Have a Brontë bonanzaIt’s going to be a year of Brontë for me. Recently I picked up Charlotte B’s Villette — prompted by a Times recommendation from the author Kaliane Bradley, who described it as “superb” and “horny” — and while I can’t exactly say I’m racing through it, the narrator is a remarkable heroine: bitter, wry, self-hating, kind of like a corseted Fleabag. Next goal: wrap up Villette in time to read Emily’s Wuthering Heights before the “sexed-up” movie with Margot Robbie comes out (February 13), so I can criticise it smugly but authoritatively. And then, I suppose out of fairness, it’s time to find out whether Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is utterly brilliant or a weird story about rental agreements. (Neil Fisher)
Haworth village is one of the most picturesque, fascinating, and best places to visit in Yorkshire. Here are our top five things to do in Haworth that will persuade you to put it at the top of your bucket list for 2026.1. It is the home of the Literature Queens, the Brontë SistersOne of the things that Haworth is most famous for is being the home of the talented Brontë sisters. The authors of such works, including Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, have left their legacy in Haworth. They continue to attract thousands of visitors to the village each year.Here are some of the main attractions linked to the Brontë Sisters you must see when you visit Haworth:The Brontë Parsonage MuseumThe famous home of the Brontë family is now a fascinating museum. At the Brontë Parsonage Museum, you’ll discover the world’s largest variety of original Brontë items, including furniture, books, paintings, clothes, and much more. Throughout the year, there are family activities, insightful talks, and special exhibitions.Haworth Parish ChurchAfter visiting the Brontë Parsonage Museum, you should take a look at Haworth Parish Church, located right next door. It has deep connections with the family. Firstly, Patrick Brontë, the sisters’ father, was the parish minister for 41 years. Also, Emily, Charlotte, Bramwell (their brother), and Patrick are all buried here. It is a must-visit when wandering Brontë Country.Top WithensTop Withens is an iconic landmark in Haworth. This ruined, isolated farmhouse located on Haworth Moor is roughly a 3.5-mile walk from the village’s main street. It is widely considered a significant inspiration for Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights. With this connection mixed with the beautifully wild landscapes, it is a highly popular spot for walkers.Black BullAfter a long day walking and sightseeing, you might very well want to stop for a hard-earned drink. If you want a cosy pub but also want to keep discovering more about the Brontës, then look no further than the Black Bull. The pub is famous as it was the favourite drinking spot of Branwell Brontë, the sisters’ brother. An excellent creative in his own right, he was a regular visitor to the pub, and you’ll still find his famous masonic seat. The pub also appeared in a BBC drama ‘To Walk Invisible’, which tells the story of Bramwell and his family. (Eddie Brickdale)
Hazel Rickett, from leading small-group tour operator Rabbie’s, has recommended six incredible destinations, perfect for a staycation in the new year to keep the January blues at bay. (...)And finally, Haworth, located in West Yorkshire, was her sixth recommendation for anyone seeking a relaxing started to 2026.Best known for being the home of the Brontë sisters, the village and surrounding moorlands are incredibly atmospheric at this time of year.She added: “Here, people can explore the cobbled, Victorian streets or plan a visit to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, before warming up in one of Haworth’s traditional pubs after a crisp winter walk. (Ruth Warrander)
The dales and moors of Yorkshire are a well-established muse for writers and visual artists. Most recently, the region has served as the romantic location for “Wuthering Heights” and “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” The North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Yorkshire Dales make appearances in both and are a must-see when visiting. Make sure to squeeze in a visit to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where the Brontë family lived from 1820 to 1861. The historic space offers fascinating insight into the lives of the three Brontë sisters and the world that inspired “Wuthering Heights.”
The trailer for Emerald Fennell’s “ravishingly stylish” adaptation of Emily Brontë’s only novel sent much of the internet into a “tizzy”, said Jack King in GQ. This “definitely isn’t the ‘Wuthering Heights’ you read for your GCSEs”. As you would expect from the director of “Saltburn”, the trailer was “factory-made to provoke a reaction”. In her “gleefully anachronistic romance”, Margot Robbie (pictured above) and Jacob Elordi take on the starring roles of Catherine and Heathcliff, while Charli XCX has contributed some “absolute bangers” to the soundtrack. Is it a surprise Fennell’s film “seemingly sticks a middle finger up at the source material? More to the point: does it really matter, when it looks like this much of a laugh?” (Irene Forshaw)
While Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming film is already stirring up conversation thanks to its surprising costumes, Margot Robbie and stylist Andrew Mukamal are already plotting a fashion fantasia for the press tour. “The couture shows are in January. So we can see what comes out of that,” Robbie told British Vogue. Maybe, if we’re lucky, co-star Jacob Elordi will break out the cravat again. (Hannah Jackson)
4. «Wuthering Heights» de Charli XCXEl próximo 13 de febrero los fans de Charli XCX estarán de celebración, y es que la artista anunció hace unas semanas que el segundo mes de 2026 llegaría por todo lo alto con un nuevo disco bajo el brazo: «Wuthering Heights». Un disco que se presenta como algo muy distinto a lo que ha hecho hasta ahora y del cual ya hemos conocido los temas «Chains of Love» y «House», tema que compuso para la banda sonora de la adaptación de «Cumbres Borrascosas» y que parece ser que es un muy buen chivatazo de lo que se viene con el disco en conjunto. Tal y como ella ha contado, hizo un disco completo para conseguir introducirse en el personaje, y de hecho ha creado este álbum junto al autor de la banda sonora de la película, Finn Keane. (Translation)
Best Opera PerformanceAnna Sideris - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 33%Anna Netrebko - Tosca - Royal Ballet And Opera 29%Laura Mekhail - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 22%Hector Bloggs - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 15%Best Opera ProductionJane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 48%Tosca - Royal Ballet And Opera 29%Saul - Glyndebourne 23%
Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage (Kenji Nakamura/Toei Animation/Netflix)Rage burns incandescent. This film is hardly the first literary work to note that women's rage, in particular, is hard to extinguish (though it might be the most visually striking). Honestly, I feel like the closest comparisons are Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper.
Why I recommend it: My second-greatest tip for getting back into reading is to revisit the first book you ever loved, and I do that every year with Wuthering Heights. It’s a classic novel about — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — the toxic situationship between two monstrous people. Catherine and Heathcliff both suck, but they’re more than soulmates, and their impossible love, set against the gloomy backdrop of the English moors, never gets boring. It helps that Emily Brontë’s pen is unmatched: “Be with me always — take any form — drive me mad.” That’s the hottest line ever written. I’m so mad at her for dying before she could write anything else.It is impossible to talk about Wuthering Heights without noting that there’s a new movie adaptation coming in February 2026 — your homework is to read this before then, and don’t fall for the rage-bait of whatever inevitable inconsistencies the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi version has. They’re different media, for goodness’ sake! Let Emerald Fennell (the notoriously polarizing director) have a little fun with it!
