Blood, Sweat and Scotch

Hitchens’ workout, video not yet released.

The Sun on Sunday

There seems to be no means of stopping Rupert Murdoch, who is proving to be almost as resilient as Louis Walsh as an X Factor judge, yet this is where the similarities end. When Louis made us chortle with his hilarious pronunciation of “Wagner”, Murdoch gave us such headlines as “Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster” and falsely accused Elton John with having sexual liaisons with rent boys. Yet perhaps most importantly, Louis gave us Westlife – and Murdoch? He is proud to present (drum roll, please) The Sun… on a Sunday.  

It’s true! No longer will we be forced to entertain our Sunday mornings with Andrew Marr or, heaven forbid, Desert Island Disks, but can happily rejoice in our reunion with Deidre and Mystic Meg as well as a brand new addition – a weekly column by Katie Price.  At least the poor people on the paper’s advertising campaign seem happy about The News of The World incarnate, smiling inanely into the camera lens whilst proudly clutching a crisp copy of the 50p Sun whose first headline reads “My Heart stopped for 40 Seconds” and pictures Amanda Holden, you know, the one from Britain’s Got Talent, on its front page.

 Besides the inevitable rubbish that will be splattered across the pages,  my primary concern is how can the publishing empire News Corporation, responsible for a monumental and historic phone-hacking scandal, be allowed the rights to another paper less than a year after they were forced to dissolve their last.  It wouldn’t be an issue except that The Sun has the largest circulation in the United Kingdom and remains, sadly, one of the most popular and influential media vessels in our modern society which is surely set to continue with this brand-spanking new paper (with some old favourite journalists from News of The World, of course, thrown in for good measure).

However, it is the individuals at the top of The Sun publication and News Corporation who need analysing most closely. When asked by the BBC for his thoughts on the new Sunday paper, Kelvin McKenzie responded with “I like sleaze on Sunday so I feel slightly robbed.” Touching words from an ex editor of the most powerful publication in the country, yet “sleaze” embodies what The Sun is notorious for with its kiss-and-tell stories, coupled with its infamous “page three” – but this clearly sells.

And no one can deny that what Rupert Murdoch has achieved is nothing short of extraordinary. After buying The Sun in 1969, then a struggling broadsheet, he transformed it into the multimillion selling machine it is today, as well as personally owning some of the most powerful media companies in the world including The New York Post and Fox News. Furthermore, his heir James Murdoch is not without a share of the power only recently stepping down as executive chairman of News International after claiming he had “nothing more to offer” amongst the ongoing investigations into the phone-hacking scandals which surfaced last year. Whether this is mere coincidence or an attempt to escape the inevitable firing line as the Leveson inquiry continues to shine a spotlight on the conduct of News International is hardly worthy of debate and only proves that the owners of the most influential media company in the world have something to hide.

So what does this mean for the future of the Murdoch Empire and the newspaper industry generally?  As James Murdoch said himself, the launch of the new Sun on a Sunday will put the company in a strong position after the controversy surrounding News International last year. There are clearly secrets and deceit underpinning the media industry with individuals in positions of power, and journalists who are willing to go to unimaginable lengths to get information they need. All I can say is that if a newspaper company, already shrouded in controversy are able to hastily produce a new Sunday paper to replace the last, this surely signals that something is drastically wrong and that the future of the industry may prove even more haunting.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Friday Concerts

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, situated on the university campus, boasts one of the finest small art collections in the country, showcasing works by Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh to name a few. Yet, the venue is further renowned for its regular classical music concerts which take placein its stunning concert hall, attracting both students and outside music-lovers alike.

A long established tradition at the Barber is weekly Friday lunchtime concerts which are free admission and feature recitals and performances from the university’s thriving music scene. The latest of these concerts was a performance by the Birmingham University Singers, singing a mixture of English, Italian and German madrigals and part-songs. They were accompanied during their performance by Robert Tibay and Gerald Lim who provided a continuo. Their conductor was Professor Colin Timms, whose obvious passion and knowledge of the madrigal genre provided an insightful glimpse into a style of music that perhaps not all would have been previously accustomed with.

