya Brennan. The line up in tinged with Cajun, Ska and Folk and old favourites such as Laid Blak are returning, along with new and exciting bands such as Other Animals and This is the Kit and Gabby Young.
It may be a fallow year in Somerset but multi-award winning Croissant Neuf Summer Party lets you enjoy the greenest slice of Glastonbury Festival in the beautiful Usk, Monmouthshire. Croissant Neuf’s Big Top (which has been at the heart of this petite, character-filled eco-inspired festival since its conception in 2007) has also been the focal venue of Glastonbury’s Greenfields for the past 25 years and is the largest solar powered venue in Europe. Hundreds of music’s heavyweights have delighted crowds in the Big Top over the years and 2012 is no exception, as Festival Director Luke Howell explains
Every year we’ve tried to bring the best musicians in the world to CNSP and every year has bettered the next. This year we’ve put together our strongest music line up yet! Our team have managed to combine the highest quality bands with new and emerging talent that will wow the crowds. There are so many exciting acts this year- while you’re here on your UK family break you won’t be able to stop dancing and you’re bound to leave with a new favourite band!
With a sound that recalls Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash; acclaimed American singer/songwriter Willy Mason has developed a loyal and large following in the UK. Championed by musicians such as the Chemical Brothers and Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, Willy Mason has even undertaken a tour that included fans living rooms.
 There are no lonely 'arts' in the new Beatles exhibition Fans of the Beatles should head down to the top attraction in Central London,Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! London, to get a chance to see the fab four like they have never been seen before.
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have been immortalised as part of the newest exhibit at the attraction; a portrait of the legendary band created from 10,000 postage stamps. This new addition comes in the same year as the 50th anniversary of the bands formation.
This impressive piece of artwork has been created by Peter Mason from the UK, who spent more than 10 years collecting the stamps he needed for his masterpiece, most of which come from the 60′s, when the Beatles were at the height of their popularity.
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! London is also home to a model of The Beatles made out of chewing gum and strands of real hair from the band. Other musical marvels at the attraction include a portrait of American diva Grace Jones made from corks and a lock of Elvis’ hair. A portrait of the late Whitney Houston made from cassette tape ribbon and a picture of Michael Jackson made out of sweets are also recent additions.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London is open seven days a week, 365 days a year from 10am until midnight. Ultimate Explorer tickets to this world of wonders, situated in the heart of London’s West End, start from £26.95 per adult and £21.95 per child, including entry to the Mirror Maze and the brand new LaseRace. Ultimate Explorer family tickets are available for £87.95, based on two adults and two children. Purchase your tickets in advance and save 15 per cent at www.ripleyslondon.com.
 The Garsington Opera announces its second season For the second year running, Garsington Opera, in its fabulous new setting at the Wormsley Estate, will be backed by Jefferies, the banking firm that specialises in global investments.
This season runs from 2nd June-3rd July and will be featuring the rarely performed Vivaldi piece L’Olimpiade. Others to look forward to are the charming operetta from Offenbach; La Périchole and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This season, established directors and conductors will be working alongside both rising stars in the world of opera and seasoned professionals, of which several are making their debut in the UK.
General Director Anthony Whitworth-Jones said: “We are very pleased to have Jefferies on board for the second year running and this has given us enormous confidence in planning our season. It is a brilliant fit and has all the makings of a great long term partnership. We look forward to seeing them at Wormsley.”
David Weaver, President of Jefferies International said: “We are again delighted to announce our support for Garsington Opera which has developed an enviable reputation as a company that presents rarely performed masterpieces with flair and imagination, featuring this season’s world renowned stars as well as showcasing the next generation of great performers.”
Jefferies is well-established in the US and has emerged from the last few years even stronger, building successfully in Europe, recently incorporating Hoare Govett, and nearly doubling in size to over 900 people in London alone.
The operas are performed in the stunning new Opera Pavilion that complements and gives spectacular views out into the outstandingly beautiful surrounding landscape, offers superb acoustics and is an idyllic setting in which to experience opera performances of the highest quality.
The Operas
In Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade, rivals on the Olympic race track are also rivals in love. Fierce competition, both athletic and amorous, mistaken identities, a failed suicide attempt and a foiled murder plot are a heady and intoxicating mix, with glitteringly bravura music.
Offenbach’s La Périchole , diverts, intoxicates and seduces. An impoverished Peruvian street singer, La Périchole is wickedly flirtatious, charmingly pragmatic and runs rings around every man she comes across while remaining entirely faithful to her one true love.
Don Giovanni needs women as other men need food and drink. His nostrils twitch at the faintest whispered scent of a passing female; he is consumed by his own driving desire for possession. As Mozart’s gloriously powerful music builds to a climax, Don Giovanni’s earthly victims catch up with him and forces from beyond the grave bring ultimate retribution.
BOX OFFICE: General public booking opens 16 April 2012. Telephone 01865 361636
The Old Garage, The Green, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7NP
www.garsingtonopera.org
 For the 11th year, this original urban festival, taking place at multiple venues, returns to Camden, encompassing the best of the arts and music.