Also, what’s up with Millie’s room in the attic, which features a window that won’t open, a door that locks from the outside, and a serious Jane Eyre-meets-Gaslight vibe? (David Fear)
They also installed the first visitor toilets at the Brontë Parsonage Museum; relocated the Peace Museum to Salts Mill where its annual visitors increased from 3,000 per year to more than 50,000; and they installed a lift at Ilkley Playhouse. None of that is sexy. But in a city with a council that by its own admission faces financial challenges which rank “among the most significant in local government nationally”, it is work that simply would not have happened otherwise. (Lanre Bakare)
Consideration of book sizes was sparked recently by noticing my spouse and I were both reading books from the Oxford World’s Classics series, her Austen’s “Emma” and me Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” Both were small Aldus portables, but her “Emma” was noticeably larger at 4½ inches by 6½, while “Jane” was merely 4 by 6. The type in “Jane” was a bit smaller, too, as was the price. Published by Oxford Press in 1999, “Emma” cost $13, while “Jane” was published in 1986 by Avenel, a New York company, for $2.99. (Greg Hill)
Site-specific designer Emeline Beroud has hung several significant items on red ropes above the stage: keys, school books, maps, a wedding veil, a bare branch and a chalkboard with LIAR written on it. On the back, the chalkboard reads Helen Burns 1821-1835. These items, plus an old school desk, are the only set. Keys, red threads, and ropes are recurring motifs, variously representing the freedom, empowerment, disempowerment, fire…The first distinct character we encounter is Bertha Mason, Edward Rochester’s first wife, who is famously imprisoned in the attic. Contemporary dancer Steffi Fashokun gives a powerful, poignant and silently persuasive performance as the troubled and enigmatic Bertha. She is continually present throughout the first half on a mezzanine balcony, where she appears, like Penelope or the tower-bound Lady of Shalott, to be weaving a tapestry or visceral rag rug in various shades of red. Tapestry Maker Juliette Georges has created an extraordinary artwork for Fashokun to run mad with. Movement director Alex Gotch effectively creates an alternative narrative for her through expressive choreography. (Phoebe Tablin in Thr Reviews Hub)
Joubert wrote in an expansive, late romantic style with the music for Jane and Rochester full blooded and open hearted. And he gave their scenes plenty of space, which of course meant that the rest of the plot had to whistle past. At the moment the opera has too many smaller characters who either appear very briefly or seem to play little part at all. The programme book listed 12 singing characters, plus Steffi Fashokun in the silent role of Rochester's first wife, Berthe Mason.
Eleanor Burke seems to have made the decision to assume that we did know the book. Before a word was sung, Steffi Fashokun was presented as Berthe and throughout the first act she was strong presence despite the fact that the presence of Berthe in the attic was not explained until Act Two. This felt like a dramatic device introduced by Burke as an admission that the dramaturgy of the opera does not quite work.
That said, the performances by the two leads, Laura Mekhail and Hector Bloggs were both full blooded and engaging. Mekhail brought a contained intensity to Jane, making you remember that in the book the character is fierce with sharp edges. Mekhail's voice is lyric but she revealed enough underlying strength to make the big scenes work. The opera really requires a soprano who can power through and make Jane's music soar and Mekhail made a fine attempt in the small space of the Arcola Theatre Studio. She was well partnered by Hector Bloggs, who revealed a fine romantic baritone even if his stage presence was a bit stiff. This Rochester did not quite brood enough, but Bloggs made up with his vocal quality. (Robert Hugill in Planet Hugill)
Eleanor Burke’s direction and Emeline Beroud’s set and costumes help create a rich visual world in which these tense interpersonal dynamics play out. The production design centres on the red threads of fate and destiny which at times trap and pull each character in different directions. Above the stage, in her attic, Bertha Mason works at a blood red tapestry, like a modern-day Penelope weaving in captivity. Hanging from the ceiling are several props representing key moments or themes from Jane’s life, and characters interact with these at key points in the show. Within the minimal yet intimate space of the Arcola, these props help create a tangible landscape evoking the 19th century world of the novel. The immediacy of the small cast singing so closely to the audience also allowed the singers to play with a much greater dynamic range than some traditional operas in a larger space. (leahj in A Young(ish) Perspective)
The staging is a bit of a mixed bag: there’s a lot of fun rushing about, particularly when Polistina joins us for a confessional moment in the audience at one point, but it’s unclear why asides using a microphone are different from the rest of the straight-to-audience pieces throughout, and getting back and forth to the mic slackens the pace a bit. There’s a rather funny visual gag on the screen near the end which could possibly work even better with a bit of quick-change action onstage, making the most of Polisitina’s high-energy switching between characters; it would certainly give her more flexibility in that section’s delivery. But we are in a function room above a pub, and it’s a free show, so ultimately the production team has done well with limited resources. Plucky, indeed.Jane Eyre Wasn’t a Whore will play especially well with die-hard Brontë fans (reader, I among them) who know all the in-references, but it could equally introduce a generation of heartsick comedy fans to the fact that 150-year-old novels have the perfect advice for when he/she/they won’t text you back. Part of the PBH Free Fringe, so have your shillings ready at the end of the performance. (Caitlin McDonald)
If space is very tight, then roses can work well in pots, so long as you water them: “Olivia Rose Austin thrives in a pot, as does Emily Brontë, and Kew Gardens. The latter will bloom all summer.” (Boudicca Fox-Leonard)
Sounds like fun!Fun is one word for it. Bonkers is another – the film featured several hair-raising scenes, including a “can’t be unseen” finale. (Ed Power)
Finally, take a closer look at Branwell Brontë’s painting with conservator David Everingham on the Brontë Parsonage Facebook Wall.
