Legendary tenor José Carreras will premiere his stunning new show at the Royal Albert Hall in May: a very personal, intimate career retrospective from one of the world's greatest ever opera stars. This follows his triumphant return to the stage with the new opera El Juez in season 2014/15.
A Life in Music will take fans on a unique musical journey, as José sings the songs that have influenced and defined his life, from the tunes he loved as a boy to the arias and songs he performed as one of the famous Three Tenors, alongside Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.
José Carreras said: "I am incredibly excited about presenting my new show at the Royal Albert Hall. For me this will be a very special occasion to share all of the music that means the most to me."
"There will be 'greatest hits' and many special surprises, as I celebrate A Life in Music. I hope you can join me on May 15th for what promises to be an incredible evening."
The show, which is in London for one night only, will see the Grammy and Emmy award-winning classical superstar accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as he revisits many of his all time favourite pieces."
Lucy Noble, Director of Events at the Royal Albert Hall, said: "We always strive to bring the world's most popular and respected artists to the Hall, and there are very few as beloved or renowned than the extraordinary José Carreras, whose genius has thrilled the world for generations.
"It is a tremendous honour for us to play host to the world premiere of José's first ever career retrospective: a veritable wish list of classics for any fan of his incomparable work – or of the classical world in general."
José Carreras has made well over 80 recordings, including 50 complete operas, and has sold more than 85 million records. He has performed in every major opera house in the world, and has been awarded doctorates from 16 universities for his services to music.
A Life in Music will include opera, operetta, musical numbers, music from the Mediterranean and songs from the Belle Époque.
"This is my personal selection of arias and songs that have been special to me at different times through my long career," he said. "It is an ode to life because in this music is the passion, the emotion, a feeling in my heart and soul that I attempt to express with my voice."
"It is always very special for me when I perform in London. I am really looking forward to singing at the Royal Albert Hall once more as it is one of the most special places to perform in the world. I plan to make it a wonderful evening full of great music together with all of my British friends."
It will be José's first headline appearance at the Royal Albert Hall since 2008, when he starred in a gala concert in aid of The José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation* and Mencap.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 2nd October. Visit royalalberthall.com.
* In 1987, José was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and given a 1 in 10 chance of survival. Since making a full recovery following an extensive course of treatment, Jose has performed around the world for the last decade and has established the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation which began in Barcelona and now has branches in the United States, Switzerland and Germany.
Susan Boyle announces South Africa date
Susan Boyle is the highlight of the line-up for YOU's sister magazine Huisgenoot's SuperSkouspel on 19 September at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Huisgenoot Skouspel, the pioneering Afrikaans music concert that's rocked Sun City annually over the past 15 years, becomes SuperSkouspel this year.
Instead of consisting of several shows over two weekends, just one major concert accommodating 30 000 people will be held on Saturday, 19 September, at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
This year Huisgenoot has joined forces with kykNet and Big Concerts to reinvent Skouspel.
The date of the event has been selected to coincide with Heritage Day (on 24 September) and the Rugby World Cup tournament. "We'll be celebrating our South African heritage with Afrikaans as the main character," says Karen Meiring, head of kykNet.
Tickets available here.
Further information on Susan's appearance in South Africa can be found here.
Hunter Hayes announces return to UK this Autumn
HUNTER HAYES TO BRING EVEN MORE "CRAZY" TO UK AND IRELAND THIS AUTUMN
Five-time GRAMMY nominee announces return for Let's Be Crazier Tour following sold-out run of UK shows.
LONDON – (26th May, 2015) – Hunter Hayes has had so much fun in the UK this spring, he's coming back as soon as possible. Following a sold-out run of shows in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow over the last few days, Hayes announced today that he'll be returning for a second leg of the Let's Be Crazier Tour starting in September.
"The crowds here in the UK have been fantastic," said Hayes. "The fact that we sold out our first UK run within seconds is just surreal to me, and it's such a great feeling to see fans over here singing our songs and coming out to support us every night."
UK fans embraced Hayes enthusiastically during his latest visit, which he made in support of his first UK album, I Want Crazy, released on 25th May. The album includes several of the five-time GRAMMY nominee's biggest hits, including the UK singles "Tattoo" and "Light Me Up" and the multi-Platinum smashes "Wanted" and "I Want Crazy."
