Entertainment

The week in classical: The Dead City; Black Angels; Re:sound – review

  • 02. Apr 2023. 6:26
  • By The EU Times
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This week, the English National Opera (ENO) and the Manchester Collective presented the world premiere of The Dead City at the Coliseum in London. The production was directed by ENO’s artistic director Annilese Miskimmon and featured music by George Crumb’s Black Angels, with the ENO Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Matthew Waldren.

The Dead City is a new work based on the post-apocalyptic novel by Iain Banks and tells the story of a city in ruins. Through music, movement and projections, the production creates a vivid and powerful vision of a world both desolate and beautiful. The music is captivating and the performance is both emotionally charged and deeply affecting.

The same week, Kings Place in London hosted Re:sound – a concert featuring works by contemporary composers performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra. The programme included the world premiere of The Black Angels by George Crumb and the UK premiere of Voices of Our Cities by Streetwise Opera. Both works explore themes of identity and belonging in an increasingly fractured society.

Re:sound was also a platform for some of the UK's leading composers, with works by Rebecca Saunders, John McLeod, Samuel Pott and Errollyn Wallen all receiving their first outings. The concert was a powerful and inspiring evening of music-making, showcasing some of the best of contemporary composition in the UK.

Overall, it was a week of diverse and powerful musical experiences, with the world premiere of The Dead City providing a powerful vision of a post-apocalyptic world and the Re:sound concert showcasing some of the most exciting contemporary composers. Both concerts provided a unique and inspiring experience, and one that will remain with audiences for some time to come.