A striking portrait of a renowned Yorkshire writer has gone on display in the house where it was painted nearly two centuries ago.The profile image of Emily Brontë is one of the only surviving likenesses of the novelist and poet. It was painted by her brother Branwell originally as part of a family portrait of Emily, himself, and their sisters Charlotte and Anne.The work, on loan until October 31 from the National Portrait Gallery in London, has gone on display at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations in Bradford.Branwell created the picture when he was about 17 in around 1833. He was shown holding a gun but later painted himself out.It was inherited by Charlotte’s widower, Arthur Bell Nicholls, who destroyed the images of Charlotte and Anne thinking them poor likenesses. However, he kept the remaining scrap because he thought the depiction of Emily was accurate. It was discovered decades later on top of a wardrobe.Ann Dinsdale, principal curator at the Bronte Parsonage Museum, said: “There is great expectancy at the parsonage and we can’t wait for our visitors to see it. It is a fairly rare opportunity to see it outside London in the house where it was painted.”She said its popularity owed much to the “haunting” image of Emily looking much as readers might expect of the Wuthering Heights author.“She’s looking into the distance, you can only see her in profile. The way it’s been torn, you feel it’s like a holy relic almost,” she said. “We’re definitely expecting people to make a special trip while it’s here.”The discovery of the portraits proved to be a compelling story in themselves.On the first day of viewing in 1914 so many people wanted to see the pictures, the Yorkshire Observer noted the gallery “underwent a minor siege”. (Mike Waites)
Many Irish people are unaware that the English novelist, Charlotte Bronte was married to an Irish-man, Arthur Bell Nicholls from Banagher.Charlotte was the only one of her siblings to marry and we are lucky enough to have her dramatic first-hand account of Arthur's proposal and her father, the Rev Patrick Brontë's staunch opposition to this union. In fact Arthur broached the subject of marriage on Monday December 13th 1852 and there followed a tsunami of events before the couple eventually became engaged. Their marriage took place on June 29th 1854.Her father put many obstacles in the couple's way. He even tried to sabotage the wedding by declaring, on the evening before the ceremony, that he was 'indisposed' and unable to attend. So, in the absence of any other male relatives, who would give the bride away?Luckily, Charlotte had her two best friends staying in the Parsonage with her, Ellen Nussey (her bridesmaid) and her mentor, Margaret Wooler. The ladies put their thinking caps on and looked up the Book of Common Prayer (a religious text book). They discovered that the person who conducted the bride up the aisle did not have to be male and so, Margaret Wooler, Charlotte's former teacher, took up that role and the wedding went ahead at 8am on the following morning.One must remember at that time, marriage was a social, religious and legal contract. Prior to the wedding, on May 24th, a group including Charlotte, Arthur, the bride's father Patrick, the trustee Joe Taylor and Charlotte's solicitor, assembled in the Parsonage at Haworth to sign a legal document known as the Wedding Settlement. Who instigated this contract? Why was this a necessary step? Where did Charlotte's money come from? What was the legal standing of women at that time under English law?To answer these questions I brought my camera along to the Parsonage Museum in Haworth (home of the Brontës) to interview an expert in this field. Their Principal Curator, Ann Dinsdale kindly retrieved the Wedding Settlement parchment from the archives and unpacked the story behind it.This film will be premiered in Banagher on August 17th of August 2025 at 2.30pm as part of the Heritage Week festivities. Ann Dinsdale will be present at Crank House, Main Street and Q & A afterwards should be fascinating. (Maebh O’Regan)
Composer John Joubert and librettist Kenneth Birkin worked on this opera adaptation of Jane Eyre for over a decade, from 1987 to 1997 – there were other things going on during this time, and much of their collaboration was done by correspondence, some of which is apparently now in the archives of the British Library, together with some of Joubert’s composition manuscripts. The good thing about this being an opera they wanted to compose and write, rather than being commissioned, is that there was no deadline by which it had to be good and ready come what may. The ‘bad’ thing, as it were, about an uncommissioned work is that it can take a while to get a full production. In this case, it was quite a long while indeed: and so it was, that on opening night, Birkin stood alone with the cast at curtain call, Joubert having died in 2019.Surtitles are in use, even though the opera is in English in the first place. Emotions that come gushing from carefully constructed and thought-through intonations and inflections in a surprisingly enjoyable experience, accessible without compromising too much on the nuances in the story. Of course, a two-act opera (which itself probably rankles purists) that sends the audience home the ‘right’ side of 10:00pm isn’t going to capture everything that the Charlotte Brontë novel does. It effectively skips the first two of the five stages of the novel’s narrative, jumping straight into Jane Eyre (Laura Mekhail) having resigned from her job for the mundane reason (at surface level, at least) of being successful at another job she applied for. The rest is pretty much as the novel would have it, ending, in essence, where Brontë’s Eyre wrote: “Reader, I married him”.I wasn’t thinking about the book whilst watching the opera, which on balance I think is a good thing: the opera does not assume prior knowledge of the story, and there is no synopsis in the show’s programme (well, online freesheet – it is 2025, after all), because one is not required. The operatic convention of putting more effort and energy into singing about one’s intention to do something than actually doing it manifests itself in St John Rivers (Lawrence Thackeray) and his plan to embark on an overseas missionary trip. Whether he goes in the end is known to those who have read the novel, but here, with his purpose in Eyre’s story served, he’s just forgotten about altogether in the final scenes.The focus on the central character appeals to me: a show called Jane Eyre should be about Jane Eyre! This is not opera on a grand scale, and it is, for the most part, solos and duets, duets and solos. I resist a direct comparison with Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde as the storyline is too dissimilar. Joubert’s music more often than not has a propulsive rhythm, and this production is a lean machine, in the sense that most shows, even excellent ones, could do with a little trimming – and some could do with a lot – but this one requires none at all. Perhaps more set would have been ideal, as different settings looked more or less like one another. Otherwise, it was an enthusiastic and engaging evening, which held my attention throughout despite prior familiarity with the story. (Chris Omaweng)
