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PREVIEW CHINESE LOVE STORY QING CHENG Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 5-Sun 7 Aug, part of the Edinburgh Fringe
A night at the opera takes on a whole new meaning with Qing Cheng, an elaborate yet moving Chinese musical making its European debut at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall as part of the China Fringe Festival. Top billing in a week of cutting-edge entertainment from the stars of Chinese popular culture and China’s young stars of the future, the spectacular Qing Cheng is an everlasting love story that crosses the centuries over a time span of 1000 years. Qingcheng, which means ‘green city’, is a mountain
in ancient China and is where the story starts, with Princess Jade heading to its summit, desperate to find a cure for her sick mother. But it’s dangerous territory up in the tranquil beauty of the mountains and Princess Jade needs a hero to rescue her. No problem, as along comes the dashing Murong, who puts his own life at stake to save that of the princess. Needless to
say, they fall head over heels in love, but sadly have to part and wait 1000 years until meeting up again. With music by the versatile young Chinese
composer Guo Sida, and costumes by Tim Yip, known to western audiences for his Oscar-winning designs for hit movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Qing Cheng also benefits from a real-life husband and wife in the main roles. They actually met at Qingcheng mountain, amid the devastation of the 2008 earthquake in the area, and, like the characters they play, soon fell in love. After spending three months living and breathing the show, Wang Lida, who plays the princess, says: ‘We know each other better and love each other more deeply now.’ Guo Sida’s score covers a range of styles, including Taoist music, swooping strings and glittering glissandi with an emotional appeal that heads straight for the heart. (Carol Main) ■ China Fringe Festival, various venues, Thu 4 Aug–Wed 10 Aug. For more info see chinafringe.com or edfringe.com. To win tickets, see page 71.
Joanna MacGregor One of the world’s most creative and innovative musicians, pianist Joanna MacGregor (pictured) presents a virtuosic programme featuring Mussorgsky’s monumental Pictures at an Exhibition in its original version for solo piano. Get there for a pre-concert event at 5pm and you can hear her talk about how she does it. Paxton House, near Berwick upon Tweed, Sat 23 Jul, part of Music at Paxton. See musicatpaxton.co.uk for more info. musicatpaxton.co.uk Gordon Stewart The annual summer series of celebrity recitals on St Giles’ magnificent Rieger organ continues with Gordon Stewart, who is one of the UK’s most popular and adaptable organists. Putting the Austrian instrument through its paces in the British premiere of Swiss organist/composer Lionel Rogg’s Fandango should be an impressive experience. St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, Wed 27 Jul.
Schubert, Mahler and Dvorák. Part of Music at Paxton Saturday 23
Glasgow FREE Cathedral Concert St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, 2 Castle Street, 553 2557. Times tbc. Performances from Pauline Alexander and various Glasgow choirs. Part of the Merchant City Festival. The Sloans Project Sloans, 62 Argyll Arcade, City Centre, 0844 481 8898. 11am. £10 (£8). See Thu 21. FREE Mira Opalinska Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, 113–117 Trongate, 553 0840. 1pm. International pianist Opalinska performs a selection of pieces on Britannia Panopticon’s unique pianola. Part of the Merchant City Festival.
Edinburgh FREE First and Calvary Presbyterian Church Pilgrim Choir St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Concert from Missourian church choir. Berwick upon Tweed Joanna MacGregor: Lecture/Recital Paxton House and Country Park, Paxton, 01289 386291. 5pm. £10 (£5). All-round musician Joanna MacGregor, creator of some of the most remarkable recordings of the last few years, talks about the music she’ll be playing at the concert in the evening, illustrating it at the piano. Part of Music at Paxton Joanna MacGregor Paxton House and Country Park, Paxton, 01289 386291.
7.30pm. £20 (£10). The great Joanna MacGregor plays a characteristically imaginative programme of Bach, Barber and Piazzolla, finishing up with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Part of Music at Paxton Sunday 24
Glasgow FREE Live Music in the Bandstand Mugdock Country Park, Craigallian Road, Milngavie, 956 6100. 2–3pm. A variety of musical ensembles perform every Sunday this summer in the peaceful surroundings of the Victorian Walled Garden. Please phone for details of individual bands. The Sloans Project Sloans, 62 Argyll Arcade, City Centre, 0844 481 8898. 2pm & 7pm. £10 (£8). See Thu 21. FREE Kelvingrove Sunday Organ Recitals Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. 3–3.45pm. Sunday promenade concerts with different organists.
Edinburgh FREE St Giles’ at Six: Duo Concertante St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm. Highly-rated Canadian violin/piano duettists play works by Pujol, Piazzolla, Giuliani, Saint-Saëns and Ibert. Berwick upon Tweed Brass on the Grass Paxton House and Country Park, Paxton, 01289 386291. 3pm. £5. Pure Brass gives an outdoor family concert. Part of Music at Paxton Chiaroscuro Quartet Paxton House and Country Park, Paxton, 01289 386291. 6pm. £20 (£10). Young and charismatic string quartet plays Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue
and Quartet in C Major ‘Dissonance’ and Schubert’s Quartet in A Minor ‘Rosamunde’. Part of Music at Paxton Cathedral, 23 Palmerston Place, 225 6293. 1.10pm. Wilson (soprano) and Ferries (piano) give a recital.
Wednesday 27 Tuesday 2
Edinburgh Gordon Stewart St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 8pm. £8 (children free). Organist Stewart plays pieces by Marchand, Buxtehude, JS Bach, Rogg, Johnson, Carter and others in the Herrick Bunney Memorial Recital. Edinburgh FREE Lunchtime Concert: Gavin Pennycook St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Music from the master of the Celtic nyckelharpa (a kind of keyed fiddle related to the hurdy- gurdy).
Sunday 31 Wednesday 3
Glasgow FREE Live Music in the Bandstand Mugdock Country Park, Craigallian Road, Milngavie, 956 6100. 2–3pm. See Sun 24. FREE Kelvingrove Sunday Organ Recitals Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. 3–3.45pm. See Sun 24. Edinburgh FREE St Giles’ at Six: Michael Garrett Ensemble St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm. Composer/pianist Garrett and his ensemble play Garrett’s own works, as well as Paderewski and others, plus some jazz.
Monday 1 Edinburgh FREE Barisons Chamber Choir St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Church choir from Ewell, Surrey. FREE Lunchtime Concert: Ginny Wilson & Gordon Ferries St Mary’s
Edinburgh FREE Jason Hawkins & Chris Parsons St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 229 1142. 1.10pm. Music for organ (Hawkins) and trumpet (Parsons). Michael Harris St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 8pm. £8 (children free). Organ recital from St Giles’ Master of the Music, with works by Buxtehude, Muffat, Hanff, JS Bach, Wolstenholme and others.
Thursday 4
Edinburgh FREE Lunchtime Concert: Gavin Pennycook St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Tue 2. FREE Live Music Now: Duende National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. 6–6.30pm. Yvonne Paterson (flute) and Andrew Robinson (guitar) perform music inspired by The Queen: Image and Art exhibition, chiefly music by previous Masters of the Queen’s Music but also their unmissable rendition of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. 21 Jul–4 Aug 2011 THE LIST 83