During the Autumn leg of the Let's Be Crazier Tour, Hayes will make stops in Bristol, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin. Ticketing information for each is available below:
27th September: Birmingham The Institute | 0844 844 0444 | ticketmaster.co.uk
28th September: Bristol O2 Academy | 0844 477 2000 | ticketweb.co.uk
30th September: London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire | 0844 477 2000 | ticketweb.co.uk
1st October: Manchester Academy 2 | 0161 832 1111 | ticketline.co.uk
2nd October: Glasgow O2 ABC | 0844 477 2000 | ticketweb.co.uk
3rd October: Dublin Vicar Street | 0818 719 300 | ticketmaster.ie
For more information and the latest updates, visit HunterHayes.com and follow on Twitter @HunterHayesand Facebook.com/HunterHayes.
Taylor Swift receives Milestone honour at 50th ACM Awards
This weekend saw the Academy of Country Music Awards present Taylor Swift with its Milestone Award. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the ACMs Taylor was one of seven artists who were honored for making a significant impact in the genre.
On accepting the honour, Taylor said:
"I'm so happy, so happy I learned to write songs in a town like Nashville. I'm so grateful that I learned what hard work is from my heroes who are all sitting here. And I'm so unbelievably proud that I learned to treat people with kindness and respect from country music. I love you so much."
The Milestone Award was also presented on Sunday to fellow industry superstars Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Kenny Chesney.
Also in attendance on Sunday was Hunter Hayes who begins his debut headline UK tour at KOKO London in a months time on May 22nd. Last remaining tickets available now here.
Taylor Swift begins The 1989 World Tour on May 5th at the Tokyo Dome. The tour hits the UK on June 23rd at Glasgow's SSE Hydro. Tickets and more details can be found here.
Press reaction: Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea in North America
As Herbie and Chick approach the final shows of the North American leg of their tour, we take a look at what the press thought about their first collaborative tour since 1978.
NEW YORK TIMES
Review: Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on Two Grand Pianos at Carnegie Hall
Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock strolled onstage at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night like a longtime comedy team. Both were members of Miles Davis groups, both have widely recorded on electric keyboards as well as piano, and both are among jazz's greatest pianists. But the last time Mr. Hancock and Mr. Corea toured as a duo was in the late 1970s before resuming celebrated solo careers.
For nearly the entire concert, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Corea played as if each had vowed never to let the other play alone for long, while retaining the prerogatives of a soloist. It made for a night of dense yet remarkably transparent music; what could have been endless collisions were kaleidoscopic overlays instead. Their two very distinct styles could still be discerned: Mr. Hancock's bluesiness and through-the-looking-glass harmonies, Mr. Corea's pinging melodies and hints of flamenco, Chopin and Stravinsky. But they often merged into a glorious, vertiginous rush of ideas.
Davis's "All Blues" unfurled new implications for its open-ended harmonies. On Mr. Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," Mr. Corea playfully challenged the rolling rhythm of its familiar vamp with syncopations and polytonal toppings of his own. Mr. Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" began as a rapt, luminous meditation, with its theme peeking out one tentative note at a time, before the duo teased it toward a waltz and sent it spiraling through key changes.
THE WASHINGTON POST
At Corea and Hancock's performance, crowd-pleasers and timeless classics
If ovations were cherry blossoms, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock would have been up to their knees in petals at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Friday night. Yet, as pleased as they were with the resounding response, there were moments during the nearly two-hour, sold-out performance when the jazz-piano legends seemed to find even greater delight in each other's company and in the playful gamesmanship that ensued.
It's been nearly 40 years since the release of "An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert," a landmark compilation of live tracks that still serves as a template for the duo's live performances. Friday night's concert, presented by Washington Performing Arts, reminded listeners time and again that some jazz virtuosos seem destined to share the stage. At one point, in fact, the pianists marveled at how their careers initially interlocked a half-century ago. First, in the early 1960s, Hancock replaced Corea in Mongo Santamaria's band; then, several years later, Corea replaced Hancock in Miles Davis's group.
These days, Corea, 73, and Hancock, who turned 75 on Sunday, are all about mutual admiration, and their engaging camaraderie onstage couldn't be more evident. How best to elicit a smile, a laugh or, better yet, a startled expression from a distinguished peer? Some surefire maneuvering — and outmaneuvering — came into play Friday night. Tumultuous crescendos surged forward, only to stop on a dime. A solitary note hovered near the end of a coda, toying with listener expectations and thwarting a timely resolution. Countless countermelodies surfaced in myriad forms, snugly fitting into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
The evening's biggest crowd-pleaser, though, centered on audience participation. After Corea drafted large groups of concertgoers into a male or female "choir" with a few swipes of his hand, the pianists conducted the ad hoc vocal ensembles in a whimsical and remarkably harmonious performance of Corea's signature hit, "Spain." This time, the audience rewarded itself with a rousing ovation — and deservedly so.
