14 th/15 th/16 th/OCT THE 01 INTRODUCTION 02 OUTSIDER ART MaNCHESTER 03 OLD TRADITIONS, WEEKENDER NEW BLOOD 04 DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES 05 FEST IN SHow 06 HIGHLIGHTS 07 CONTEMPORARY COOL 08 WORKSHOPS, SHOWS AND TALKS 09 SECRET CITY ARTS 10 EXPLORATIONS AND EXCURSIONS 11 FAMILY-FRIENDLY 12 FULL LISTINGS 13 AT THE MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES 14 BOOK YoUR StaY Visit us at: creativetourist.com/weekender facebook.com/creativetourist twitter.com/creativetourist #mcrweekender Cover illustration by Adam Dedman. MANCHESTER IN OctobER HAS ALwaYS HAD IT GOING ON. AS IF foUR SEPARatE FESTIVALS, AN ART TRIENNIAL, THE OPENING OF HIGH-PROFILE ART EXHIBITIONS AND THE StaRT OF MUSIC AND THEatRE SEASONS wasn’T ENOUGH, We’ve CREatED A FULL Weekend’s woRTH OF EXTRA SPECIAL EVENTS. THE RESULT? THREE DAYS OF coNStaNT CULTURAL CELEBRatioN HAND-PICKED foR YOU BY CREatiVE 01 TOURIST. Ford Madox Brown and Adolphe an organ recital and causing mayhem. Valette were alien artists in Manchester, “He had to work directly from nature, yet their careers have been intrinsically it was part of the Pre-Raphaelite idea”, defined by it. For Brown, Manchester says Treuherz. was the setting of his most challenging Adolphe Valette also painted commission and the realisation of a from life. He arrived in the city in 1904 lifetime ambition, while Valette came in bringing with him the heady aura of 02 pursuit of the city’s industrial heritage, the Paris demimonde and French its creamy grey skies and overcast impressionism. For his students at light. Both artists are the focus of two the Manchester School of Art, it was a large-scale exhibitions in the city this revelation. Where they battled against autumn. Brown is the better known the colourless vision of the industrial of the two artists here; his murals metropolis he embraced it, instilling adorn the Town Hall and his most a smoky beauty into Manchester’s OUTSIDER famous painting, Work, resides in polluted atmosphere. One of his the city’s gallery. But the curator students was LS Lowry and Valette’s of the exhibition at Manchester Art arrival was to be the defining moment Gallery, Julian Treuherz, argues that of his artistic career: “I cannot over- Brown is actually under-represented estimate the effect on me at that time here. “You only see certain phases of of coming into this drab city of Adolphe his career. I believe he was one of Valette…” he said. Born in St Etienne ART Britain’s foremost landscape painters in 1876, just two years after the first of the time.” Along with the landscapes Impressionist painting was exhibited by will be examples of his design work for Monet, Valette was well versed in this William Morris, including furniture and radical new movement. Yet he was also stained glass windows. a child of the factory; his family worked The show will also be an at the local munitions plant. A painting opportunity to cement Brown’s of a working canal boat emerging reputation as the pioneer of the Pre- from the smaze of a factory chimney is Raphaelite Brotherhood thanks to imbued with mystical revelation. “Valette pictures like The Seraph’s Watch, which was instrumental in transforming the has been in a private collection and perception of Manchester’s landscape,” not seen since the 1840s. “Brown was says Cecilia Lyon, exhibition curator. “He older than the Pre-Raphaelites and the was the first person to paint its industrial Artists Ford Madox Brown and only one to have gone to Italy,” says heritage in a positive manner”. His Treuherz. “He came back inspired by influence on the young Lowry is Adolphe Valette were two visitors to the early Italian art and started painting in perhaps best revealed in a series of this radical style which then inspired seascapes. “You can see it in those city who made a lasting impression on Rossetti.” Brown’s relationship with dramatic horizons and the lack of detail, Manchester began late in life when he and the strength of the paint,” says Manchester. Jessica Lack investigates. was commissioned to paint 12 murals in Lyon. Through Valette’s teaching, Lowry Tug boat on Manchester Ship Canal © Adolphe Valette, private collection the Town Hall. The project took 13 years, transformed the flat grey expanse of the and the final painting was completed in North Sea into a reflective meditation 1893, the last year of his life. There are on his insularity and wariness of what plenty of entertaining anecdotes about might lie beyond that thin horizon. Lowry his eccentric behaviour during his time said Valette taught him how to look. in the city, like the time he smuggled “Valette would say ‘there is beauty in a real pig into the building to copy. everything, even pollution,’ and I think Of course it escaped, gatecrashing that was his legacy to Manchester.” Ford Madox