BEETHOVEN STRING OUARTETS Everything with strings attached
You can only do it at a Fetal/£13. All Of Beet'noren's string quartets. l" the order in which or; C’ rnposed then‘. can tie heard over the space of one /.rr,-ekerid. And if that is not enough for lovers of the classic combination of two violins. viola and cello. then all of 93 year- oid Elliott Carter's string quartets can be heard after a day's breather inbetween. 'We thought that audiences might like to dive in‘ says Festival Director. Brian McMaster. ‘Or that they might iike to follow the quartets all the way through.‘ The mammoth task of taking on the greatest challenge of the string quartet repertoire falls to four different groups. First off is the young Hungarian group. the Auer String Quartet. who also finish the series. In contrast. the great Grosse Fuge is given to the highly distinguished Janacek Quartet. who have been a WOrId leader for over 50 years. (Carol Main)
I Stockbridge Parish Church. 4 73 2000. 22—24 Aug. various times. f‘72~F.90. IE/liot Carter '3 Sling Quartets; The Hut), 473 2000. 26 Aug, 7pm, fl2.
ZELMIRA
Rossini rarity rocks
'It's a rarity' says Festival director, Brian McMaster. in introducmg Rossmi's Ze/mira. It doeSn't even warrant an entry in the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera and is described in Bloomsbury's eduivalent as 'an opera in two acts'. McMaster w0uld appear to be master of understatement. As a composer who wrote his first opera at the age of 14 and then went on to become one of the foremost Italian opera composers ever. Rossmi would probably not have antiCipated Such a fate of ODSCurity for the last opera he wrote during
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FAG: JUST JACK
He could have taken his name from Richmal Crompton's children's classic, Just William. But he didn't. 'I have read the books. but no. it wasnt that at all,‘ says Jack Allsopp. 'l was rust geing to call mseif Jack. but someone pointed out that Just Jack looks good typographicth - not to sound too wank-y about it He's good Camden-barn Allsopp spent fli’lftlit‘g
with electronica and emerged With the Outer ma'i’ie'. an engaging and accessible mix of 'neilow greenes and anti-laddisrn that the NME called mindblomng' and Time Out thought was marvellous. We think it SSOLlleiS a bit like the Streets. only with mere tilt and less lairiness He doesn't like being compared to the Streets 'I' .e listened to that album Once. maybe a couple of times.‘ Allsopp explains. rather irritably. ‘We do both rap in a very English way. But I think if jOUlT‘ailStS did more than listen to it the night betOre the interview, they wouldn't say that. As for hooligan fucking house. I don't think I
could be further away from it.'
He’s getting good at the live thing Performing was never part of the plan — at first. his tracks were simple instrumentals. A band have coalesced rthe current set up involves drums. bass. keys. a guitarist and a packing singer). and Jack has SIllCO played Glastonburys dar‘ce tent. The Underbelly should be a doddle.
He’s going to get better “I'm happy WIIll the Outer Marker, but l think the next album is gOing to be a lot better, With more surprises in terms of production. it's going to be less poppy — this one does follow the standard verse-chonis verse-middle eight pattern. We Only been making muSic for four years so every time I sit down at my computer l'm learning new things'
(James Stubbsl
I Underbelly, 0870 745 3083. 21-23 Aug, 70.30{)rn_
C8 (£70 on door/2
his seven year stint as muSical director at Naples. One of the first composers to write but the decorations of his vocal parts in full, rather than leave the singers to their own over-the-top devices. Rossini intended Ze/mira as a means of showmg off vocal brilliance. Strutting her Virtuoso Stuff IS America soprano Elizabeth Futral in the title role. (Carol Main)
I Usher Hall, 4 73 2000. 30 Aug, 7pm. E74333.
YOUNG TALENT AT THE EIF Walker, Metzmacher. Volkov and co hog the limelight
Just a c0uple of days into the International Festival. fresh young talent took to its international stage as if born to be there. Pianist llyr Williams' solo recital at the Queen's Hall was Qiiite extraOrdinary in its maturity and confidence. For the final week. it IS yoong conductors who are thrust into the
limelight. Garry Walker. bOrn and educated in Edinburgh, is espeCially well known on his home gr0und. Becoming more familiar too is llan Volkov. chief conductor of the BBC 880. Just back after triumphant appearances at the Proms. Volkov has achieved remarkable things With the orchestra Since his debut concerts last Spring.
The first of the dates programmed With the eXCiting new generation of conductors in their 203 and 30s is given to lngo Metzmacher. who appears tWIce With the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. closely followed by the impresswe Jonathan Nott With his Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. (Carol Mainl I Usher Hall, 473 2000, various dates/ times. {TS—E33.
BUTTON UP FEATURING JUSTIN CURRIE We know they got soooooouuul
Yep. yoo read that right — that's Justin Currie of dirge-like World Cup footie anthem peddlers Del Amitri. Even if the inexplicable success of
NEXT ISSUE OUT
Texas and their ilk neutered any last drop of passion you may have had for faux- American Scots rock. though. this show actually sounds very interesting.
Say what you like about Currie (or rather. his music we actually know he's really a lovely fella in the flesh), but there's no doubt he's got a fine gravelly veice that was often the key factor in Del Amitri's appeal. 80
MACBETH One murderous night of Verdi's operatics
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night recently, it was only fateful that they decided to collaborate.
unturar‘rririrliir1tr>r (lini'lrm Mar knira'i and lllit'l'flflf]tl"",!i1t",'lllff lti il‘if,t:f'ltlt‘"l l2, lt/l’t/tatiter l‘, untiiano Featuring members of Violeta l J'fl‘ifl ..i the Proclaimers and Marianne l'aithful's; backing hands. Button Up and Currie Will only be appearing together at, I an, r‘.4£t’.t)f:lll
at these dates. A (Law: titan, daricefloorfriendly I Usher Hall. 4/}; I'll/M), blend of James Brown. PX/iog. /' Blip/ix
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-1 Six-L .’/.’/, : THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 69