Festival Music list.co.uk/festival
DIZZEE RASCAL Fix up, look sharp. The East London rapper that Jeremy Paxman once called ‘Mr Rascal’ (Dizzee was a slightly ill-advised guest commentator on Newsnight’s Obama special), is coming to town. ■ Corn Exchange, 08444 999 990, 26 Aug, 7.30pm, £20. Part of The Edge Festival.
music@list.co.uk Hitlist FESTIVAL MUSIC *
✽✽ Kronos Quartet Chamber music gets a shake-up, with this performance from the ground- breaking San Francisco-based quartet. Steve Reich, among others, provides compositions. See page 62. Usher Hall, 473 2000, 21 Aug, 8pm, £8–£32. ✽✽ Mezzo-sopranos Eagle- eyed classical music fans will have noted there is an above average number of great mezzo- sopranos singing in this year’s EIF. Joyce DiDonato, Sarah Connolly (see page 58) and Christianne Stotijn all sing this week. Joyce DiDonato, Usher Hall, 22 Aug, 8pm, £8–£32; Sarah Connolly, The Hub, 20–21 Aug, 9.30pm, £17.50; Christianne Stotijn, Queen’s Hall, 21 Aug, 11am, £7–£27; www.eif.co.uk, 473 2000. ✽✽ Twonkey’s Cottage Paul Vickers (frontman of Dawn of the Replicants, and five-time veteran of the John Peel Sessions) turns his hand to stand-up comedy, with surreal tales from his album, Fucking Storys. Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, 667 7533, until 29 Aug (not 26), 12.10pm, free. ✽✽ The Edge Festival It’s a good week for music, with Mark Lanegan, Dizzee Rascal (see left), Professor Green (see page 58), Bear in Heaven, Sleepy Sun and more all playing. Mark Lanegan, HMV Picture House, 26 Aug, 7pm, £15; Bear in Heaven, HMV Picture House, 26 Aug, 7pm, £15; Sleepy Sun, Capital, 19 Aug, 7pm, £7. See www.theedgefestival.com, 08444 999 990. ✽✽ La Fanciulla del West Puccini knew his way around a drama, and this, The Girl of the Golden West (pictured), which came just after Madama Butterfly, receives an outing from Scottish Opera. Expect ‘love, jealousy, violence and banditry’. (And that’s just in the bar before the show.) Usher Hall, 473 2000, Mon 23 Aug, 7pm, £10–£40. For Festival Index see page 128.
19–26 Aug 2010 THE LIST 55
5QUESTIONS
It started off as an idea for an album, now 14 years later rocker Steve Grant and Emmerdale’s Deena Payne have formed a troupe of rock musicians, opera singers and classical dancers to bring Barockestra to life – think Mozart playing an electric guitar . . . in leather trousers. 5 ways to describe Barockestra Top class entertainment; classical meets rock; a musical and visual extravaganza; an eclectic mix of raunchy rock; guitar playing at its very best. 4 good things about playing at the Festival The atmosphere. It’s the best launch pad we could have hoped for. We get the opportunity to play to a lot of
people over four weeks and we get to perform in beautiful venues like the Freemasons Hall. 3 reasons to go see Barockestra It’ll take you on a spellbinding journey through the classics. It’s uplifting and enlightening and you can’t help but enjoy it. 2 big challenges to putting the show together Trying to finance the show, as well as trying to manage 14 performers and crew members’ schedules for a month. 1 word that describes who you feel when you perform Barockestra Alive! ■ Barockestra, New Town Theatre, 220 0143, until 29 Aug, 10.10pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10).