BACKRemembering Black History with classical pianist Alexis Ffrench
Over the weekend, The BBC aired a special edition of Songs of Praise focusing on Black History Month.
In Sunday’s program, guest presenter Mark De-Lisser visits the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool. He meets the director, Dr Richard Benjamin, to find out about Britain’s involvement in the slave trade and the role the church played at the time. Mark meets the museum’s historian-in-residence, Laurence Westgaph, to hear about his ambition to create what could become the country’s first memorial to the enslaved. The rector of Liverpool, Rev Canon Dr Crispin Pailing, shares why he is passionate about offering the grounds of St Nicholas’ Church, which was once the city’s main burial ground, as a home for the memorial.
In addition, Classical pianist Alexis Ffrench tells Yolanda Brown about his love of music and how he felt as a child being Britain’s youngest black church organist. There is also a special performance of Alexis’s own composition inspired by the faith poem Footprints in the Sand. The daughter of Christian peacemaker Nelson Mandela shares what she feels her father would have thought about the Liverpool garden being built in his honour, and we hear about the vision for the garden from two members of the community, Sonia Bassey and Stephen Nze, who help run the charity behind the project, Mandela8.
Watch here: Remembering Black History
Veillée d’armes pour le classique: comment ne pas être exclu des nouvelles aides d’urgence?
Alors que des mesures plus restrictives pourraient succéder au couvre-feu à 21 heures et fragiliser encore le spectacle vivant, Jean Castex et Roselyne Bachelot ont reçu les professionnels et annoncé de nouvelles aides d’urgence. Le Centre national de la musique en sera délégataire pour le secteur, mais comment le classique, lésé en septembre par rapport à la variété, en bénéficiera-t-il?
C’était un oral de rattrapage, après avoir assommé le spectacle vivant une semaine plus tôt à coup de couvre-feu de 21 heures. Jeudi 22 octobre, le Premier ministre, Jean Castex, a reçu à Matignon les représentants des syndicats du spectacle vivant, en amont de sa conférence de presse annonçant en soirée le durcissement des mesures sanitaires.
A ses côtés, la ministre de la Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, affichant ainsi une solidarité renouvelée après les différences de vue qui les avaient opposés concernant l’heure de retour au domicile des bons citoyens. Mais aussi Jean-Philippe Thiellay, président du Centre national de la musique (CNM), opérateur de l’Etat pour l’ensemble de la discipline, dont le rôle se renforce à chaque étape de la crise.
Arms vigil for the classic: how not to be excluded from new emergency aid?
While more restrictive measures could replace the 9 pm curfew and further continue to weaken the performing arts, Jean Castex and Roselyne Bachelot received the professionals and announced new emergency aid. The National Music Centre will be responsible for the sector, but how will classical music, which was disadvantaged in September in relation to variety, benefit from this?
It was a follow-up discussion, after having knocked out the live show a week earlier with a 9 pm curfew. On Thursday 22 October, Prime Minister Jean Castex received representatives of the performing arts unions in Matignon, ahead of his press conference announcing the tightening of health measures in the evening. At his side was the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, showing renewed solidarity after the differences of opinion that had opposed them regarding the time of return home for good citizens. But Jean-Philippe Thiellay, President of the National Music Centre (CNM), the State operator for the entire discipline, is finding that his role is being strengthened at each stage of the crisis.
Künstler bei Aktion “Flügel statt Flügel” gegen AfD
Mit Klaviermusik vor dem Landtag in Potsdam wollen der Starpianist Igor Levit und weiter Künstler am Dienstag gegen die AfD anspielen. Levits Management bestätigte am Samstag den Auftritt des Pianisten bei der Aktion “Flügel statt Flügel”, die stattfindet, während die AfD im Haus einen neuen Fraktionschef für den zurückgetretenen Andreas Kalbitz wählt. Die “Potsdamer Neuesten Nachrichten” und die “Märkische Allgemeine” hatten berichtet.
Neben Levit sollen nach Angaben der Veranstalter der Kirchenmusiker Björn O. Wiede sowie die Pianisten Andy Schulte und Simone Seyfarth sowie Künstler des Hans-Otto-Theaters auftreten. Sein Kommen habe auch der Sänger und Frontmann der Band “Die Prinzen”, Sebastian Krumbiegel zugesagt, teilte am Sonntag der Aktionskünstler Rainer Opolka, einer der Organisatoren, mit. “Es geht schon lange nicht mehr vordergründig um Neonazis auf den Straßen, es geht vielmehr um die in den Parlamenten”, sagte Krumbiegel. Sie seien eine reelle Gefahr für die Demokratie.
Artists in the “wings instead of wings” campaign against AfD
With piano music in front of the State Parliament in Potsdam, star pianist Igor Levit and other artists want to play against the AfD on Tuesday. Levit’s management confirmed the pianist’s appearance on Saturday at the “Grand Piano instead of right-wing politics” campaign, which is taking place while the AfD is electing a new faction leader for the resigned Andreas Kalbitz. The “Potsdamer Neuesten Nachrichten” and the “Märkische Allgemeine” had reported. In addition Levit, according to the organisers, will be joined by church musicians Björn O.
Wiede and pianists Andy Schulte and Simone Seyfarth, as well as artists from the Hans Otto Theatre, will perform. Sebastian Krumbiegel, the singer and frontman of the band “Die Prinzen”, has also promised to come, said action artist Rainer Opolka, one of the organisers, on Sunday. “It has long since ceased to be primarily about neo-Nazis on the streets; it is more about those in parliaments,” said Krumbiegel. They are a real danger to democracy.