Madness: Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C'est la Vie

The governing principle behind 'Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie', is: 'let Madness be Madness'. The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation.

The governing principle behind 'Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie', is: 'let Madness be Madness'. The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation.

After a disparate couple of years which saw the band at their most polarised and fragmented, Madness reunited in an industrial unit in Cricklewood at the beginning of the year, where Suggs, Mark, Chrissy Boy, Mike, Lee and Woody realised that what united them was always bigger than what divided them.

The governing principle behind 'Theatre Of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie', is: 'let Madness be Madness'. The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation.

Elizabeth Kenny and Theatre of the Ayre revel in some of the most extraordinary music of the seventeenth century. Focusing on the ayre—the central part of a masque—The Masque of Moments offers a fascinating glimpse into a world of audacious and experimental virtuosity.

With a disc entitled Stabat Mater and featuring Pergolesi among the composers, it would be natural to expect his setting of this heartfelt meditation on the grief of the Virgin Mary to be included in the programme. Well, it isn’t – and it is! Only a few years after Pergolesi in 1736 had composed his Stabat Mater, JS Bach made an adaptation of it using a contemporary German version of the biblical Psalm 51. To suit the requirements of the new text Bach made certain alterations to Pergolesi’s vocal parts, but retained the scheme of solo arias and duets between a soprano and an alto voice. He also added a new, independent viola part to the score and rewrote the basso continuo, giving the work a new harmonic vitality.

In enTmenschT, Danish composer Line Tjornhoj intricately weaves together the stories of two ill-fated couples to delve into the mysterious nature of the true self. Against the backdrop of the early 20th century and the tumultuous devastation of two world wars, this haunting and virtuosic song cycle reveals unexpected and thought-provoking insights into the human condition. Tjornhoj’s masterful work is a testament to her compositional prowess and unwavering dedication to exploring the intricate depths of the human experience in our modern age.

Echoes of Nature features two world premiere symphonic song cycles by Lucía Caruso & Pedro H. da Silva recorded live from Shakespeare’s church in Stratford-upon-Avon. The album features soprano Laetitia Grimaldi and composers Lucía Caruso on piano and celesta, and Pedro H. da Silva on Portuguese guitar, joined by the Royal Shakespeare Company music director Bruce O’Neil conducting the Orchestra & Choir of the Swan.

Echoes of Nature features two world premiere symphonic song cycles by Lucía Caruso & Pedro H. da Silva recorded live from Shakespeare’s church in Stratford-upon-Avon. The album features soprano Laetitia Grimaldi and composers Lucía Caruso on piano and celesta, and Pedro H. da Silva on Portuguese guitar, joined by the Royal Shakespeare Company music director Bruce O’Neil conducting the Orchestra & Choir of the Swan.