Verdi's Requiem at St. Andrew's Hall

On Sunday 26th May 2013 I attended the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Festival Chorus concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which was the final event of this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This special performance of Verdi's Requiem was celebrating the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth.

David Parry was conductor on the evening. Also performing were Nadine Koutcher - soprano, Rosie Aldridge - mezzo-soprano, Gwyn Hughes Jones - tenor and Graeme Broadbent - bass. Verdi's Requiem is an electrifying masterpiece with an intense and utterly compelling marriage of liturgy and opera. It raises the spirituality and emotion of the Latin mass to the pinnacle of high drama.

Verdi's Messa da Requiem is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass (Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May 1874 marked the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. The work was at one time called the Manzoni Requiem. It is typically not performed in the liturgy, but in a concert.

This was a fantastic way to bring this year's Festival to a dramatic finish as the sounds of Verdi's Requiem filled St. Andrew's Hall. The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Festival Chorus along with all the soloists were brilliant and created an night of magical music, with lots of emotion and intensity. Yet again Norwich can be proud of putting on a wonderful Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

Frisky and Mannish at the Spiegeltent

Comedy cabaret double-act Frisky and Mannish specialise in mad musical mash-ups that unearth the hidden meanings in some pop classics and poke fun at the ridiculousness of the songs we know and love. After Meow Meow cancelled her Feline Intimate performance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Frisky and Mannish were added to the bill in the Chapelfield Spiegeltent.

On Friday 24th May 2013 I made my way to Chapelfield Gardens looking forward to a fun night in the Spiegeltent. Frisky and Mannish are pop educators and you need to pay full attention if you want to be top of the class at the School of Pop.

A packed Spiegeltent greatly enjoyed an evening of musical comedy cabaret as we were all given some Extra Curricular Activities. A meeting between Noel Coward and Lily Allen was the highlight at the School of Pop. There was a guest appearance from Dido as well as an Elizabethan take on TLC's No Scrubs. Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of The Heart was turned into a horror movie soundtrack as Frisky and Mannish brought the sounds of pop and lots of laughs to the Spiegeltent.

These Foolish Travels at Norwich Castle Museum

On Friday 24th May 2013 I visited Norwich Castle Museum to see the These Foolish Travels installation by Brian Griffiths which for the duration of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was hosted in the Castle Keep. This was a carnivalesque collection of tents and temporary dwellings making for an interesting sight in this historic setting.

Through rendered signage and painted image on the exterior of these dwellings, it appeared that this village was a scaled representation of our cosmos. The tents themselves ranged in size and purpose to recall experience, from wedding parties to scouting expeditions.

While the Castle and its historical artefacts suggested the passage of time, the installation presented an absurdist rendition of space, shrunk to fit the confines of the keep's wall, with Griffiths' customary mix of poignance and humour. This was a fantastic installation at Norwich Castle Museum which brought a lot of thought provoking and gave a colourful and spectacular visual experience.

Adams and Muhly music at St. Andrew's Hall

On Thursday 23rd May 2013 I attended Britten Sinfonia's Norfolk and Norwich Festival concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. This was an exciting performance from this adventurous ensemble which combined complex minimalism with cross-genre inventiveness.

The programme consisted of Shaker Loops - John Adams, Seeing is Believing (Concerto for Electric Violin) - Nico Muhly, Double Standard - Nico Muhly and Chamber Symphony - John Adams. Clark Rundell conducted the orchestra at this fantastic concert. Thomas Gould played the electric violin on Seeing is Believing while Colin Clarke and Alexandre Esperet played percussion on Double Standard.

Shaker Loops was composed by John Adams in 1978, it was originally written for string septet and a version for string orchestra followed in 1983. It began as a piece called Wavemaker in which Adams tried to emulate the ripple effect of bodies of water in his music. The piece was a commercial failure, but Adams kept the idea of repeating loops of oscillations on string instruments. He retitled the piece Shaker Loops, both because of the shaking of the strings as they oscillate between notes and the idea Adams had of Shakers dancing to repetitive, energetic music.

Nico Muhly composed Seeing is Believing in 2007, the piece blends electronic fusion and Tudor motets. The composer said that Seeing is Believing references the ancient practice of observing and mapping the sky. The electric violin reminded him of the 1980s and he tried to reference the music attendant to 80s educational videos about science. The piece ends as it began, with looped educational music depicting the night sky.

