Harrison Birtwistle revival heads big names at Brighton festival
 Opera about mother who kills her children to feature in programme commissioned by choreographer Hofesh Shechter A disused brewery depot in Lewes will be the unlikely venue for an operatic ballad of rural infanticide by the composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle - one of a number of big names taking part at this year's Brighton festival. Now in its 48th year, Brighton stages the largest annual mixed arts festival in England and has revealed its programme of 448 performances and 147 events in 37 venues to be staged over three weeks in May. Birtwistle's chamber opera Down by the Greenwood Side was commissioned for the 1969 Brighton festival, when it was performed on the now destroyed West Pier. Described by Birtwistle, 80 this year, as "a dramatic pastoral", it tells the story of a mother who murders her children and is based on the macabre 17th-century ballad, The Cruel Mother. For this year's festival it will be performed in Harveys Depot in Lewes with Birtwistle in conversation at Brighton's Royal Pavilion. Since 2009 the festival has had guest directors that have included Anish Kapoor, Aung San Suu Kyi and Vanessa Redgrave and this year the choreographer Hofesh Shechter takes on the job. His company was the first resident company at Brighton Dome and festival in 2008 and the town has, he said, "been an inspiring and encouraging place for my company and me. We've enjoyed the buzz, the lightness, energy and the unexplainable essence of Brighton." Shechter's new work, Sun, will open the festival while other dance highlights will include the UK premiere of Talk to the Demon, a work by the Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus which explores the misuse of power and abuse of social media. Music will include performances by Cat Power and Emmylou Harris as well as pop provocateur Peaches performing the whole of rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar with genuine reverence. The artist Yinka Shonibare will explore the impact of immigration on British culture in an installation at Brighton's reference library while in theatre there will be visits by the Russian company led by Dmitry Krymov; and the Glasgow-based Vanishing Point. • Brighton festival takes place 3-25 May. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds |
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