There aren't many directors who manage to stir up rage, controversy and divide opinion quite like Emerald Fennell. Before she could even say the word 'Heights', the Promising Young Woman director's adaptation of Emily Bronte's 1847 novel has had the internet up in arms.First, she was criticised for casting Margot Robbie, 35, as Catherine Earnshaw, who (spoiler alert) dies by the time she is 18. Then she was called out for casting Jacob Elordi, a white actor, in the racially ambiguous role of Heathcliff. And then 'first look' pictures of Wuthering Heights found their way onto social media and the whole production was written off for its numerous historically inaccuracies.Now, despite the film not coming out until 13 February 2026, scathing reviews of the test screenings have put Fennell's adaptation back in the headlines. One viewer at the first test screening in Dallas labelled the film 'aggressively provocative' and said it had parallels with the 'stylised depravity' of her last project, Saltburn. [...]What is surprising, though, is that we are hearing about all of this six months before the film hits cinemas. Whether you work in the entertainment industry or not, it is fairly unprecedented for reviews of screen testings not to be under strict embargoes, especially for a film with such a demonstrable marketing budget and high profile cast and crew.There is a reason why reviews tend to drop the week before or day of a film being released. They are, to all intents and purposes, a way of helping people decide whether to tune in. Nowadays they are also used to create 'buzz' and help the film cut through in online discourse.Given Fennell's penchant for raucous debate – she certainly seems to be an advocate of 'all publicity is good publicity' – it's hard to imagine that these scabrous reviews are not part of the film's wider marketing strategy.When have we ever heard what a single viewer in Dallas thinks of a test screening before? Or read that a film blogger thinks her interpretation adds 'something bold and unexpected' to Brontë's story? It is far from usual protocol. And Fennell knows what she's doing. [...]In a world where audiences are constantly overwhelmed by choice and reluctant to spend in cinemas without knowing what they're paying for, the louder the chatter about a film is online, the more likely they are to watch it.If that's what Fennell is playing into, then hats (or bonnets) off to her. Wuthering Heights might still be six months away, but part of me wants to find out what all the fuss is about already. (Nikki Peach)
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Arcola Theatre & Green Opera presentComposed by John JoubertLibretto by Kenneth BirkinGrimeborn Festival24 Ashwin St, London E8 3DLWednesday 6th August 2025, 7.30pmThursday 7th August 2025, 7.30pmFriday 8th August 2025, 7.30pmSaturday 9th August 2025, 7.30pmEleanor Burke – DirectorKenneth Woods – ConductorLaura Mekhail – Jane EyreHector Bloggs – Edward RochesterEmily Hodkinson – Mrs Fairfax/Mary RiversChris Murphy – Rev. Wood/JohnAnna Sideris – Sarah/Blanche Ingram/Diana RiversLawrence Thackeray – Richard Mason/Sir John RiversAlexander Semple – Mr Brocklehurst/Briggs“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.”Arcola Theatre and Green Opera proudly present John Joubert’s Jane Eyre — his final opera, now fully staged for the first time.First heard in concert with the English Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Woods, this bold adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel follows one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment on her own terms. Facing adversity, injustice, and a shattering betrayal, Jane’s journey unfolds through a dynamic cast of young performers, directed by Eleanor Burke.As Green Opera’s second production of the season and fifth for the Grimeborn Opera Festival, Jane Eyre continues the company’s mission to combine dramatic vision with environmentally conscious practices.
This summer, John Joubert’s final opera is fully staged for the first time. Director Eleanor Burke tells us how memory, music, and sustainability converge in a radical reimagining of Brontë’s classic – and how a labour of love finally reaches the stage.For decades, John Joubert’s opera Jane Eyre sat in relative obscurity – completed over ten years in the 1980s and premiered in concert in 2016, it was a labour of love born not from commission but from deep personal passion. A South African-born British composer, Joubert was best known for his choral music, though his operatic output – of which Jane Eyre was the eighth – remains substantial for a post-war British composer. He died in 2019 at the age of 91 Now, for the first time, the opera comes to the stage in a fully realised production at the Arcola Theatre as part of this year’s Grimeborn Festival. Directed by Eleanor Burke for Green Opera, this long-awaited staging is as much about creative resurrection as it is about radical reinterpretation.‘The opera wasn’t written for a commission,’ says director Eleanor Burke. ‘It was just something John and Ken worked on over more than a decade, purely out of love for the book.’ Joubert and librettist Kenneth Birkin began developing Jane Eyre from 1987 to '97, corresponding by letter – over 700 of them are archived at the British Library – as they shaped the libretto and score. ‘It feels like a real labour of love,’ Burke adds. ‘That slow, careful process gives it a kind of sincerity you can really feel.’But this Jane Eyre is not your textbook period drama. Burke and her team have embraced the opera’s fragmentary structure – beginning as Jane leaves Lowood rather than charting her full life – and reimagined it as a memory play, where episodes resurface like flashes of a vivid, turbulent inner world. ‘It’s emotionally urgent,’ Burke explains. ‘We’re not trying to be comprehensive. We’re following Jane through the memories that made her.’ (...)The opera has been reorchestrated for a chamber ensemble (string quartet, harp, horn, bassoon, piano, and more) by Thomas Ang (who previously reorchestrated Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle for Green Opera’s 5-star 2022 production), making it both agile and immersive – ideal for Arcola’s Studio 1. Kenneth Woods, who conducted the opera’s concert premiere, returns to lead the performances, sharing the podium with current Royal Opera Jette Parker Artist Peggy Wu. (Jonathan Whiting)
“On opening the little door,” recounts Wuthering Heights’ Mr Lockwood, “two hairy monsters flew at my throat, bearing me down, and extinguishing the light; while a mingled guffaw from Heathcliff and Hareton put the copestone on my rage and humiliation.” Mockery abounds in Emily Brontë’s 1847 Gothic novel, with comparatively little wholesome laughter. Indeed, Brontë invites the reader to deride the hapless Lockwood; his farcical entry throws into relief the bleak atmosphere of the Heights. It’s a darkly humorous opening that accentuates the wickedness to come.Aspects of the upcoming film adaptation have been met with some derision, which, unlike Brontë, the director probably didn’t intend for. Whether the movie will be unintentionally comical remains to be seen. (Andrew Whitfield)
The event, on July 27, also invokes music legend Kate Bush, coinciding with the annual The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever in celebration of the artist’s number one hit Wuthering Heights.Last year, Calder Wind Farm Ltd submitted a scoping document to Calderdale Council outlining proposals which, in the company’s revised form, would see 41 giant turbines sited at Walshaw Moor.Campaigners opposing the proposals are concerned about the impact the wind farm might have on peatland and the moorland habitat, including nesting birds, and its impact visually.The dancers – in flowing red dresses – will evoke the spirit of both Emily Brontë and Kate Bush, whose Wuthering Heights song topped the UK charts in 1978.They will be dancing on the moorland surrounding Top Withens, reputedly the inspiration for the setting of the classic novel. (John Greenwood)