The festival has grown enormously over the years and aside from its famously impressive evening live music schedule, the festival now boasts an extensive arts festival throughout each day.
Cutting edge events will take place including comedy, storytelling and spoken word, unconventional theatre, craft, visual art and traditional music. It also features a variety of outdoor events, an alternative poster, print and record fair as well as interactive fun and games.
The line up includes Death In Vegas, The Futureheads, Gaz Coombes, The Raincoats, Admiral Fallow, Alpines, Baxter Drury, Charlie XCX, Chew Lips, D/R/U/G/S, Iceage, Willy Moon, Spector, Andrew Maxwell, Rufus Hound, Henning When, Andre Vincent, Hip Hop Shakespear, London Swing Dance Society, The Poster Roast, State Of Craft, DJ Abrantee’s Afrobeats, Nihal’s Bombay Bronx, The Nest Collective and many more to be announced www.camdencrawl.com
At the heart of a very tough UK tour Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Opera were still able to offer Barbican audiences one fascinating performance that included Parsifal, the final opera by Wagner, and then Verdi’s Requiem rounding out the drama for the night. Gergiev did a wonderful job conducting the pit throughout each of the operas. His Parsifal went off without a hitch and at times it was easy to feel the pain that it was written with. Verdi was also offered but on a more compulsive note, but in the end it was a great way to counter the fire of the rest of the performance.
This was the third time that the performance of Parsifal was offered by the group this week and while you would think that this would make the performance somewhat dull, it was very impressive that the orchestra was able to make it sound fresh and live with the brass section really shining during this number. Despite the wonderful performance however, it was hard not to notice that the Wagner was a bit fatigued and routine and the idea to place the singers on the outer edges of the stage really made it hard for their voices to stand out among the score.
Some of the singers did still shine such as Nikolav Putilin who was able to bring an evil intensity to the voice of Klingsor that was missing from the singing of Gurnemanz which was performed from the young Yury Voroiev. Also disappointing was the forced tone of Amfortas sang by Evgeny Nikitin. On the other hand, mixed in were a few more performances including that of Kundry and Parsifal were tidy and poorly pronounced hurting the overall sound of the singers greatly.
At the end of April London will get a fresh taste of Cuban energy when The Ballet Revolucion hits the Peacock Theatre on April 25th featuring 18 Cuban hot dances that are hot enough to get just about anyway ready to get up and dance along with. From ballet pirouettes to jazz to hip-hop pretty much everything is going to happen on stage. The dancers will be backed up by an eight piece live band that offers everything from guitars to drums to vocalists to trumpets. Songs included in the performance are hits from Beyonce, Shakira, Prince, and Ricky Martin.
Cuban dance is not just for the cubs as there are plenty of professional dancers spread throughout the island as many people take pride in the work that they perform. What makes Cuban dance special is the flavor of the dance the spicier the dance gets the better it is usually received by audiences. While Hola, salsa may be a catchphrase from the fifties, it is still a great call to the dance floor in many places outside of Cuba as well. In short, the real flair of Cuban dance is their own slogan, Put the Sauce On It.
The best example of Cuban dance was created by Acosta, a street urchin that rose up to become a prince. For many years Cuba was attempting to get into the New World but stuck in the dance of the Old World until the two fused utilizing Spanish verses and flamenco dancing. Before long, the mix was blended with other pieces of dance from France, Britain, and other operatics creating one of the most mixed dances on earth and something that is truly a treat to watch play out live on stage.
Richard the Lionheart has seen his philandering and tyrant ways reincarnated time and time again in various plays and novels, but the most bizarre is without a doubt in Riccardo Primo re d’Inghilterra by Handel.
This rare 1727 opera highlight was easily the best part of the 35th London Handel festival performed as collaboration with the International Opera School from the Royal College of Music. The last time it was performed previously was in 1964 at Sadler’s Wells.
The play opens with the kind on his way to the Third Crusade until he ends up stuck in the city of Cyprus where he pretends to be an ambassador for himself so that he can see his betrothed wife, Costanza that he has never met.
The idea is that he plays his own adviser so that he can get a sneak preview and see what he likes from an outsider’s point view, and even though there is a bit too much comical nationalism in it and the drama is pretty drab, overall the play still has some redeeming merits. When the RCM tackled it the play even became a musical treat adding one more nice touch to a crazy opera.
This may not be the best play that Handel ever wrote, but it is able to hold the attention of a captive audience and has enough twists in it to keep audience’s guessing all the way up until Constanza drops into the crowd without her royal husband even noticing. Most likely this is intended to show just how self-absorbed monarchs can get.
The musical standards are quite rigorous and obviously well rehearsed as the LHF orchestra does a great job executing the writing and music with a series of recorders that are almost bird like and plenty of royal sounding trumpets, strings, drums, and horns. The balance between vigour and phrasing is also great allowing for the pace of the opera to move at a steady pace that keeps the audience from getting bored and losing interest.
