25 h. ago Adès, Leith, Marsey: Orchestral Works album review – an impressive collection marks a productive association

Hallé Orchestra/Adès(Hallé)This brings together new works of his own and by composers he admires that Thomas Adès has conducted at Bridgewater Hall during his residency with the HalléSince 2023 Thomas Adès has been artist-in-residence with the Hallé Orchestra. He has featured as composer, conductor and pianist in his appearances with the orchestra, and all his concerts have included new or nearly new works, both his own and by composers he admires. As the residency comes to an end, this collection brings together pieces he has conducted in Manchester; there are four by Adès himself, alongside William Marsey’s Man With Limp Wrist and Oliver Leith’s Cartoon Sun.Of the four pieces by Adès, only one is substantial. Aquifer, which he wrote last year for Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, is a densely packed 17-minute movement, which contains enough ideas to power a symphony at least twice as long, before being brought to a halt by the most common-or-garden of cadence...

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37 h. ago Donatella's golden goodbye: Kate Moss leads model salute in farewell that also has a silver lining

To mark the release of her final collection, Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace assembled a bevy of her closest friends for a leaving do, of sorts.

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9 d. ago Apple AirPods pro 2’s noise cancelling is still so impressive, I couldn’t hear myself type this review

The 2nd generation may not look wildly different to the OGs, but there come with better battery life and extra features

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2 w. ago Berlioz and Ravel album review – his orchestra is responsive to Mäkelä’s every move

Orchestre de Paris/Mäkelä(Decca)It may be missing that edge-of-your-seat excitement it had at last summer’s Proms, but Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique is full of colour and impact, and the energy keeps fizzing on Ravel’s La ValseKlaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris gave an unforgettable performance of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique at the BBC Proms last September, the electric atmosphere of which is not quite replicated on this recording, made in Paris a few months later.It’s all played with consummate skill by an orchestra who are clearly responsive to their conductor’s every move, as they were in Royal Albert Hall, and Mäkelä’s shaping of Berlioz’s music, from the gentle, vibratoless violins at the beginning to the careering witches’ dance of the finale, remains highly coloured and full of impact. Yet it all feels a little clinical; the edge-of-the-seat excitement is missing. Perhaps it has been engineered out: the sound feels over-tweaked, and although the spatial effects at ...

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2 w. ago LookFantastic’s June beauty box contains lengthening mascara worth more than the entire box 

LookFantastic's latest beauty box is packed with six products from brands like Lanolips, BeautyPro, Olaplex, Aromatherapy Associates and more

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2 w. ago Cypress Hill: ‘We made plenty of tracks when we weren’t high’

Hip-hop superstars Sen Dog and B-Real talk to Stevie Chick about surviving their early gang-banging days, making an orchestral album with the LSO, the concept of retirement and why they think there weren’t ‘any bigger stoners than the two of us’

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3 w. ago AceFit Pro earphone review: comfortable, safe and impressive sound quality

As an outdoor runner, it's so important to have a good pair of headphones that sound great but also let you hear traffic and your surroundings, these AceFit Pro earphones fit the bill

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last month Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions – I was sceptical, until I took Cyberpunk 2077 for a spin

With Nintendo Switch 2 reviews being delayed due to Nintendo not sending out any review units prior to launch, here are my first impressions of the new console. But, don't worry, the Mirror's full Nintendo Switch 2 review will be coming soon!

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