Double Standard was written by Nico Muhly for Colin Currie and the finalists in last year's TROMP Percussion Competition, won by Alexandre Esperet. This was the piece's UK premiere and is a single movement concerto for two percussionists. Nico Muhly wanted the solo parts to highlight not just technical dexterity but also the do-it-yourself practical knowledge that all great percussionists have.

John Adams composed the Chamber Symphony in 1992, the piece was commissioned by the Gerbode Foundation of San Francisco for the San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players. It was written for fifteen instruments and bears a resemblance to its eponymous predecessor, the Opus 9 of Arnold Schoenberg. The Chamber Symphony is broken into three discrete movements, Mongrel Airs, Aria with Walking Bass and Roadrunner.

This was a brilliant night to be present at St. Andrew's Hall as Britten Sinfonia brought us the musical delights of John Adams and Nico Muhly. I was very excited about hearing Shaker Loops live and hearing the music of Nico Muhly. John Adams's Chamber Symphony was the highlight of the concert for me. It was full of kinetic energy and had so much going on.

Khyam Allami at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On the evening of Wednesday 22nd May 2013 I attended the Khyam Allami with Vasilis Sarikis concert at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich. Khyam Allami is an Iraqi virtuoso of the Oud and a composer with an international reputation, but his roots are in rock and punk. He was accompanied by percussionist Vasilis Sarikis at this Norfolk and Norwich Festival event.

For this concert Khyam Allami revisited his 2011 album Resonance/Dissonance, exploring the middle eastern melodic music of Maqam. St. Peter Mancroft Church is a beautiful venue that proved to be perfect for this concert which I witnessed from the choir stalls. The pair provided us with a powerful and dynamic live show.

This was an emotional night as the sounds of classical Arab music which Khyam Allami has given a contemporary feel came to the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. It is always a pleasure to listen to music at this venue and this performance sounded incredible. Both performers seemed to greatly enjoy playing their music at St. Peter Mancroft.

Dear Lynda Exhibition

I visited the Dear Lynda exhibition at The Gallery, Norwich University of the Arts on Wednesday 22nd May 2013. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival exhibition was a homecoming celebration of the works of curator, art historian, writer, patron, muse and Professor, Lynda Morris.

There was an impressive collection of books, letters, catalogues, paintings and ceramics on display relating to exhibitions Lynda Morris has curated, many of which took place in and around the Norwich Gallery. This was an examination of an incredible lifetime's work in the art world.

Dear Lynda told stories of the curatorial encounters Lynda Morris has had with some of the greatest artists of the century including Gilbert and George, Konrad Fischer, Richard Hamilton, John Baldessari, Art and Language, Marcel Broothaers, Sir William Coldstream, Richard Long, Nigel Henderson, Colin Self, Peter Doig and Andre Cadere. This was another great visual arts event at this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival which was thought provoking and very interesting.

The Clarinet Trio at The Assembly House

At lunchtime on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 I attended the last of this year's Royal Academy of Music Concerts at The Assembly House, Norwich as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival featuring the Clarinet Trio. This was another wonderful concert brought to us in the annual visit to the Festival by virtuosi from the Royal Academy of Music.

The Hommage a Schumann concert was played by Antanas Makstutis - clarinet, Ugne Tiskute - viola and Morta Grigaliunaite - piano. The programme consisted of Marchenerzahlungen Op.132 - Schumann, Hommage a Robert Schumann - Kurtag and Acht Stucke Op.83 (selection) - Bruch.

The Marchenerzahlungen (Fairy Tales) was composed by Robert Schumann in 1853 which was the year that saw his first meeting with Johannes Brahms. This piece has echoes of Schumann's earlier works. These Fairy Tales seem like an escape into musical fantasy.

Gyorgy Kurtag's Hommage a Schumann was composed in 1990 and is one of the most exciting pieces in the clarinet, viola and piano repertoire. It is directly linked to Schumann's Fairy Tales through its title and instrumentation. The final movement Farewell creates a procession like atmosphere that ends with a heavy bass drumbeat played by the clarinet.

