Racial and gender politics are woven into a clever tale of murder and morals at Cambridge
Yrsa is a young Black undergraduate supervisor who is studying for a sociology PhD at Cambridge. She is tired of the disappointing men in her orbit: the ones she works with, sleeps with and who abuse her trust and that of her friends. She is also heartily sick of the students who attend her lectures and “the mix of boredom, doubt, arrogance that stares back at her. The blond flops of hair, Macs covered in stickers, non-discreet texters [when] she’s explaining – like not all lecturers here will – how the world works.”
Near the start of Honey, we find Yrsa counselling a devastated colleague, Nina, who has been sleeping with her married professor, Richardson. Not only has he reneged on his pledge to leave his wife, but he has been using Nina’s research and passing it off as his own.
Continue reading...von Otter/Komische Oper Berlin/Benzwi
(BIS)
This enjoyably eclectic recital from the ever consummate Von Otter highlights the aesthetic friction between romantic ballads, saucy burlesque, cinematic dreamscapes and political firecrackers
The provocative, politically charged club scene that flourished in 1920s Berlin was not just a flash in the pan to be swept away by the Nazis. As Anne Sofie von Otter’s enjoyably eclectic recital demonstrates, its influence on film, musical theatre and popular song stretched across several decades. While émigrés such as Friedrich Hollaender and Mischa Spoliansky embraced Hollywood escapism, others, including Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, wrapped anti-government rhetoric in satirical songs that pulled few, if any punches.
This programme is intentionally diverse, aiming to highlight the aesthetic friction between romantic ballads, saucy burlesque, cinematic dreamscapes and political firecrackers. In this it succeeds, though the stylistic through-line lurches at times. Regardless, the Salon Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin delivers thoroughly authentic performances under the strict, idiomatic baton of conductor Adam Benzwi, and the piquant orchestrations and arrangements are a treat.
Continue reading...The midfielder had to work hard to win his place in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for this tournament. He is more than repaying his coach’s faith
While Malik Tillman was unsure of what to expect from the United States’ last-32 clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, he certainly must have assumed he would finish the game with his boots intact.
Tillman has been one of the US’s most important players in their run to the last 16, a vital part of their build-up and a tricky technician for opponents to contend with when he’s maneuvering through the final third. While everyone else waited to learn whether or not Folarin Balogun would be sent off during the second half of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory, Tillman noticed some discomfort with his right boot. There was a good reason: the top of it had been ripped after a stomp from an opponent.
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