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Musical one-a-day

Having been thrown back into to cold hard world of a proper job, I came up with a musical one-a-day rule to keep my soul intact.

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DUCS: Fauré & Duruflé Requiem

Durham University Choral Society conducted by Mike Summers bring out the differences between the Requiem settings by Fauré and Duruflé, with ravishing solos from James Quitmann and Sophie Kidwell.

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ETO: Life on the Moon

English Touring Opera’s boisterous production of Haydn’s sci-fi comic opera Life on the Moon: reviewed at Gala Theatre Durham, 4 November.

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Ben Rowarth and Renaissance

Renaissance Remembrance

Ben Rowarth and Renaissance returned to Durham last night with an emotionally intense reflection on war and grief that set Alsonso Lobo’s glorious Lamentations against harrowing British and French music.

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The Sixteen Choral Pilgrimage workshop

As part of their annual Choral Pilgrimage tour, The Sixteen run a series of choral workshops, based on their concert repertoire. There was a nice link this year, via John Sheppard, to a Durham Singers concert next March, so two of us went to the choral workshop at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh.

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Handel’s forgotten hit

A preview of English Touring Opera’s Ottone which comes to Durham in November, and in which I get to write about two of my passions in one go – Handel opera and Byzantine history.

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Fly me to the moon

English Touring Opera bring Haydn’s sci-fi comic opera “Life on the Moon” to the Gala in November – I’ve been finding out a bit more about it, and it looks as it it’s going to be lots of fun.

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