The Acht Stucke was written by Max Bruch in 1910 and was dedicated to Princess zu Wied. His attention to the combination of viola and clarinet resulted in some wonderful repertoire. Bruch recognised that the instruments were in the same register. The composer's son Max Felix Bruch was an exceptionally talented clarinettist who was compared to Richard Muhlfeld.

This was a fantastic finish to this year's Royal Academy of Music Concert Series with a very enjoyable and strong performance from the Clarinet Trio. The Assembly House is full of life during the Festival and with brilliant music like this, it is always a joy to visit.

Rokia Traore at Open, Norwich

On the evening of Tuesday 21st May 2013 I attended the Rokia Traore concert at Open, Norwich. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival event featured this fantastic Malian singer who was showcasing her new album, Beautiful Africa which was produced by John Parish. I saw her at the Barbican in London last year and I was looking forward to seeing her perform in my home city.

Rokia Traore was most recently seen in the UK as part of Damon Albarn's Africa Express. Her music is the sounds of Malian roots, blues, rock, jazz and folk. She has been described as the most adventurous female singer in Africa and has a striking stage presence.

The concert was delayed by fifty minutes, but this didn't damp any of the enthusiasm of the large crowd in attendance at Open as we looked forward to seeing Rokia Traore perform her amazing music. She apologised for being late for the first time in her fifteen year career before playing a ninety minute set.

This was a concert full of energy and wonderful music as Rokia Traore and her band filled the venue with the sounds of Africa. The lyrics of her songs are in French and Bambara, that expressed a mixture of emotions, both sad and joyful. This was a brilliant night at Open as Rokia Traore showed why she is such a big star in her native Mali with an emotional performance that moved and greatly entertained the Festival crowd.

An evening of 19th century song at The Assembly House

I was back at The Assembly House, Norwich on the evening of Monday 20th May 2013 for the Sam Furness and Matthew Fletcher concert at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This concert was in the Royal Academy of Music Concert Series which has become a vital and much-loved feature of the Festival.

The programme consisted of An die Leier - Schubert, Dichterliebe - Schumann, Des Abends, Aufschwung (from Fantasiestucke Op.10) - Schumann, Chanson triste - Duparc, Oh quand je dors - Liszt, An die ferne Geliebte - Beethoven, Etude No.3 in E major Op.10 - Chopin and Three Petarch Sonnets - Liszt.

This varied programme of chanson and lieder provided a wonderful overview of 19th century song which featured works by the leading masters of the genre. Tenor Sam Furness and Pianist Matthew Fletcher opened the concert with Schubert's An die Leier, a song published in 1826 that is a setting of a poem by Franz von Bruchmann which is based on the sixth century BC Greek satirical poet Anacreon.

Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe song cycle was written in 1840 with texts taken from Lyrisches Intermezzo, a set of poems written in 1822-23 by Heinrich Heine. Schumann chose twenty to set to music with a dramatic narrative, however only sixteen of the resulting songs made it into the first edition. Fantasiestucke is a selection of eight solo piano pieces written by Schumann in 1837, inspired by the selection of short stories Fantasiestucke in Callots Manier by E.T.A. Hoffman.

Chason Triste was written by Henri Duparc in 1868 to a poem by Henri Cazalis. who wrote under the nom de plume Jean Lahor. Oh! Quand je dors was written in 1842 by Franz Liszt as a setting to a poem by Victor Hugo. The song calls for the singer's beloved to come to him while he sleeps.

An die Ferne Geliebte is widely considered to be the first ever song cycle. This set of songs was composed by Beethoven in 1816 to poems by Alois Isidor Jeitteles. It is a selection of reflections by the poet as he sits on a hill thinking of his beloved, from whom he is separated.

Etude No.3 was composed by Chopin in 1832 and was dedicated to his friend Franz Liszt. Chopin considered it to be his most beautiful composition. Franz Liszt's Three Petarch Sonnets were published in 1846 but were composed several years earlier. Liszt set sonnets by the Italian poet Petrarca who, having seen a woman called Laura in church, was inspired to write Rime Sparse. The songs were written in a very emotional, Italianate style to match the poetry.

This was a brilliant night to be at The Assembly House as the large audience in attendance were treated to a night of chanson and lieder in French, German and Italian. Sam Furness, who is already establishing an international profile and Matthew Fletcher, winner of numerous prizes at the Royal Academy of music put on a performance of the highest quality which was one of my musical highlights at this year's Festival.