In a fragmented age increasingly seduced by the cult of the self, "Wuthering Heights" challenges us to reclaim the difficult virtues that make real community possible.Literary anti-heroes can seem romantic: Holden Caulfield, Hamlet, Meursault, and, chief amongst these brooding men, Wuthering Heights’s Heathcliff. Heathcliff emerges from the pages like a dark elemental force—a creature as wild and ungovernable as the Yorkshire moors that shape and shelter him. Found as a nameless orphan and absorbed reluctantly into a fragile household, he grows into a figure of feral passion and relentless vengeance, unmoored from any communal obligation or moral restraint.Neither fully villain nor tragic hero, Heathcliff embodies a radical individualism so absolute that it corrodes every relationship and every patch of land he touches. His love, fierce and possessive, curdles into hatred; his longing for belonging twists into a campaign of generational revenge. In Heathcliff, we confront the terrifying specter of a soul severed from the common good—a man who forsakes reconciliation and stewardship for the consuming fire of his own wounded will. Through Heathcliff’s alienation, Wuthering Heights serves as a dark meditation on what happens when personal grievance overtakes the common good, echoing contemporary concerns about atomization and social fragmentation. (Read more) (Raleigh Adams)
You might think that a book club hosted by a bar wouldn’t talk much about the book, but you would be wrong.On a recent Wednesday, more than a dozen people settled in at Benny Thunders, 605 Columbia St., in the Heights to delve into the club’s summer classic read - and toxic love study - Wuthering Heights. Over beer and wine from the self-pour taproom, the group hashed out the same questions you might have had if you were ever assigned it in high school English.Was Catherine truly in love with Heathcliff, or was she a psychopath? Was Heathcliff a hero, or the devil? Why is every character in this novel so messed up? (Betsy Denson)
J’ai prévu de lire Les Hauts de Hurlevent, qui s’empoussière chez moi depuis des décennies, dans une édition de poche à la couverture très Dark Romance. C’est peut-être cette illustration orageuse qui m’a tenue éloignée du roman d’Emily Brontë. À moins que je n’aie eu le sentiment de l’avoir lu sans l’avoir lu. Les Hauts de Hurlevent, tout le monde sait à peu près de quoi il retourne. Catherine, Heathcliff, la lande, la passion, la vengeance… Et puis je suis tombée sur ce passage, illustre semble-t-il, mais qui avait échappé à mes radars jusqu’ici : ‘Nelly, je suis Heathcliff ! Il est toujours, toujours dans mon esprit ; non comme un plaisir, pas plus que je ne suis toujours un plaisir pour moi-même, mais comme mon propre être. Ainsi, ne parlez plus de notre séparation ; elle est impossible…’ Ma décision est prise : je vais enfin lire Les Hauts de Hurlevent. (Translation) (Sylvie Tanette)
Which area of England, known for its moors, was the family home of Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë? (J. D. Biersdorfer)
The lyrics in Violet have attracted much scrutiny and controversy over the years.Love stated that the song had been partially influenced by poems by Alexander Pope, specifically The Dunciad, and Emily Brontë. (Amit Sharma)
Pen names have a long history. Now Liadan Ní Chuinn is shunning publicity in an industry that demands ever more exposure. (...)Writing anonymously or under a pseudonym is a long-established custom in publishing. Jane Austen’s novels were attributed to “a Lady”, Mary Ann Evans went by George Eliot, and the Brontë sisters were Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. (Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett)
Other, less protest-oriented, MWHDE events; The Hunts Post, KentLive, The Isle of Thanet News...
Vicki Fingalson & Wendy DurrwachterDirected by Vicki FingalsonWith Holland Venhuizen, Gianna Hopke and Emma Jones, and the UWS orchestra.April 24, 19.30h
Professor Vicki Fingalson directs both productions and co-wrote "The Brontë Sisters: Retrospection." The biographical music-play is about the 19th-century literary trailblazers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. Fingalson took a sabbatical last year to research and write the play."It offers an intimate look at the extraordinary lives of these sisters," Fingalson said in a news release. "After completing the play, including the monologue and narrative portion, I collaborated with composer Wendy Durrwachter to set six curated Brontë poems to music, which fit within the narrative’s dramatic arc.”The play debuted in November with Fingalson performing as all three sisters and Durrwachter playing piano. The new production features student actors Holland Venhuizen, Gianna Hopke and Emma Jones, and the UWS orchestra.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior presents "UWS Opera: Two One-Acts" featuring "The Brontë Sisters: Retrospection" and "Trial by Jury" on April 24 and 25.Professor Vicki Fingalson directs both productions and co-wrote "The Brontë Sisters: Retrospection." The biographical music-play is about the 19th-century literary trailblazers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. Fingalson took a sabbatical last year to research and write the play."It offers an intimate look at the extraordinary lives of these sisters," Fingalson said in a news release. "After completing the play, including the monologue and narrative portion, I collaborated with composer Wendy Durrwachter to set six curated Brontë poems to music, which fit within the narrative’s dramatic arc.”The play debuted in November with Fingalson performing as all three sisters and Durrwachter playing piano. The new production features student actors Holland Venhuizen, Gianna Hopke and Emma Jones, and the UWS orchestra. (...)Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, and Friday, April 25, in the Manion Theater in the Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center, 1805 Catlin Ave. Admission is $10.
2. The Brontë ConnectionThis 4.5 mile walk connects three important sites associated with Emily Brontë’s novel, “Wuthering Heights”. The route follows the Penine Way before going over Haworth Moor to Top Withins Farm and then on to Wuthering Heights on Stanbury Moor. Returning past Ponden Reservoir, you then finish back at Stanbury bus terminus.
Aciman is fond of psychological fiction and classic literature: Wuthering Heights is a favorite (“I’ve read it millions of times,” he says),[.] (Elaine Szewczyk)
Jane EyreNorthern Ballet takes its beautifully crafted dance adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s gothic romance out on tour. Cathy Marston’s production delves deep into the novel’s psycho-emotional complexities as the tale unfolds of plucky Jane, the mistreated orphan who becomes governess at the strange manor house of the brooding Mr Rochester. What can possibly go wrong and who is that woman in the attic? Philip Feeney contributes the score. (Debra Craine)
Festivaltopia includes the you-know-what quote from Wuthering Heights in a list of the most beautiful quotes in literature. Point de Vue (France) summarizes what is known about Wuthering Heights 2026.
