My Week in Moving Pictures - Highlights of My Week in Video, Music and Words

Saturday: Bangor North Wales

 

Went to see the  Xenia Pestova and Pascal Meyer piano duo present Karlheinz Stcokhausen’s rarely performed masterpiece MANTRA (1970) for two pianists and live electronics at the University of Bangor.



MANTRA-excerpts-Part IV from Pestova/Meyer Piano Duo on Vimeo.

Sunday: Beaumaris Castle, the Isle of Anglesey

 Wikipedia says

Beaumaris Castle, located in the town of the same name on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer the north of Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct the castle in 1284, but this was delayed due to lack of funds and work only began in 1295 following the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising.....Beaumaris Castle was taken by Welsh forces in 1403 during the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion, but recaptured by royal forces in 1405. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. Despite forming part of a local royalist rebellion in 1648 the castle escaped slighting and was garrisoned by Parliament, but fell into ruin around 1660, eventually forming part of a local stately home and park in the 19th century.

Wednesday:- Artrix, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

A brilliant 2 person play and musical by  Townsend Productions of an event of great significance to the English labour movement.
Following the hit sell-out production of THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS, Townsend Productions presents WE WILL BE FREE!, a new drama set in 1834 about the Tolpuddle Martyrs thatfollows the extraordinary true story of George and Betsy Loveless. He was a Methodist preacher and the leader of the six Dorsetshire farm labourers who were tried, convicted and condemned to harsh transportation by an oppressive Government for having the temerity to swear a secret oath and form a union to fight against a succession of wage cuts inflicted by the local landowner. 

When sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia, George Loveless wrote on a scrap of paper the following lines:

God is our guide! 
from field, from wave, 
From plough, from anvil, and from loom; 
We come, our country's rights to save,
And speak a tyrant faction's doom:
We raise the watch-word liberty;
We will, we will, we will be free! 

The Tolpuddle Martyrs became popular heroes and 800,000 signatures were collected for their release which was eventually granted.