The Madrigal has its roots in 16th Century Italy and is traditionally polyphonic in texture, unaccompanied and can feature up to eight separate vocal parts at a time. This leaves a great deal of scope for musical interpretation and the conductor works hard to ensure all parts are each given their own precedence amongst the array of contrasting chords and lyrical lines. This Friday’s concert featured an array of works by Monteverdi, Weelkes and part-songs by Brahms amongst others.

As for the singer’s themselves, their performance was extraordinary and there were moments of incredible musical understanding and collective empathy with the choral works. Even at times when the ensemble were singing at full capacity, the sopranos’ vocals had an ability to cut through the mass of harmonies and soar to the back of the concert hall, which resulted in awed expressions and smiles on the faces of some attentive audience members.

The biggest giveaway as to the success of the event was the very, very small number of spare seats in the concert hall. It seems that these Friday lunchtime concerts attract a wide following and have established a reputation which ensures listeners return to the University again and again. Even for the student populace, a chance to relax away from the glare of laptop screens and rigorous studying, I can imagine, is a welcomed relief. Before, I wondered why these concerts were perhaps not advertised widely but seeing the unbelievable turn-out it seems the Barber have little need to.

What is also wonderful about these concerts is the evident number of individuals from outside the campus who come to enjoy the music the University displays. It shows that the University of Birmingham has a prominent placing in Birmingham’s classical music scene, already well established and linked with the prestigious Birmingham Conservatoire and the The CBSO Youth Orchestra. I strongly urge anyone, either with imminent deadlines or just an interest in classical music to go along to the next concert on Friday 10th February where the University Music Scholars will be performing.

UoBlogfest

http://uoblogfest.wordpress.com/

The University of Birmingham’s brand new Arts and Culture Blog

The Eva Cassidy Story, Interview with the Cast

Ahead of the opening night in Birmingham at the Alexandra Theatre this Friday, Redbrick Arts spoke to two cast members of the anticipated, award-winning musical feast Over the Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story for their thoughts on the artist herself and what it was like re-telling her tragic, yet unforgettable story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eva Cassidy’s work was predominately a fusion of jazz, blues, folk and country and in her short-lived career she achieved world-wide recognition before sadly dying from cancer. The musical, which has been touring since 2004, follows Eva from childhood, through her music career, cumulating in her untimely death aged just 33. Is an absolute must-see for any avid Cassidy fan.

The actress Sarah Jane Buckley, probably best known for her role in Hollyoaks, was inadvertently given the starring role as Eva during an audition for a different show after singing the classic “Somewhere over the Rainbow”.  Buckley has herself been singing since childhood, yet embodying Eva Cassidy wasn’t without its difficulties – she highlights “all of her songs are so different and I only had sheet music to go by”. It is easy to forget that without the artist herself, understanding Eva’s character and attempting to perform her music from her perspective requires great perseverance. Yet, Buckley claims she “loves playing her” and that her experience in this production has been “fantastic”.

Nick Sayce stars alongside Buckley as Marty Stuart, the American country music singer-songwriter, as well as being the band’s drummer throughout the theatre tour.  Sayce has worked in musical productions previously, most notably in The Buddy Holly Story which boasts live music performances, much like Over The Rainbow. He adds the live music element to make it the sort of production that any music-lover, Cassidy fan or not, would enjoy.

This musical, however, also holds personal resonance for Sayce. As a teenager who grew up in Birmingham and worked as a dresser at the Alexandra Theatre in his youth, Sayce said it was surreal to be playing the venue as an established actor, years after he’d dreamt of performing on the same stage.

Both Buckley and Sayce were keen to talk about the excitement the show produces; whilst the story of Eva Cassidy may be heart-rending, the cast and crew are determined to make the production a celebration of her life and for everyone involved to relish in and enjoy the everlasting magic of her music.