The Rest is Noise Festival - Southbank Centre

"I wanted to tell the story of the 20th century through  it music." 

Alex Ross, author of The Rest Is Noise

As mentioned in my previous post I want to talk about The Rest Is Noise Festival inspired by Alex Ross' book and hosted by the Southbank Centre.

The Festival has been going on since January 2013 and here is a little recap of the past events:

"The first half of 2013 has seen us take a fascinating journey through the music of the 20th century. We started at 1900, when the world was on the brink of imploding into the First World War, and travelled through the end of the Second World War, just as America's star was on the rise and the Iron Curtain drew an impenetrable barrier across a shattered Europe.

During this time we provided a map for audiences that included talks, films, debates and concerts to help explain the relationship between classical music and the social and political changes of the last century. This approach, inspired by Alex Ross' book The Rest Is Noise, has allowed us to see the music of that period 'in the round' - bringing in the history of science, technology, philosophical and political movements."

Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Southbank Centre

On the last weekend of this October the time will go back to 1960s and for only £15 for the day pass or £25 for the weekend pass, these are all the things you can see:

Saturday 26 

Film Screenings: Heimat 2 and much more besides

Tariq Ali. In this keynote talk the author and activist discusses a radical decade and key figures such as Henry Kissinger and Malcolm X

Stephen Montague. Listen to This Get to know the music of the 1960s

Pop Art. An overview of the transatlantic movement which dominated the 1960s art world

Marina Frolova Walker. Director of Studies in Music, Cambridge, discusses Shostakovich in the 1960s

May '68. The students protests that turned into one of the most powerful moments of the 1960s

Sunday 27

The Beat Generation. Explore the words and music of the 1960s underground

Zappa on Zappa. Gail Zappa speaks about her husband Frank

The Beatles. Discussion on the early years of the legendary band, based on new biographical material

Joe Boyd. The producer and writer in conversation about the 1960s

Roger McGough & Brian Patten. The legendary Mersey poets read poems and celebrate Liverpool in the 1960s

Angela Davis. Legendary civil rights activist looks back on a decade of revolution

Yellow Submarine

These are only some of the exciting activities going on during that weekend, and among the November ones I will just mention a couple such as: 

Hanif Kureishi about tensions in Thatcherite Britain

Layla Alexander-Garrat, Tarkovsky's on-set-translator, speaks about the legendary film director

Film Music of the 1970s: the great film scores from John Williams to Bernard Herrman

"What do two world wars, votes for women and a moon landing sound like?

Here comes the 20th century."