Brown: Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer, 24 September - 29 January 2012, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, M2 3JL. £8 (£6 concs, under 18s free). manchestergalleries.org Adolphe Valette: A Pioneer of Impressionism in Manchester, 15 October – 29 January, The Lowry, The Quays, M50 3AZ. Free. thelowry.com Image: The Last Of England, 1852–55, oil on panel, Ford Madox Brown, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery © Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery If you do one thing in classical Portrait of a Hungarian: financial times so we have to raise officially introduce Mena as its new music this autumn, go and see the Part I, Manchester Camerata the level even higher.” chief conductor with performances BBC Philharmonic in their fancy new and Gabor Tákacs-Nagy, Tákacs-Nagy grew up in Hungary of Mahler (September 24), Ravel premises in MediaCityUK, under new September 24, 7:30pm at and made his name as a violinist with and Rodrigo (October 1), Bach and Chief Conductor Juanjo Mena. No, wait RNCM Concert Hall, Oxford the world-renowned Tákacs Quartet. Bruckner (November 19) and is settling – make that Manchester Camerata, Road. Tickets from £10. He has been conducting professionally into its new studio home at The Quays which has both a new leader, the Latin Book on 0161 907 555 since 2007, when he was appointed which has a capacity of 250 and will firebrand Giovanni Guzzo, and a new or rncm.ac.uk as music director of the Verbier Festival host several concerts during the 03 Music Director, Gábor Takács-Nagy. Chamber Orchestra. He has more than coming season. Or maybe it’s The Hallé’s much- Mahler Symphony No a professional interest in the North By way of contrast to anticipated Beethoven cycle under 2 ‘Resurrection’, BBC West – his wife is from Burnley and Manchester’s new conductors on the Sir Mark Elder? Philharmonic and Juanjo he has been a Manchester United fan block, Sir Mark Elder is about to enter There is so much going on in Mena, September 24, 7:30pm since the age of eight, when he saw his 12th season as music director of Manchester over the next few months George Best on a visit to Budapest. The Hallé. The orchestra is presenting that music lovers will be facing some at Bridgewater Hall, Lower Other highlights of Camerata’s all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies in painful dilemmas. It all starts on Mosley Street. Tickets £10- upcoming season include a tribute the order they were composed, pairing September 24, when the Camerata £33.50. bbc.co.uk/orchestras/ to the Italian cellist and composer each one with a work written in the past and the BBC Phil are holding their philharmonic Giovanni Sollima featuring Hannah 100 years, beginning with Symphony season opening concerts on the same Roberts on cello (November 18). No. 1 on October 13. A flurry of new night. The Camerata will present a Beethoven Symphony No 1 Talking of fiery Italians, That famous sense of healthy Hungarian-inspired programme under and works by Bartók, Debussy Gianandrea Noseda – the BBC Phil’s competition between Manchester arrivals, relocations, and Tákacs-Nagy featuring works by Bartók, and Stravinsky, The Hallé and chief conductor before Mena, who orchestras looks set to reach new Liszt and Haydn, while the BBC Phil Sir Mark Elder, October 13, remains conductor laureate – will heights this year – and the city’s enticing performances add will introduce Mena with the mighty 7:30pm at Bridgewater Hall, return to Manchester on November classical music scene will be all Mahler 2. Lower Mosley Street. Tickets 26 to conduct a performance of the better for it, according to Richard up to an embarrassment of According to Tákacs-Nagy, the £9.50-£35. halle.co.uk Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 1 Wigley. “It’s good that Manchester competition will be good for everyone. featuring young Russian violinist Alina has three orchestras and they are “Manchester is coming up,” he says. Ibragimova, who wowed audiences all different, and that will carry on,” riches for classical music “It is already a special place but more this summer with her performances he says. “The audiences like the and more things are happening. It is at Chetham’s School of Music as variety and choice.” Just as long as lovers in Manchester, good for everyone – everyone has to part of the Manchester International they are good at planning their diaries. Femke Colborne finds. change the gear. We are in difficult Festival. But first, the orchestra will Left: Juanjo Mena (Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic). Photo by Sussie Ahlburg. Right: Gábor Takács-Nagy (Music Director of the Manchester Camerata). OLD Photo by Jonathan Keenan. TRADitioNS, NEW BLooD DRawiNG OUTSIDE THE LINES 04 Snow Mirror, 2006. Photo by John Berens.