Arcadia Public Library

A celebration of the great LGBTQ+ stand-up comedians who've appeared on Live at the Apollo across its 14 series.

Renato Palumbo returns with another Verdi classic, with the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho, and the tenor Gregory Kunde as Otello.

This exciting mix of essential Berlioz masterpieces will be showcased in a variety of different programmes at prestigious venues in both Europe and the US, including concert halls in New York, Amsterdam, Paris and Versailles. A world-class roster of acclaimed soloists will join the orchestra for these much-anticipated performances including French mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot (La mort de Cléopâtre, excerpts from Les Troyens).

For the young producer Norman Granz, the signing of Charlie Parker to the Mercury label was a real coup. The saxophonist had been thinking for some years about the opportunity to record music outside his usual quintet. The “Charlie Parker with Strings” project was an old dream of his that he realized in 1949. With an oboe, a few violins, a viola, a cello, a harp, a piano, a double bass and drums, he gave a new sound to classics of the 1930s like...

It's only fair that the drummer who invented Afrobeat pays tribute to the drummer who invented hard bop. For the last few years that Tony Allen has been enjoying a second youth in Paris and elsewhere, we have tended to forget that his very particular style, of touching and pounding, comes as much from his African and Nigerian sources as from the rhythmic boppers that were Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and, in particular, Art Blakey.

This remarkable documentary tells the amazing story of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who rose to superstardom at the beginning of the 20th century as sideshow attractions, performing alongside the likes of Bob Hope and Charlie Chaplin. Ruthlessly exploited by their managers, the sisters ultimately sued for their freedom-which they won at a terrible cost. A gripping, roller-coaster tale of showbiz tragedy, BOUND BY FLESH puts a touchingly...

A brilliant documentary about Hanayagi Genshu, a Japanese feminist and avant-garde dancer and performer, who has spent her life defying her conservative culture’s contempt for independence and unconventionality. She denounced Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal, and dismissed death threats made against her by right-wing groups. “You mustn’t be eaten by the kimono,” says Genshu, making reference to the traditional Japanese dress designed to...