JAN WOOLF applauds the necessarily subversive character of the Palestinian poster in Britain
Twilight in the Crypt
Glasgow Cathedral Festival 2021
Explore in concert
MARTIN GRAHAM welcomes a comprehensive history of the national debt, while regretting that it is neither up to date, nor has a class-based analysis
SYLVIA HIKINS is bowled over by a wonderful show that both entertains and educates
JOHN HAWKINS welcomes the straight-talking condemnation of genocide by a queer Jewish environmental journalist
TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK relishes a detailed history of the battles, manoeuvres and tactics that defeated fascism
MARIA DUARTE recommends an exposure of the state violence used against pro-Palestine protests in the US
CHRIS SEARLE urges you to hear the US saxophonist Joe McPhee on livestream tonight
Explore Ensemble
(with Lotte Betts Dean):
Suspended Animation
THE second concert of the Glasgow Cathedral Festival was an incredibly moving and hypnotic affair. The two composers Lawrence Dunn and Catherine Lamb have been ascending to stardom at a rate of knots, so to have the chance to have a dedicated performance in the mysterious magic of the cathedral crypt was already the makings of a wonderful night.
Dunn’s Sentimental Drifting Music did exactly what it said on the tin, but thanks to his skills as composer never drifted into new age cliches. Moments of completed “cadences” would fall away while the crypt rang out with the lingering tones.
Lamb’s Parallaxis Forma had the joy of a most professional and profound British premiere, with the star, Lotte Betts-Dean, showing her skills and prowess with the fewest of tones.
An incredible concert, and when the Explore Ensemble come to a town near you, I highly recommend you take the opportunity.
More from this author
BEN LUNN alerts us to the creeping return of philanthropy and private patronage, and suggests alternative paths to explore
BEN LUNN draws attention to the way cultural expressions of solidarity with Palestinians in the UK are being censored by Israeli-sponsored lawfare
BEN LUNN reports from a new music festival in New York, and singles out a breathtaking composition that protests directly against femicide in Mexico
The centenary of his birth is a chance to assess the remarkable combination of Marxism, activism and modernism in the works of Luigi Nono