Owners of sporting estate in Yorkshire moors to end grouse shooting to build wind farm just 1km from ruined 'Wuthering Heights' farmhouse Top WithensA developer has submitted notice of their intent to build wind 65 turbines on some of Yorkshire’s most culturally and ecologically valuable moorland – close to a ruined farmhouse associated with the Brontë sisters. (...)The wind farm would also be a short distance from the Brontë Way footpath and the Brontë Waterfalls, and 2.5km from National Trust site Hardcastle Crags. It would be visible from settlements including Heptonstall, Haworth and Hebden Bridge. (...)On the subject of the Brontë connections, Calderdale Council’s response letter states: “The site and wider area sit in Brontë Country and was home to local author Ted Hughes (amongst others). The surrounding moorland is intrinsically linked with literature and is, therefore, considered to be internationally important in terms of its role in British culture and tourism. The sense of openness and wild, remote, landscape are fundamental to Wuthering Heights.While there are key locations associated with the Brontës, the sense of the vastness of the moors behind Haworth is equally as important as it immerses visitors into the landscape described in the novels. While there has been some change to the moors due to management for grouse shooting and reservoirs, the absence of tall infrastructure is notable. The outline of the hills rising up in the distance, and then the open tops with space all around them defines the skyline. (...)Bradford Council notes that the proposal could result in profound harm to this internationally recognised cultural asset of the Brontë landscape. They consider that the significance is such that there has been previous very serious exploration of promoting the landscape, including the application site and its immediate surroundings for World Heritage Site status, on the basis of the literary importance. However, it is not currently designated as a World Heritage Site.” (Grace Newton)
That’s two more of each of those than I would normally achieve! I met a couple of other goals as well: a re-read (Chiefs by Stuart Woods) and a classic I’d never read (Agnes Gray by Anne Brontë).
Haworth, West YorkshireHome to the Brontë sisters, this spot is literary delight. The main street feels untouched by time like you could bump into Emily Brontë or her sister as your wander over to the Black Bull for a pint. Despite its small size, it’s home to some fantastic cafes and eateries with many heading to The Hawthorn for its popular Sunday roast (which we are still yet to try). Make sure you head over to the old fashioned sweet shop for a bag of bonbons before crossing over to the Haworth Steam Brewery for a swift pint. Oh, and we can’t not mention the Brontë Parsonage where you can learn all about the Brontë’s lives.
Herrmann’s love of England ran deep and he made a first visit as a guest conductor in 1937, followed by a second in 1946 – at the invitation of John Barbirolli, with whom Herrmann had struck up an unlikely friendship while the conductor was with the New York Philharmonic. The trip saw him conduct two concerts with the Hallé in Manchester and one with the BBC Symphony in London for a Home Service broadcast. He also took the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of Brontë country and walk the Yorkshire moors, the setting of his in-progress opera of Wuthering Heights.That work would occupy a large amount of his time in the 1940s, the composer obsessing over its creation in much the same way that he had gone about setting Moby Dick in 1937/38. Herrmann’s cantata based on Melville’s man-versus-nature epic saw him undertake an almost total-immersion approach, living and breathing the world of the novel as he adapted it (with co-librettist Clark Harrington). Melville and Brontë’s obsessive characters and bleak landscapes suited Herrmann’s melodramatic flair in the same way Welles and Hitchcock’s did; Herrmann matched them with his own idiosyncratic emotional heft, brooding darkness and moments of great beauty. (Michael Beek)
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinneyJane Eyre has no interest in a husband. Eager to make her own way in the world, she accepts the governess position at Thornfield Hall.Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming air—not to mention a handsome face—Jane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edward’s mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, Jane grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hall—unaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head.On the topmost floor, Bertha Mason is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Bertha’s resilience and Jane’s persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize.When their only chance at safety—and perhaps something more—is in each other’s arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edward’s dark machinations close in around them? (Kelly Jensen)
À l’âge de 22 ans, Virginia Woolf publie son premier article dans le Guardian. Un âge auquel beaucoup des jeunes journalistes d’aujourd’hui sont encore stagiaires. Son amie Violet Dickinson l’a présentée à la rédactrice en chef du supplément féminin du journal – la seule porte d’entrée pour une femme aspirant au journalisme à l’époque – et Virginia lui propose d’y collaborer. Elle publie d’abord une critique d’une œuvre du romancier américain W.D. Howells, puis l’article, intitulé « Pèlerinage à Haworth », paraît le 21 décembre, non signé en décembre 1904. Virginia y raconte sa visite au presbytère de Haworth, où vivaient les sœurs Brontë. C’est ainsi que commence sa carrière de journaliste. (María Santos-Sainz) (Translation)
Jane Eyre: Kitap, yalnızca kadının erkek egemen toplumdaki konumuna gözü pek yaklaşımıyla değil, şiirsel duygusallığı çağdaş bir gerçekçilikle harmanladığı anlatımıyla da öncü olmayı başarmış klasik bir başyapıttır. (Özkan Saçkan) (Translation)
Por último, “Portales y mundos” aborda el proceso de creación de realidades alternativas en las que podemos sumergirnos y es, según la curaduría de la exposición, uno de los elementos distintivos de la fantasía moderna. Ya sea un pasaje físico, un objeto mágico, un deslizamiento de tiempo o algo más misterioso, los portales resultan atractivos para los nuevos jóvenes que leen. Autores de este género han diseñado lenguajes, creaturas, culturas, historias y mitologías de los mundos que inventan. Un ejemplo luminoso es Glass Town, el mundo infantil imaginario que inventaron las hermanas Brontë en el siglo XIX.De las colecciones de la Biblioteca, la más rica del mundo en el género de fantasía, provienen los libros y manuscritos originales, pero también hay vestuarios, ilustraciones, pinturas… de coleccionistas particulares y fans de la literatura fantástica. Están por ahí el vestuario que usaron Margot Fonteyn y Nureyev en 1972 durante la puesta en escena de La bella durmiente o el libro miniatura original de The search after happiness, de Charlotte Brontë, entre miles de piezas más. (Adriana Malvido) (Translation)
Es ist die ultimative Geschichte über Hoffnung – oder aber, nüchterner betrachtet, von Abhängigkeit und verschwendeten Lebenskräften. In Emily Brontës „Sturmhöhe“ geht das Nachhängen alter Träume sogar so weit, dass der liebeswahnsinnige Heathcliff seine Cathy aus dem Grab ausbuddelt – ein Anblick, den er nicht lange überlebt. Das Festhalten an alten Gefühlen wird hier nicht nur metaphorisch, sondern wortwörtlich zum Klammern an den Tod. Auch Goethes Werther geht bekanntermaßen daran zugrunde, dass er an einer verlorenen Liebe festhält. (Lena Karger) (Translation)
A copy of The Professor in a bookcrossing space in Málaga in Diario Sur (Spain), دنیا نیوز (Pakistan) visits Haworth and talks about the Brontës.
