Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Nick Kimberley's rating
Reader rating
Description: East meets West as the multi-award-winning composer, producer, songwriter and DJ joins the orchestra under Stephen Hussey for an evening of both his own and his collaborative works. Pre-prom talk, 7.15. Stephen Hussey talks about his collaborations with Nitin Sawhney.
Contribution: Nitin Sawhney added level upon level of sound
No one could accuse the BBC of underplaying the 60th anniversary of Indian independence and partition, and Nitin Sawhney's Albert Hall performance functioned, in part at least, as the Proms' contribution.
His architectural approach to music should have suited the venue. With his own guitar or piano as foundation, he added level upon level of sound: pre-recorded samples; Indian flute, sitar and tabla; multiple vocal styles including flamenco, North African and human beat-box; and the specially formed 60-piece London Undersound Symphony Orchestra.
But the unyielding amplification worked like sonic Botox, filling out surfaces while obscuring essential features. Beatboxer Jason Singh was barely audible, the orchestral strings were too often a mere wall of sound beneath Karlos Edwards's clattery drum kit, while the disparate vocal idioms tended to blur together.
The best moments were usually the simplest. Dancers Akhram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui replayed highlights of the sit-down choreography from Zero Degrees, their dance-and-words collaboration with Sawhney.
The potential for basic musical impulses to cut through was apparent when Sawhney, flautist Ashwan Srinivasan and tabla player Aref Durvesh performed The Conference, unadorned kathak dance rhythms made explosively vocal.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