The Wales Millennium Centre is going to get a fresh breath of air now that conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre have come to visit. The Russians have a partnership agreement with the WMC and have already performed many operas from the Wagner Ring cycle.
This time around they will be here for two days and start by performing a concert version of Parsifal that will be carefully timed to being Holy Week and to show that if an opera can be performed in any way other than on the stage this is it. The classic tale of Parsifal centers around custody of the Holy Grail and of course shows how good eventually triumphs over any evil.
At times however the concert version tends to run a bit long and can even seem more like a religious rite than an actual opera. This means that it is not all that action packed something that the opera was lacking anyhow.
However, there is one stunning scene in the production when Niolay Putilin in the role of Klingsor delivers his last bars and seems to almost fall over, but then Avgust Amonov offers a hand pulling him up and then the song is finished up.
Overall, in the role of Parsifal Amonov sounds overzealous given the fact that his character is supposed to be naïve, but for Mariinsky this is not all that uncommon as the characters also end up feeling a bit inflated. The costumes are stunning however helping to bring some great visuals to the music.
 Top acts confirmed for the first Rock Coast Festival in the Canaries Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands is playing host to the first ever Rock Coast Festival between the 2th-26th May. Taking place in an enormous amusement park that has been built especially for the event, the festival will have one day, the Friday, totally dedicated to electronic music, with the other two days focussing on rock.
Top artists have already confirmed that they will performing, and these include Fatboy Slim, Ben Harper, Evanescence, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy and the Stooges and Marilyn Manson. Others will be confirmed in the weeks leading up to the festival.
The presence of the festival in the Canaries elevates this popular tourist destination to the position of other internationally renowned musical hotspots, and thus makes is an important stop off point for prominent artists who are on tour. Whether you are a fan of electro music, rock or pop, this even will give a boost to tourism in the islands, and particularly Tenerife.
The Rock Coast Festival is a long-awaited occasion for the Canary Islands: it is a daring business venture that will put the Islands at the heart of international music for three days with a wide range of activities.
Apart from a line-up featuring prestigious national and international musicians, the Rock Coast Festival will also welcome a variety of exhibitions, video art and new artistic trends, creating a new kind of visual arts mode of expression, all the while celebrating the leisurely aspect of the festival and its culture.
With both daytime and evening events scheduled, festival goers will benefit from 15 hours of activities each day with different areas to explore: shopping, recreation and sports, snack bars, children’s entertainment,game console zones, body paint stands and more. Outside the main stage area there will also be a relaxation area with chill-out rooms, separate tents for young musicians as well as NGO stands, hoping to help raise awareness for various causes during the event.
The line-up so far:
Thursday 24 May: Iggy & The Stooges, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, The Smashing Pumpkins
Friday 25 May: Fatboy Slim, Orbital, three DJs from the Ministry of Sound
Saturday 26 May: Ben Harper
Further line-up announcements:
In addition to the artists who have already confirmed their attendance, nearly 40 national and local bands from the Islands will be present alongside rock group Marea, electronic band The Rolling Hackers and fusion bandMuchachito Bombo Infierno. The final line-up will be announced shortly with the organisers keen to keep to the quality schedule that has already been established so far.
Ticket availability and pricing:
Tickets can be purchased on www.ticketmaster.es or www.rockcoastfestival.com. In Spain, you can also purchase them from El Corte Inglés establishments or via their website www.elcorteingles.es.
Tickets for 24 and 26 May: 60€
Tickets for 25 May: 50€
3-day pass: 120€
1-day pass for stands: 100€
3-day pass for stands: 200€
VIP area 1-day ticket: 200€ (a limited number of tickets are available)
VIP area 3-day ticket: 400€ (a limited number of tickets are available)
Please note that for festival goers wishing to attend the Rock Coast Festival for more than one day, purchasing any of the passes rather two or three single tickets will be better value for money. Further information:For further information regarding the Rock Coast Festival, please visit www.rockcoastfestival.com, the Facebookprofile, Rock Coast Festival 2012
The English National Ballet has recently been performing the re-imagined Firebird, the signature work of the Ballet Russes. The adaptation is done by George Williamson and the changes are quite notable. For one, the apple tree has been removed and so has the scarlet tutu. Additionally, much of the Russian narrative has been removed that was previously heard from the Princes and sorcerers.
The score by Stravinsky in the production is as strong as ever and the ballet dancers prove their skill with some incredible moves. It is fantastic to see that the English National Ballet is confident enough to take such a classic ballet and change it into something new. However, despite the great performances of the dancers, the production comes off as a bit confused.
That said, the moment when the Rite of Spring occurs is masterful. The powerful music, combined with the strong dancing, is quite amazing and the audience will find themselves blown away with the power of the moment. The ballet manages to retain the power of shock that the original ballet had, even 100 years after the original ballet was created. The choreography has proven itself timeless in this new production.
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