An artist has paid tribute to his home city by drawing from Bradford’s famous faces, places, and contributions.Paul Halmshaw, who grew up on Cecil Avenue in Great Horton, has already drawn a number of Yorkshire cities. (...)A closer look reveals the long lost Blue Lace, Seabrooks’ logo, the Brontë Sisters, and even the Telegraph & Argus. (Natasha Meek)
School helped. After GSCEs, he did A-levels in history, PE and drama. It should have been four but he dropped English literature. “The teacher and I argued a lot about Wuthering Heights,” he says. “I wasn’t a fan of there being only one interpretation. You’re asked, you give your opinion and then you’re shot down for it.” (David Walsh)
Die Ohnmacht ist ein beliebtes Motiv in der Literatur. Im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert schwinden vor allem jungen Frauen reihenweise die Sinne. Oft dient die Ohnmacht dazu, dass sich die Angehörigen des "schwachen Geschlechts" einer schwierigen Situation entziehen, wie etwa im Tugendroman "Pamela" von Samuel Richardson. Oder sie werden von ihren Gefühlen überwältigt, wie Heinrich von Kleists "Käthchen von Heilbronn". Und sogar Jane Eyre, die starke Heldin von Charlotte Brontë, verliert einmal das Bewusstsein, als sie kurz vor einem Nervenzusammenbruch steht. (Pia Kruckenhauser) (Translation)
Einige Jahrzehnte lang galt William Makepeace Thackeray (geboren 1811 in Kalkutta, gestorben 1863 in London als Opfer eines Lebens voller Essen, Trinken und strikter Vermeidung körperlicher Aktivität) als Englands größter Schriftsteller nach Charles Dickens. Charlotte Brontë widmete dem verehrten Meister ihren Roman „Jane Eyre“. (Paul Ingendaay) (Translation)
Inspiration bekomme sie auch durch Literatur: „Das Lesen ist mein täglich Brot“, sagt sie und hat gleich Tipps parat: „Sturmhöhe“ von Emily Bronte oder die Romane von F. Scott Fitzgerald lese sie immer wieder. (Gabriele Szczegulski) (Translation)
Minh Tran Hui: Vous écrivez également sur des femmes écrivains, comme Jane Austen et Emily Brontë. Les considérez-vous comme vos « mères littéraires » ?S.H.: Oui. Je les ai lues pour la première fois quand j'avais 13 ans, et elles continuent de m'influencer. Bien que les romans d'Austen aient été déformés par Hollywood et des hordes de fans sentimentaux, son travail est en fait tout entier tissé d'ironie et de critique sociale, particulièrement envers un monde qui asservit les femmes. Et Les Hauts de Hurlevent est un roman si radical, si déroutant et rempli d'ambiguïtés, que je ne m'en suis jamais remise. (Translation)
Mario Brandolin: Prossimi impegni?M.B.: «Portare a termine la trilogia sul femminile, cominciata tre anni fa con The Making of Anastasia con cui avevo vinto il bando Biennale College Registi Under 30 e che metteva in scena la storia di Anna Anderson, la donna che per tutta la vita ha detto di essere l’ultima Romanov senza peraltro essere mai creduta, proseguita con questa Penelope e che concluderò con due lavori sulle Sorelle Brontë. Il primo Cattiva sensibilità che debutterà a novembre a Carrozzerie Not di Roma, dedicato al personaggio di Jane Eire (sic) e a Charlotte Brontë. Il secondo, l’anno prossimo, una scrittura su Cime tempestose di Emily Bronte». (Translation)
Un de nos meilleurs souvenirs ?Les Hauts de Hurlevent (opéra de Bernard Hermann créé à Nancy en 2019, N.D.L.R.). (Frédéric Menu) (Translation)
14.- “Jane Eyre” de Charlotte BrontëEsta novela histórica que redefinió la conciencia narrativa se centra en la homónima Jane Eyre, una huérfana nacida en la Inglaterra de 1800. A medida que Jane crece, toma su destino en sus propias manos, lo que se vuelve particularmente conmovedor cuando se encuentra con el melancólico Sr. Rochester en Thornfield Hall. (Translation)
Un clásico inolvidable y uno de esos libros que te enganchan desde el inicio. La novela de la mayor de las hermanas Brönte (sic), narra la vida de Jane Eyre, una huérfana con carácter que logra un empleo como institutriz en la solitaria mansión de Thornfield Hall. Allí conocerá a su dueño, el señor Rochester, un hombre torturado por su pasado. (Valeria Sabater) (Translation)
But the most stupid list of all comes from Qué! (Spain) recommending books according to your zodiac sign, including Wuthering Heights.
Rachel was annoyed that Kate Bush was back in the news, harking back to that awful, long outro on Wuthering Heights. (Nina Stibbe in The Guardian)
There are so many other options, too. Lots of books can be thrown into the fall category despite not being set in the fall. There’s something about breaking open classic literature this time of year that is just so fantastic. And for that, you can never go wrong with Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray or Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. (Callie Liberatos)
Del Toro then departed from thrillers to highlight 1943's Jane Eyre, which he called "the perfect adaptation of a classic." He praised the casting of Fontaine, Orson Welles and an adolescent Elizabeth Taylor and called it the best film of Robert Stevenson's storied career.Continuing that thread, del Toro spotlighted 1943's I Walked with a Zombie from director Jacques Torneur and producer Val Lewton, saying the film is "basically their Jane Eyre, their most magnificent gothic romance." (Morgan Shaunette)
Thomas Molloy, Sex EducationHasn’t Molloy ever heard of a compliment sandwich? Even if he found Maeve’s story about the eldest Brontë sister boring (which I really doubt it was!), there’s a way to communicate that without totally discouraging her first try. He also throws her phone out a window and later says she’s not cut out to be a writer. As Maeve’s arc proves, a mean teacher can make or break your life ambitions — so why not be nice? (Grace Wehniainen)
The opening scenes find Frasier complaining to his old university friend Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) about the lack of female company they had to endure when studying for their English degrees at Oxford all those years ago. 'The only women we could curl up with were the Bronte Sisters,' he bellows, which did make me laugh. And, more importantly, gave me hope. (Jan Moir)
We end with an opera, and a not-quite opera. The latter is the gorgeous suite from Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights sung by soprano Keri Fuge and baritone Roderick Williams with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under conductor Mario Venzago (Chandos CHSA5337).Herrmann’s opera took him eight years and wasn’t staged until seven years after his death in 1975. Hans Sørensen’s 2011 symphonic treatment – the term suite somehow seems inadequate – honours the composer’s hefty orchestral demands, including 12 woodwinds, 11 brass, a battery of percussion, two harps and an organ. It also fillets the opera, presenting the story as a kind of ghostly conversation between Cathy and Heathcliff, their voices fading in and out like ships that pass in the night. Swathes of grand and often haunting instrumental music conjure visions of the moor in all its moods. It certainly whets the appetite for a decent recording of the complete opera. (Clive Paget)
