CHRIS SEARLE welcomes a startling vision of contemporary Newport from a veteran photographer of the British working class
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Album reviews with BEN LUNN
New releases from Stuart MacRae, Ailis Ni Riain and Explore Ensemble
ANGUS REID recommends a very unusual documentary: a love story between two disillusioned journalists
In verse and polemic, the bard points out that he is a poet and musician, not a political party
MARIA DUARTE, JAMES WALSH and ANDY HEDGECOCK review The Invite, My Father’s Island, Nirvanna: the Band, the Show, the Movie, and Oh My Goodness!
PAUL DONOVAN is chilled by the contemporary resonance of Harper Lee’s coming of age tale amidst racism and white supremacy in this excellent production
GEOFF BOTTOMS recommends the unashamedly light-hearted escapism on offer in this stage version of the 1963 film
Stuart MacRae
Earth, Thy Cold is Keen
(Delphian)
★★★★★
THIS new release of works by Stuart MacRae is in short, a striking collection. The use of a wide variety of texts from Rossetti, Bronte, Alwynne Pritchard, the Poetic Edda, Gaelic and Middle English demonstrates his love and skill with text.
Similarly, the use of varying forces among the gathered quartet makes every work stand out and makes the album a wonderful journey.
What strikes me is the comparable qualities the album has with Holst’s songs for violin, where the modal inflections make some of the works seem like ancient, rediscovered relics.
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ANDY HEDGECOCK and MARIA DUARTE review The Ceremony, Eddington, The Life of Chuck, and The Thursday Murder Club