Fragile at The Forum

It was a short walk from The Undercroft at Norwich Marketplace to Millennium Plain outside The Forum on Sunday 19th May 2013 to see Tilted Productions perform Fragile at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This performance featured Tightwire artists, dancers, a trampoline duo and a dancing clown searching for the beautiful in the fragile and the fragile in the seemingly beautiful.

Maresa von Stockert's latest work combined contemporary circus, dance and physical theatre. Fragile's architectural set created the illusion of the performance being on a rooftop. Imagine a flat concrete roof where someone has put up a garden with a few plants in pots and some grass.

One layer of the piece exposed the microcosm of human activity taking place in this garden. It looked at the lives of those who visited the roof terrace and explored what the garden meant to them. For the creator of the garden it may be an oasis or even an obsession. Others made it their hide-away; a place where they escaped reality.

Some saw it as a playground, others as a forbidden space. For one person it may have resembled paradise, for another a foreign world of green discomfort, bewilderment and fear. While intricate relationships tenderly and brutally entwine, a strange transformation happened to the garden itself enhancing the sense of a warped reality and other worldliness outside The Forum.

This Sixty minute performance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was incredible and created an amazing spectacle in Millennium Plain. The trampolining and tightwire walking thrilled the large crowd outside The Forum who were spellbound by the movement and the unique story of Fragile. I very much enjoyed this outside event at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which proved to be a big hit in Norwich City Centre.

Black Clouds at The Undercroft!

After my visit to The Assembly House on Sunday 19th May 2013 I visited Rhona Byrne's It's All Up In The Air at The Undercroft behind Norwich Marketplace. This installation for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was created using more then three thousand black balloons that were blown-up and woven together to form five black clouds.

Black clouds are immediately recognisable as a comedic emblem of misery and pessimism but there was a fun side to this installation as the clouds hovered over bright colourful islands made out of carpets. You could say every cloud has a silver lining or always look on the bright side of life as the comical and happy element of It's All Up In The Air was there for all to see.

I enjoyed my visit to The Undercroft which is a space that is normally hidden away but was brought to life for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. The black clouds looked amazing and filled the space perfectly. Rhona Byrne said that they were like cartoon drawings of a squiggle over your head.

The Bartholdy Quartet at The Assembly House

On the afternoon of Sunday 19th May 2013 I attended the Royal Academy of Music concert at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival featuring The Bartholdy Quartet and Kei Takumi at The Assembly House, Norwich. This annual visit from the Royal Academy of Music is a vital and much loved feature of the Festival.

The programme consisted of String Quartet No.25 in C Op.20 No.2 - Haydn and Piano Quintet in G minor Op.57 - Shostakovich. The Bartholdy Quartet are Tessa Ho - violin, Marisol Lee - violin, Ricardo Gasper - viola and Raphael Lang - cello. Pianist Kei Takumi studied with Vera Gornostaeva and Hironao Suzuki at the Yamaha Music School.

Joseph Haydn composed the six string quartets from Op.20 in 1772 and are among the great works that earned him the nickname 'the father of the string quartet'. At the time of these compositions Haydn's musical ideas were influenced by the ongoing shift in European philosophical and political thought.

Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57 was composed by Dimitri Shostakovich in 1940. It was written for the Beethoven Quartet and was premiered by them with Shostakovich himself at the piano on 23rd November 1940 at the Moscow Conservatory, to great success. In 1941, it was awarded the Stalin Prize.

This was a wonderful afternoon performance from The Bartholdy Quartet who after playing Haydn's String Quartet were joined by pianist Kei Takumi for the Shostakovich Piano Quintet. This is the part of the Festival where we get to hear the classical music stars of tomorrow and based on the music played at this concert, The Bartholdy Quartet and Kei Takumi have a bright future ahead of them.

The Aurora Orchestra declares war!

On the evening of Saturday 18th May 2013 I was back at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich to see the Aurora Orchestra at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival performing their Battle programme which combined break dancing and orchestral music. The Aurora Orchestra were conducted by Rory MacDonald with Thomas Gould - Leader and Max Baillie - Viola. The Dancers were from Bboy's Attic and Company Decalage.

