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Voices Unsung: Considering Melodrama
18th January 2023
An upcoming release of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale from musicians of the Hallé Orchestra under Mark Elder (for release next month) got the Spin Doctor thinking about other vocal works in which the voices, rather than singing, declaim in speech. The practice, known as melodrama, whereby the spoken word alternates with (or in some instances is declaimed over) passages of music, is more widespread than one might think, and an often overlooked corner of the vocal repertoire. Commentators are divided on whether melodrama... read more
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An alternative to boycotting and cancelling: Exploration and re-focus
11th January 2023
In the run-up to Christmas, Ukraine's culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko created something of a furore by calling on theatres and other cultural venues to ‘pause’ performances of Tchaikovsky and other ‘Kremlin-favoured’ composers and works in a show of solidarity with the beleaguered Ukrainian people. Tkachenko attempted to choose his words carefully, but to many it smacked of ‘cancel culture’, and commentators were quick to point out that, wherever the blame might lie for the now more than 10-month-old invasion of... read more
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In praise of... Josef Strauss
4th January 2023
This year’s New Year’s Day concert from Vienna – which many of you will have seen or heard – shone a welcome spotlight on the music of Josef Strauss (1827–1870). The second of the Strauss brothers, he normally stands somewhat in the shadow of the easy inventiveness and sheer prolificacy of his older brother, Johann II (1825–1899). Yet Josef’s best-known works, including such waltzes as Village Swallows from Austria, Music of the Spheres and Delirien, demonstrate textural and expressive depths which Johann’s music rarely... read more
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The Gripes of Wrath and some Comfort Listening
14th December 2022
For many people, the festive season is the perfect time of year for as good old moan. Whether it’s how good Christmases used to be (before modern life mucked everything up), the miserable end-of-year weather, or the state of the nation, nothing seems to brighten up the long winter nights than a licence to complain. In tribute to this alternative Christmas spirit, the Spin Doctor has decided to air a couple of pet gripes, as well as a few suggestions for comfort listening to escape the winter blues.
Gripe no.1:... read more
The Travails of the Concert Hall
7th December 2022
The recent news that Cardiff City Council is to pull the plug on St David’s Hall – Wales’s leading concert hall – is yet another reminder of the precarious times being faced by the performing arts. St David’s Hall is home to the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, as well as to the annual Welsh Proms. But Cardiff City Council has been unable to afford the building’s costly maintenance bills, and now looks set to pass the running of the venue to what Private Eye describes as ‘an aggressively commercial... read more
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