What to see this coming week in and around Newbury
Fanny
FANNY The overdue story of the other Mendelssohn, opens at the Watermill tonight (Thursday) and runs to June 15....who? You’ll probably know her younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn, from 19th century smash hits like The Wedding March. He was the Cliff Richard of his day and was even asked to play at a personal concert for Queen Victoria. But only if he played her favourite piece of music ever, a song called Italien. However, we now know that Felix was forced to admit to the Queen that, in actuality, the piece had been composed by his sister, Fanny, and simply published under his name. Fanny imagines that Fanny intercepts a letter addressed to ‘F. Mendelssohn’ inviting Felix to play for Queen Victoria. As the true composer of Italien, she decides to hide the letter, don her brother’s clothes, and take his place at the palace…cueing a race across Europe and a furious Felix. Felix: Publishing under a male’s name? Nobody would believe it!
Fanny: Shall we ask George Eliot how believable it is?
Felix: What’s he got to do with it!This fun and irreverent new comedy celebrates classical music and - at last - the work of a composer overlooked because of her sex. It stars Charlie Russell (The Goes Wrong Show (BBC) and The Play That Goes Wrong (actor and co-creator, West End & Broadway). www.watermill.org
ACE Americana
HAILING from the oldest settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, Astoria on the big Columbia River in Oregon, The Hackles will be gracing the ACE Space stage tomorrow (Friday). The Hackles first made a big impression in the UK in 2019 when they issued their superb album A Dobritch Did As A Dobritch Should. The Daily Express called it “gorgeous Americana”, while RnR magazine said it was “magnificent”. Folk Radio UK praised the “intelligent, highly melodic song-writing.” The trio of Kati Claborn, Luke Ydstie and Halli Anderson impress with their sumptuous vocal harmonies and writing which has confirmed them as a major force on the Americana/indie-folk circuit. Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Tickets, priced £15 and available from www.WeGotTickets.com or direct by contacting events@acespace.org.uk or 07891 176940.
Open Studios
Open Studios artists continue to welcome guests to their studios and exhibitions across West Berkshire and North Hampshire. until May 27. 135 artists in 89 venues, seek them out and find out what they do. Painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, photography, jewellery, sculpture, textiles, millinery, woodworking and glass are all represented. The flagship exhibition Insight at Greenham’s Base showcases the artists and makers work and many visitors begin their open studios trail from this gallery.
Saltlines
THE Gigspanner Big Band and Raynor Winn (The Salt Path) present on Saltlines tomorrow Friday, May 24 at Oxford Playhouse and Wednesday, May 29, 7.30pm at The Haymarket, Basingstoke. Taking audiences by storm, Saltlines is a prose and music collaboration between bestselling author Raynor Winn (The Salt Path), and folk-roots supergroup The Gigspanner Big Band, which features some of the most celebrated names on the British folk scene. Together they have created an emotional odyssey which explores the beauty, stories and traditions of the South West Coast Path. The vibrant and thought-provoking compositions by Raynor have been especially written, and artfully wrapped around songs and tunes that were originally gathered from the route of the path by the great song collectors Cecil Sharp and Sabine Baring-Gould. Formed by famed Steeleye Span fiddle player Peter Knight, the Gigspanner Big Band line-up features renowned multi-instrumental duo Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin – BBC Folk Awards Best Duo), Bellowhead co-founder and melodeon player extraordinaire, John Spiers, Roger Flack on guitar, and Sacha Trochet on percussion. Inspiring music, and above all, cherishes the social and natural history of Britain's coastline, and the common threads that bind its fragile communities and wildlife.www. https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ and https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/saltlines.
The Perfumer’s Garden:
HERE’S an interesting and innovative exhibition on the interplay between art and scent – worth a visit. The Perfumer’s Garden: Seasons and Sensations – A Reinterpretation of Renaissance Art is running throughout this month and June at the studio and showroom of Humos, a fragrance composition house and chandler in Caversham. The exhibition welcome guests every weekend from 11am to 5pm until June 23. Admission is free and no booking is required. The Perfumer’s Garden follows the philosophy that scent has the transformative power to evoke memories, convey emotions, and enhance wellbeing. This exhibition employs advanced AI technology to reinterpret the masterworks of Bosch, Botticelli, and Arcimboldo through the medium of scent, creating a new sensory journey through historical art. Gabriel De Carvalho, the perfumer and founder of Humos, shared his excitement about the show: “We are thrilled by the positive reception at our pre-opening event. It’s wonderful to see visitors deeply engaging with our reinterpretation of Renaissance art through scent.” https://www.humos.co.uk/the-perfumers-garden-olfactive-art-exhibition-reading/
