music^ 12-18 Aug 2017^ guide^30
Four of the best Classical concerts
1
In the Land of Uz
Judith Weir’s cantata is the
latest major new British choral
work to feature at this year’s
Proms. In the Land of Uz is
described as a “dramatised
reading” of the Book of Job, with
a narrator and a chorus telling
the story of Job’s trials and his
ultimate triumph over them.
Southwark Cathedral, SE1, Sat
2
Monteverdi trilogy
The highlight of the
celebrations around the 450th
anniversary of Monteverdi’s
birth this year has been the
concert stagings of his three
operas that John Eliot Gardiner
(pictured) has been touring
across Europe. Having staged
them first in Bristol in May, he
is back in Britain to present
the trilogy at the Edinburgh
international festival.
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Mon
to Thu3
Bang on a Can All-Stars
What was started 25 years
ago by three young New York-
based composers as an annual
showcase has become one of
the world’s most important
platforms for new music.
Premieres from Bang On a
Can’s three founders – MichaelGordon, Julia Wolfe and David
Lang – feature in the All-Stars’
late-night programme, alongside
pieces by two composers who
have influenced the group, Philip
Glass and Louis Andriessen.
Royal Albert Hall, SW7, Thu4
Macbeth
Fully staged opera is a
rare commodity at Edinburgh
this summer, but a visit from
the Teatro Regio of Turin
provides some compensation.
Its production of Macbeth is
part of the festival’s celebration
of its own 70th anniversary –
Verdi’s Macbeth was the first
opera to be seen there.
Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
Fri to 20 AugAndrew Clements