C’était une époque où les émois de toutes sortes se multipliaient dans ma vie d’adulte naissante. Et parmi ces émois : le superbe roman Les Hauts de Hurlevent d’Emily Brontë.Ayant grandi dans la banlieue de Québec, qui n’avait rien du mystère et des merveilles obscures des landes du Yorkshire, et malgré une enfance heureuse et paisible, déjà le début du livre m’avait intriguée quand on y parlait « d’un endroit si parfaitement soustrait au train du monde » où se vivait une passion déchirante… Et où cette vie, comme l’écrivait Aragon, « aura passé comme un grand château triste que tous les vents traversent ».J’avais sous-estimé et jamais ressenti avec autant de force ce que l’univers du vent dans un paysage vaste et dépouillé impose, jusqu’à un séjour récent pour un tournage aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine, où le temps ambiant m’a replongée au cœur des Hauts de Hurlevent. Surtout, dans ce que cet écrit m’avait intellectuellement enseigné jadis, et dans le souvenir qu’il a ravivé, physiquement cette fois.C’était au mois de mai dans un paysage aussi magnifique qu’énigmatique, et le vent, la pluie, le froid qui n’ont pas lâché, m’ont placée dans un combat physique constant qui m’a d’abord appris, il faut bien l’admettre, l’humilité.Des joues engourdies par le froid, flagellées par le vent, des cheveux constamment en bataille, indomptables, une force telle que je pouvais presque sentir mon propre corps s’envoler. Je jure que je n’exagère pas ! (Translation)
La obra maestra de Mary Webb, escritora que fue comparada con Thomas Hardy y Emily Brontë, posee la clarividencia atemporal y la sublime belleza que caracteriza a los mejores clásicos de la literatura. (Translation)
Keynote Opera in association with Docklands Sinfonia presents the premiere of
BrontëA new operaComposed by Lisa Logan based on the play by Polly TealeDirected by Katharina KasteningConducted by Alex IngramArcola Theatre, Grimeborn Festival
12 (preview), 13, 15, 16 September 2023
The world premiere of a compelling literary detective story about the turbulent lives of the Brontë sisters – based upon an acclaimed play by Polly Teale. In 1845, Branwell Brontë returns home in disgrace, plagued by his addictions. As he descends into alcoholism and insanity, bringing chaos to the household, his sisters write… Polly Teale’s powerful play, adapted as an opera by composer Lisa Logan, evokes the real and imagined worlds of the Brontës, as their fictional characters Jane Eyre, Rochester, Cathy, Nelly and Heathcliff come to haunt their creators.
WHAT BOOK . . . first gave you the reading bug?Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. During a school trip to visit the family parsonage, I was astonished to see its actual size. In recent times an extension has been added, but I was there when it was in its original state [sic; impossible--the Wade wing has been there since 1874].The wallpaper reminded me of a Laura Ashley design. It was all very neat and tidy, but made me think of lots of questions; some remain unanswered still.You see, in that rather small parsonage, and at the peak of what would have been their formative years, there were three adult women, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, living there.There was also a large overweight cook and cleaner and a 12-year-old helper. The Brontë’s domineering father, Patrick, always ate alone in his study.Then there was the drug-addicted, alcoholic, eccentric brother Branwell. The women remained mostly in the small drawing room writing and studying, where they ate their meals together on a table they always had to clear afterwards.At this time there was no running water and a pump was used in the small yard outside the kitchen.There was also no toilet; a privy was built a short distance from the back kitchen door. So since that school trip, it has been a persistent and subsequent fascination regarding the vivid imagination of all the three women, cloistered together and each writing their incredible novels.And of them all, Emily’s depiction of the wild moors remains my favourite read.
Were there other things that influenced the plot of the book?I can’t help but be really influenced by Shirley Jackson, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” siblings who live alone in this huge house. “Jane Eyre” is thrown in there. It’s very much “Turn of the Screw” with the two very corrupt children. (Jennifer Goldberg)
There have been many attempts to stage Emily Brontë’s seminal novel Wuthering Heights over the years, but the first composer to make an opera out of it was Hollywood film maestro, Bernard Herrmann. The inspiration came almost as soon as he started writing the score for Orson Welles’ 1944 film adaptation. Set to a libretto by his wife Lucille Fletcher, who supplemented text from the novel with some of Brontë’s poetry, it took Herrmann eight years. Even then, he struggled to find a producer and it wasn’t staged until seven years after his death in 1975.Hans Sørensen’s 2011 symphonic treatment – the term suite somehow seems inadequate – honours Hermann’s hefty orchestral demands, including 12 woodwinds, 11 brass, a battery of percussion, two harps and an organ. It also fillets the opera, presenting the story as a kind of ghostly conversation between Cathy and Heathcliff, their voices fading in and out like ships that pass in the night. It’s an effective treatment, relying on swathes of grand and often haunting instrumental music to conjure visions of the moor in all its moods.The pounding timpani and snarling, muted brass of the Prologue melt into the ravishing pastoral themes of the idyllic I have been wandering through the green woods, before turning increasingly passionate for On the moors, on the moors. The lovers’ tangled relations and Cathy’s death are depicted in music of immense power and equally immense pathos. Herrmann’s melodic gift is only matched by his talent for subtle and imaginative orchestration.The Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays magnificently for Mario Venzago and the two singers are masterful. Keri Fuge’s dashing soprano catches Cathy’s air of recklessness and longing, while Roderick Williams’s burnished baritone and way with the text make for a refreshingly pensive Heathcliff. It certainly whets the appetite for a decent recording of the complete opera.The companion work, Echoes for Strings, is an orchestration, also by Sørensen, of Herrmann’s single span, ten-movement string quartet, Echoes. Written in 1965, it’s a brooding yet richly satisfying 20-minute roller-coaster that explores what one can only imagine to be the unhappy recesses of the composer’s mind. The music, which suggests many of his film scores and quotes from at least two, Vertigo and Psycho, is given a superbly structured workout by the Singapore strings, this time under Joshua Tan.Chandos have done their usual first-class SACD engineering t
rick, with well-caught voices enfolded in rich orchestral sound in the Suite and full-bodied tone in Echoes. Outstanding sleeve notes, too, from David Benedict. (Clive Paget)
8 de setembre de 2023 20:00Escenari 2, Moll de la FustaParticipen: Blanca Pujals i Carlota FreixenetCims borrascosos (Emily Brontë), VienaBlanca Pujals i Carlota Freixenet, les dames victorianes del S.XXI, parlen de Cims Borrascosos.
