RSS feedPosts Tagged ‘south africa’
New opera charting the life of Nelson Mandela opens in Cape Town
Posted on June 16th, 2010 in News by Songlines.
Italy had Pavarotti’s ‘Nessun Dorma’ for Italia 90, now South Africa has African Songbook for its own World Cup, an opera based on the life of Nelson Mandela opening in Cape Town on June 17.
African Songbook: A Musical Tribute to the Life of Nelson Mandela is presented by Cape Town Opera and features the sounds of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, the Voice of the Nation Chorus and Fezeka High School Choir.
It will run the gamut from choral music of the Transkrei, to 50s jive and the apartheid sounds of the 80s. Composed in three acts by cellist Allan Stephenson, professor of jazz Mike Campbell and Kwa-Zulu Natal composer Roelof Temmingh, the opera features three Mandelas singing to represent his life as an 18-year-old, a 30-something and an older man.
The opera is written and directed by Michael Williams.
July 2010 issue of Songlines (#69) is on sale in the UK from June 11
Posted on June 10th, 2010 in Recent Posts by Songlines.
The July 2010 issue of Songlines is on sale in the UK from June 11 and includes our regular Top of the World CD with ten tracks from the finest new releases from around the planet. There’s also a selection of five tracks selected by novelist and screenplay writer William Boyd.
The Top of the World CD includes tracks from Ango-Cuban collective Ska Cubano; Senegalese rappers Daara J Family; Portuguese fadista Ana Moura; Serbian preservers of the Sephardic sound Shira u’tfila; East Timorese musical figurehead Ego Lemos and new pan-European collaborative project UNITE, among others.
The main editorial features include:
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo – From Graceland to worldwide recognition, we chart the group’s incredible success story.
• Thandiswa Mazwai – Taking her rightful place amongst South Africa’s female singing elite.
• Fresh Talent – Four other young SA names to look out for.
• Songlines Guide to South African Music – From kwaito to isicathamiya, our guide to the Rainbow Nation’s wealth of musical styles.
• Making a Compilation – A compiler’s journey – from concept to album release.
• Ego Lemos – The eco-singer who’s putting South-East Asia’s East Timor on the musical map.
• Shira u’tfila – The Serbian group intent on keeping Sephardic music traditions alive.
• Sounding Out Melbourne – all the best places to see and hear music in the Australian city.
• Beginner’s Guide to Tom Zé.
• Postcard from Santiago de Cuba.
• Roskilde Festival, Denmark.
• Backpage from New Zealand.
• My World – novelist and screenplay writer William Boyd.
• Grooves – Ghanaian highlife singer AB Crentsil, flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela and Salsa Celtica’s Toby Shippey share their favourites.
• News, including Dispatches USA from the new Museum of Musical Instruments.
• Reviews of the latest CD, DVD and World Cinema releases.
The July 2010 Songlines podcast is now available through iTunes
Posted on June 10th, 2010 in Recent Posts by Songlines.
This podcast includes highlights from the July 2010 issue of Songlines (#69) opening with an excerpt from Ladysmith Black Mambazo (cover artists this issue). Editor in chief, Simon Broughton, plays an extract from the new album by Ego Lemos O Hele Le on Dramatico/Skinnyfish.
Features include: Nigel Williamson with his Guide to South African Music, Rose Skelton on her African migration compilation and Simon Broughton on Sephardic group Shira U’tfila. Nathaniel Handy brings you the latest news with the Official UK World Music Album Chart, as well as music from Makoomba and Céu. The podcast ends with an extract from the late Ljiljana Buttler.
The next Songlines podcast, featuring highlights from the August/September issue (#70), will be available from July 23 2010.