Corea and Hancock are on an extensive world tour. Without doubt, another collection of concert recordings is forthcoming. If so, there certainly won't be a shortage of audacious four-hand collaborations that underscore an enduring bond and chemistry.
THE STAR
At Massey Hall, April 14
Jazz titans Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea casually strolled onto the stage.
They took their seats, facing each other across two grand pianos. Hancock began building lush chords. Corea came in high with butterfly flourishes. Together, they improvised a melancholy lullaby that set the tone for an evening of intimate spontaneity.
The pianists, who both cut their jazz teeth in ensembles led by legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, are touring together for the first time in nearly 40 years. Their 1978 tour, which produced two double live albums, was strictly an acoustic affair. Interestingly, both men were then deeply committed to fusion, playing spacey and rhythmic electrified jazz accented with rock instrumentation.
In one of the evening's more playful moments, Hancock even improvised a hip-hop beat with his synth's drum program while Corea created a crystalline melody on his own before reaching into the top of his piano to pluck its strings.
Between songs, they joked with the eclectic crowd — a crowd as diverse as their respective catalogues, which range from avant-garde to fusion to pop. They even ruminated about Toronto's place in music history.
For an encore, the duo delved into Corea's 1970s fusion masterpiece, "Spain" — a song that follows Miles Davis' 1960 Sketches of Spain LP by borrowing heavily from Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's 1939 Concierto de Aranjuez.
As their encore crescendoed, Corea and Hancock led the audience in a call and response, encouraging them to mimic their pianos' phrases, laughing when they tried to trip the crowd up. Such jovial intimacy characterized the night: two aging masters still at the height of their musical prowess; two old friends happy to be challenging each other on stage again.
The tour returns in May to Asia and Australia before heading to Europe in July. For further details and tickets, click here.
A tribute to Joe Cocker
Marshall Arts are truly saddened to learn today of the passing of a true British legend.
Joe was simply unique. He was without doubt the greatest rock-soul singer to come out of Britain, and he remained the same man throughout his life.
He was a true star – but a kind and humble man who loved to perform. Anyone who ever saw him live will never forget him.
It will be impossible to fill the space he leaves in our hearts.
Al Jarreau announces Ronnie Scott's residency
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of 'Jarreau', the Platinum-certified album released in 1983, premier British trumpeter Tom Walsh and Larry Williams, Al Jarreau's pianist, horn player, and album producer, have enlisted their friends and colleagues to perform this fantastic, high-octane album in whole, with Al Jarreau himself.
A special project offering an extremely rare opportunity to catch this legendary artist perform music from one of his most acclaimed albums 'Jarreau' in the intimate surroundings of Ronnie Scott's across three nights with two performances each night.
Sunday 16th, Tuesday 18th & 19th February 2014. Tickets available here.
Al Jarreau is one of the world's musical treasures. With his unique vocal style, seven Grammys, scores of international music awards, and popular accolades worldwide, he is one of the most exciting and critically acclaimed performers of our time.
Pink receives Billboard's Woman of the Year 2013 award
Pink received the Woman of the Year Award at the 2013 Billboard Women in Music event in New York City on Tuesday.
Pink, who scored her fourth No. 1 single on the Hot 100 earlier this year with "Just Give Me a Reason," a duet with Fun.'s Nate Ruess caps off a memorable year collecting this honour.
Reflecting on this year Pink said "It's been an incredible... and I feel so grateful to radio for sticking by me, and to the fans and friends and all of the incredible talent that I was fortunate enough to work with for this album."
Her sixth full-length, 'The Truth About Love' became her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 after its release last September, with lead single "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," "Try," "Just Give Me a Reason" and "True Love" earned a Grammy nomination earlier this year for Best Pop Vocal Album.
P!nk's five subsequent albums have peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200, culminating with her first No. 1 late last year. Along the way, she's sold over 40 million albums and 65 million singles, including 20 million digital tracks. That includes 14 top 10 singles, with "Lady Marmalade," "So What," "Raise Your Glass" and "Just Give Me a Reason" reaching No. 1 in the U.S.
Billboard's annual Women in Music Event, now in its eighth year, celebrates the most powerful and talented women in the music business, coinciding with the publication of Billboard's Women in Music Power Players list. Katy Perry was the 2012 Woman of the Year honouree, while previous winners include Taylor Swift and Beyonce.