The programme consisted of Battalia A 10 - Biber, Chamber Symphony Op.73A - Shostakovich arr. Barshai, Venus from The Planets - Holst arr. Farrington, Maxamorphosis - Julian Phillips and This Means War - Chris Willis. The Bboy's Attic and Choreographer Mickael 'Marso' Riviere joined the Aurora Orchestra for this adventurous cross-art project as part of the Orchestra's New Moves series.

Battle featured a playlist linked loosely by the theme of conflict or struggle. There is the baroque fireworks of Biber's Battalia, Shostakovich's third string quartet whose original guise as a straightforward 'war narrative' in fact masked more complex beginnings and Chris Willis' radical re-imagining of Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War. At the heart of the programme was Maxamorphosis, a major new work composed by Julian Philips and choreographed by Marso for chamber orchestra, dancers and solo viola.

This was an amazing night at St. Andrew's Hall with the Aurora Orchestra giving us a brilliant unique programme of break dancing and orchestral music which was greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience. Maxamorposis not only featured breakdancers and a contemporary dancer, but the soloist, Baillie, danced as well as played the viola. He is trained in Capoeira, the Brazilian martial arts danceform. The Norfolk and Norwich reached another level of excitement with the stage being filled with break dancers as well as the orchestra.

Audible Forces on Earlham Park

On Saturday 18th May 2013 I visited Audible Forces on Earlham Park, Norwich, an intricate landscape of musical installations produced by OCM and Oxford Brookes University Sonic Arts Research Unit. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival event was commissioned by Without Walls.

This collection was inspired by sound artist Max Eastley's explorations into the mythology, history and contemporary role of Aeolian (wind driven) instruments. Max Eastley was joined by Mark Anderson, Jony Easterby, Kathy Hinde, Dan Fox, Nathaniel Robin Mann and Mike Blow creating an ever changing sound world on Earlham Park.

I was amazed by these kinetic, sonic creations that produced incredible and different sounds as the wind breathed life into them. My favourite installation was Kathy Hinde's piece Sonic Reed Bed which captured my imagination. All the pieces were beautiful in their own way and its incredible how they are able to create these wonderful sounds from nature.

Mark Anderson's Phantom Field was very dramatic being made up of twenty one wind synthesisers with each one having a little mini-synthesiser and as the wind blow the pitch changed. This was one of the best events at this year's Festival which turned Norwich's Earlham Park into a delightful constellation of sounds.

Bang on a Can All-Stars at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Wednesday 15th May 2013 I attended the Bang on a Can All-Stars concert at Norwich Theatre Royal and what a night it was at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This New York contemporary ensemble took us to the edge of music with their experimental music.

The programme consisted of Sunray - David Lang, For Madeline - Michael Gordon, Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary - Julia Wolfe, Electric Counterpoint - Steve Reich and 2 x 5 - Steve Reich. This set of music went straight to the musical DNA of the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

This New York ensemble cross the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music to create a sound that is free of any category definition. The Bang on a Can All-Stars were formed in 1992 by renowned new-music collective Bang on a Can and were named Musical America's Ensemble of the Year in 2005. Since 1987 Bang on a Can founded by Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe have been creating an international community dedicated to innovatory music.

The first three pieces performed on the night were composed by the three founders of Bang on a Can. This was followed by Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint and 2 x 5. Norwich Theatre Royal was filled with the sounds of minimalism and progressive music. This has to be the coolest event at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which I greatly enjoyed.

I love the music of Steve Reich and it was brilliant to hear Electric Counterpoint and 2 x 5 being performed live at Norwich Theatre Royal. Sunray, For Madeline and Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary were all interesting and stimulating pieces. The Bang on a Can All-Stars are taking music into uncharted territories in the 21st Century.

Mariza at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Tuesday 14th May 2013 I attended the Mariza concert at Norwich Theatre Royal with support from Alasdair Roberts. Two years ago Mariza had to cancel her appearance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival due to illness. It was great to be able to finally see her live at the Festival.

Mariza is the leading Portuguese fado singer of her generation and a global icon. She has infused fado, the breathtaking lyrical and melancholic music of Portugal, with the musical flavours of Brazil, Spain and Mozambique.

Mariza has such an amazing powerful and beautiful voice which filled the Norwich Theatre Royal with the sounds of fado. She looked stunning in a long elegant dress and chatted between songs in English and Portuguese. She has a charismatic stage presence and her set mixed traditional and contemporary song forms. There was a great relaxed atmosphere on the night which resulted in a loud round of applause at the end of the concert for the Queen of Fado.

