Carousel

Voted best musical of the 20th century by Time Magazine, Rodgers and Hammerstein'sCarousel features some of the most powerful music ever written for the stage, including the immortal 'You'll Never Walk Alone', 'If I Loved You' and the joyful 'June is bustin' out all over'. A story of true love and the tragedy of feelings left unspoken, this classic American musical is deeply touching and will capture your heart.

In this major new production, the outstanding cast will be under the expert batons of James Holmes and Jonathan Gill. Faithful to Rogers & Hammerstein's original vision, this will be a remarkably fresh Carousel for the 21st century. 

Directed by Jo Davies (Ruddigore), with designs by Anthony Ward (Oliver, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Peter Grimes and Gloriana for Opera North) and choreography by the renowned Kim Brandstrup (ballet) and Kay Shepherd.

Find out more at www.carouseltheshow.com

A production created by Opera North, Leeds – General Director Richard Mantle, on May 2nd 2012, in co-production with the Châtelet Theatre, Paris – General Director, Jean-Luc Choplin

Music by Richard Rodgers
Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Original Dances by Agnes de Mille
Based on the Play 'Liliom' by Ferenc Molnar as adapted by Benjamin F.Glaser

Performed by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited on behalf of R & H Theatricals of New York

OverWorlds & UnderWorlds

From the imaginations of The Quay Brothers

One unreal weekend in Leeds beckons. The city is the canvas for a remarkable multi-location event curated by internationally acclaimed artist-filmmakers The Quay Brothers. Live performances, installations, light, music, dance, film and singing shops will transform the city's streets and spaces.  Performances at County Arcade and the Dark Arches, an eruption on Briggate, everything in between is there to be discovered. Join at any point and pick up your map, allowing a leisurely couple of hours to explore. 

Visit overworldsandunderworlds.com or follow @OW_UW for details.  Part of the Arts Council of England Cultural Olympiad 2012, 'Artists Taking the Lead', the project draws together creative talent from across Yorkshire to be inspired by the people and the buildings of Leeds for an unforgettable experience. 

Featuring composer Gavin Bryars and the Opera North Children’s Chorus.

County Arcade performances: Fri 5pm, 7pm; Sat 2.30pm, 5pm, 7pm; Sun 2pm, 3.15pm.

Dark Arches open: Fri 5-9pm; Sat 4-9pm; Sun 2-5pm.

www.overworldsandunderworlds.com

Leeds Canvas is a partnership between Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Art Gallery, Northern Ballet, Phoenix Dance, Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Met Gallery and Leeds City Council.

Film: A Taste of Cherry

Dir. Abbas Kiarostami, Iran
1998, 99 mins. Cert PG.
In Farsi with English subtitles.

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s A Taste of Cherry is a meditation on the emotional complexities of life and death.

Middle-aged Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) drives through the hilly outskirts of Tehran, searching for someone to rescue or bury him. He asks both a Kurdish soldier and an Afghan seminarist but both refuse.

The deceptively simple, meditative style of the film encompasses a tender humanism and formal genius, imperceptibly building to become an enquiry into how and why we live. A remarkably rich celebration of human dignity.

An event designed to contextualise the opera Babur in London.

‘My favourite filmmaker of the decade is Abbas Kiarostami. He achieves a simplicity that’s so difficult to attain. Michael Haneke (Dir. Cachet, The White Ribbon)

Music: Cropper Welsh Roscoe Trio

Beethoven Trio in B flat Op.97 Archduke
Haydn Trio in C HobXV/27
Shostakovich Trio No 2 in E minor Op.67

Beethoven’s Archduke is one of the pinnacles of trio writing. Obsessive in its exploration of the possible combinations of the instruments – solos, duets, piano left hand, piano right hand, and of course the entire ensemble together, it is a breathtaking tour de force.

The Cropper Welsh Roscoe Trio comprises three of Britain’s finest chamber musicians: violinist Peter Cropper (ex-leader of The Lindsays), Moray Welsh (former Principal Cellist of the London Symphony Orchestra) and Martin Roscoe (pianist).

This programme shows the trio’s versatility, technical brilliance and passion for music, that have made them one of the most sought after piano trios in the country.

‘...playing with a torrential passion that was an immediate reminder of the virtues of

seasoned musicianship. Three more experienced and insightful players it would be hard to find....’ The Sunday Times

Ruddigore

Sir Despard Murgatroyd is a man under pressure. He has inherited a witch’s curse forcing him to commit a crime a day or die in agony. So it’s a huge relief when shy Robin Oakapple is revealed as his long-lost elder brother – true inheritor of the curse. 

Words: Simon Critchley: Is this what democracy looks like?

Simon Critchley examines the world we live in post 9/11.

How have our ideas about terror and violence changed? What have been the consequences for our understanding of democracy, both at home and all over the world? And what do the events of the Arab Spring and the OCCUPY movement tell us about the future world political environment?

Simon Critchley is Hans Jonas Professor at the New School for Social Research in New York. His many books include Infinitely Demanding, The Book of Dead Philosophers and The Faith of the Faithless.

‘A thoughtful, illuminating exploration… erudite and measured. Publisher’s Weekly on The Faith of the Faithless.'

The talk will be chaired by Dr Brad Evans, a Lecturer in Political Violence at the University of Leeds. He also directs the multi-media forum Histories of Violence.

This talk forms part of the DARE lectures 2012.