Search results for ""Author Nicholas Kenyon""

Nicholas Kenyon explores the enduring appeal of the classical canon at a moment when we can access all music—across time and cultures“Nicholas Kenyon is an amiable and enthusiastic guide to a thousand years of classical music.”—Neil Fisher, The Times“A wonderfully engaging survey. . . . It is what every music lover needs close by. . . . We are left in no doubt about music’s extraordinary power.”—Ian Thomson, Financial Times Immersed in music for much of his life as writer, broadcaster, and concert presenter, former director of the BBC Proms Nicholas Kenyon has long championed an astonishingly wide range of composers and performers. Now, as we think about culture in fresh ways, Kenyon revisits the stories that make up the classical tradition and foregrounds those that are too often overlooked. This inclusive, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic guide highlights the achievements of the women and men, amateurs and professionals, who bring music to life. Taking us from pianist Myra Hess’s performance in London during the Blitz, to John Adams’s composition of a piece for mourners after New York’s 9/11 attacks, to Italian opera singers singing from their balconies amidst the 2020 pandemic, Kenyon shows that no matter how great the crisis, music has the power to bring us together. His personal, celebratory account transforms our understanding of how classical music is made—and shows us why it is more relevant than ever.

Read more less

A beautifully designed celebration of the 40th birthday of the Barbican Arts Centre, in the heart of the City of London. It is the largest multi-arts centre in Europe, encompassing an art gallery, theatres, concert halls, cinemas and a much-loved conservatory, and regular collaborators include the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Compiled by Nicholas Kenyon, the Barbican Centre's Managing Director 2007–2021, this is an in-depth exploration of the centre, drawing on the vast array of material available in its archives, much of which has never been seen before. It includes plans and photographs from the centre’s design and construction, original signage and branding, and brochures and programmes. All this is accompanied by a wealth of photographs of the huge range of performances and exhibitions that have taken place over the years, from early RSC performances to the popular Rain Room installation of 2012 to today’s impressive programme of events put together in conjunction with schools and the local community. The book's authoritative and evocative text includes: ·Foreword by Fiona Shaw ·Introduction by Sir Nicholas Kenyon ·Cultural historian Robert Hewison on how the centre came into being ·Architectural historian Elain Harwood on its architecture ·Music critic Fiona Maddocks on music ·Writer and theatre critic Lyn Gardner on theatre ·Editor and creative director Tony Chambers on visual art ·Author and film critic Sukhdev Sandhu on film With listings of Barbican events from 1982 to the present day, and snippets of oral history from some of the many people associated with the centre over the years, this sumptuous book is an invaluable companion to one of the world's most important cultural spaces.

Read more less

The Barbican Centre in the City of London is the largest multi-disciplinary arts centre in Europe. Designed by Chamberlin, Powell & Bon as part of the Barbican Estate and to provide homes for both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company, the building is internationally renowned not only as an example of radical, visionary architecture in the Modernist tradition, but also for its outstanding programme of more than 2,000 cultural events each year: plays, concerts, films, exhibitions and more. A new title in the Pocket Photo Books series of immersive visual guides to the experience of place, this compact album of more than one hundred photographs by Harry Cory Wright presents the dramatic spaces, rich textures and carefully selected materials of the Barbican Centre in all their detail. From the flowing, multi-level space of the foyer and the calm wooden-panelled concert hall to the surprising intimacy of the theatre and the soaring jungle of the conservatory, the Barbican Centre offers the visitor an extraordinary variety of experiences within a single building. This book captures their full range, providing exceptional insights into one of the most significant and exciting modern buildings in Britain and a thriving cultural hub in the heart of London.

Read more less