Britten and Bridge celebrated at St. Andrew's Hall

I was back at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival on Monday 13th May 2013 when I attended the Philharmonia Orchestra's concert at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich which featured David Parry - conductor and Mary Plazas - soprano. This was a celebration of Benjamin Britten's centenary and also a tribute to his links with the Festival.

The programme consisted of Suite, The Sea - Bridge, Our Hunting Fathers - Britten, Sinfonia de Requiem - Britten and Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes - Britten. In 1924 Britten heard The Sea, by his teacher, Frank Bridge at the Festival and was knocked sideways. Our Hunting Fathers was commissioned for the 1936 Festival, where it was conducted by Britten himself at St. Andrew's Hall.

The Sea was composed by Frank Bridge in 1910-11 at Eastbourne. This piece is in four movements, each with its own descriptive title. Seascape, Sea-form, Moonlight and Storm. Benjamin Britten's Our Hunting Fathers was the first of the composers acknowledged orchestral song-cycles. This was a collaboration with the poet W.H. Auden, who provided texts for the opening and closing songs.

Sinfonia da Requiem was written by Britten in 1940 as one of several works commissioned from different composers by the Japanese government to mark the 2600th anniversary of the founding of the Japanese dynasty. The work was considered inappropriate for the occasion and was politely rejected. The first performance of Sinfonia da Requiem was given in New York in 1941.

Britten's Four Sea Interludes received its premiere at the Cheltenham Festival in 1945 only a few days after the first performance of Peter Grimes. The Interludes are taken, with slight modifications, directly from the opera. This is one of the composers most popular pieces of music.

It was a brilliant experience to be at St. Andrew's Hall for this concert which celebrated Benjamin Britten's historic links with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This was a night to celebrate wonderful music and the Philharmonia Orchestra were on top form to ensure that this will go down as one of the highlights of this year's Festival.

The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral

On Sunday 12th May 2013 I attended The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral. The annual Eucharist cements and renews the unique relationship between the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and Norwich Cathedral. This year the service celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation with Liturgical performances of music heard at the ceremony in 1953.

The service used Vaughan Williams' Mass in G minor for double choir and included anthems and motets by Vaughan Williams, Howells and Wesley. It closed with Walton's Coronation Te Derum which was composed to conclude the coronation ceremony and Gordon Jacob's arrangement of the National Anthem.

Norwich Cathedral was full of the pomp and majesty of great choral works from Stanford's Gloria in Excelsis which was composed for the coronation of George V in 1911 to Walton's Crown Imperial march. The Norwich Cathedral Choir directed by Ashley Grote and organist David Dunnett made this a moving and memorable service.

Hot dancing at The Forum

On Saturday 11th May 2013 I attended the Bad Taste Company's performance of Faust on Millennium Plain outside The Forum, Norwich. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival event was a unique fusion of breaking combined with Lindy Hop, Charleston and big-band music of the roaring Twenties.

Faust is based in the Twenties prohibition era and re-imagines Goethe's classic tale, where our hero is in danger of losing his soul to the devil. This fantastic show featured flaming cocktails and burning boxing rings.

The Bad Taste Company gave us a set full of amazing dancing which thrilled the large crowd outside The Forum. This was a fast paced show with lots of imagination. The temperature was raised on Millennium Plain with the hot moves and flames of Faust.

Reve d'Herbert at Cathedral Close

On Friday 10th May 2013 I attended the Norfolk and Norwich Festival launch where Compagnie des Quidams performed Reve d'Herbert which transformed Cathedral Close, Norwich into a luminous dreamscape. This was a spectacular outdoor celebration of the senses.

Mysterious figures, glowing from within, beckoned us into a world of ethereal beauty. The performers themselves became giant lanterns lighting the way to a climax of music, movement and majesty. Cathedral Close with the Cathedral in the background was a wonderful setting for this amazing and beautiful performance.

French performance group Compagnie des Quidams have performed Reve d'Herbert all over the world and this was a fantastic opportunity for the people of Norfolk to witness this truly spectacular show. Several thousand people were in attendance to see the Festival launch where we were taken on a incredible journey by the magical dreams of Compagnie des Quidams and their characters and beautiful music.