We lost Frederic Rzewski back in 2021, a maverick American composer who utilised the piano for shocking purposes. In this puzzling recording thanks to the ardent efforts of Bobby Mitchel, we hear some more of the composer’s strange, recent offerings.
Excerpts from Dreams have a ghost of Bach lying within them, pretty harsh at times. His War Songs have a rambunctious nature to it, a mashing up of various songs from his home land. Very easy to point out the similarities to Charles Ives, that titan of musical invocations whom Rzewski does owe a lot. Winter Nights has strange momentums and little of pleasure other than some attacks on the keys. Saints and Sinners starts of feeling like Erik Satie in character, the ironic side of Rzewski never far away. Through it all there was very little to be surprised with in this recording, though I do admire Bobby’s commitment.
National Theatre Wales latest production consisted of three part theatre experience called ‘The Cost of Living’. The first part, which only 50 people that have paid for the main part, could come to, if they wanted to, was a discussion with politicians and council leaders where they heard the public’s opinion, on the cost-of-living crisis and what people in power can do to help (which I didn’t attend, therefore I can’t comment on that part). The third part was protest music by Minas, but I will not comment on this because I am going to discuss the piece of theatre.
Credit Kirsten McTernan
The second part K and the Cost of Living was a theatre performance, which is an adaptation (by Emily White) of the play The Trial by Franz Kafka. The narrative tells the story of an innocent man who is arrested, but is still allowed to live his life. He doesn’t really get the chance to prove his innocence and at the end of the play he is killed. This adaptation was very similar to the original (although I have read, not seen, the original play) and it was an interesting take on it. I thought it was a good adaptation, and was well-modernised, but there were some things that were confusing and that didn’t make it a 5-star performance.
Credit Kirsten McTernan
Eerie music was played before the performance, and then at the start of the play, they brought up the curtain a little bit. Then we had two people crawling towards the centre of the stage, drawing chalk on the floor, the curtain went down, and the music restarted. Then the curtain came up a bit more than the last time and there were two more people. The curtain came down, and the next time it came up all of the actors were on the floor, and the others joined in to do interpretative movement, which was like they were puppets and their body parts were moving outside of their control. They made it as if nothing had happened and the lights were still on between the curtains going up and down, which was a very interesting start, but it didn’t seem to have relevance to it.
Credit Kirsten McTernan
There was a diverse cast and several actors played the role Josef K, the main character, which I thought was a lovely modern turn to it. They had actor Gruffudd Gyln to play Josef K, then a transgender character, played by actor Joni Ayton-Kent, then another character played by Lucy Ellinson, and the last Josef K was played by Kel Matsena. That added another modern twist and showed people from different backgrounds which represented National Theatre Wales themselves because they are a diverse organisation. It does potentially sound confusing, having four actors playing one character, but the way that they made the transition made it very easy to know which was Josef K. It was at significant part of the story that the whole cast came together to dance and the one in the centre was swapped for the next Josef K. All the actors multi-rolled, and it was very well executed, they were all excellent actors. Sound and lighting was used very powerfully to demonstrate their points, but I felt the parts of movement weren’t necessary and were a bit show-offy, something to add to make it ‘more modern’.
Credit Kirsten McTernan
In terms of the main narrative, the company made a theatrical point of having the power cut off, and the landlady (Mrs Grubach) shouting to one of the tenants to put money in the meter. There was a protest before Josef K goes to work in the bank, with ‘enough is enough’ and ‘freeze the prices not the poor’ on placards. At another point Josef K gave a signature to a petition, but that was pretty much all the references to ‘the cost of living’. I felt the main point of the adaptation was to show how the government and people in power don’t understand, and show prejudice against working class people or minority groups, and about how we give all of our information away through data with our technology. It felt like the company had toyed with the phrase ‘the cost of living’, to mean something different, being that the price you must pay for living is to have a lack of freedom and prejudice and inequality against you. This felt out of touch with what was advertised and instead this production was a modern take on what life is like.
NTW wanted people who actually struggle with the cost of living to see the production, but the cheapest price for a ticket was £8.00, which doesn’t reach their supposed target audience.
I thought the adaptation of The Trial was well done and the actors were brilliant, however I don’t see the connection to the cost of living, as in struggling to find money to eat and choosing between heat and eating, I think it was falsely advertised in that way, and there were parts that I felt were put in just to say it was modern, but didn’t really fit well with the rest of the production such as the dance/ movement sequences.
From Bristol to Newport, I got around this week for reviews and other endeavours. I’ve a soft spot for Engelbert Humperdinck’s take on the Brothers Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel and Mid Wales Opera seemed up for the challenge.
With their last night in Newport, things felt pretty tight for this showing, though a brief hiccup in the overture for the horn was as clear as day. This reduced orchestra had an easy time with the scores thanks to its approachableness and clarity. Conductor Jonathan Lyness kept it all together like a fine gingerbread house, compelling and fun. Written by the composer’s sister Adelheid Wette, David Pountey’s winking translation works well from his time with English and Welsh National Opera (the latter the bench mark from Richard Jones superb staging.) The easy fall back upon setting this in the 1980s are as standard now, though this family could easily be set now with raising gas prices, inflation and general hardships. Director Richard Studer has made safe decisions here: we see miners, milk and a mother’s anxiety at a tempestuous time for UK history, one now miring our own. Sets also by Studer come into their own with the out-house for the father, later turned into the garish Witch’s house, featuring acidic wallpaper and contraptions of the era.
It’s easy to show the dark nature of the German fairy tale, the first two acts doing a good job in mood. Wales is blessed with great singers and here was no exception. Charlotte Badham and Ayls Mererid Roberts are fine leads, though the former has been given a costume which gives the appearance of a slubby middle aged man, as apposed to a boy. Phillip Smith as the Father is in proud voice which roars everything he vocalises, a fine highlight. Rebecca Afonwy-Jones as both the Mother and Witch gets to show off drama and fun in these roles, near Wagnerian and then almost light Offenbach offerings. You can tell she enjoyed herself as the Witch, easy to fall into as we the audience are through the woods concerning plot and pacing and just get to enjoy ourself in the second half. Siân Roberts is both the Sandman and Dew Fairy, a milkwoman who offers up milk to the kids then later offers the witch an axe, with a sweet voice I found rather charming.
Photo credit Matthew Williams Ellis
The real joy comes in the Evening Prayer and Pantomime in the opera, as the siblings realise they are lost in the woods and will have to get some kip. The singing here shines thanks to the hushed leads, if a little more push might have really sold it. The miners seen here are Corws Y Plant, later the children who escape the clutches of the witch. They have a sort of night ritual surrounding the children, though the blocking of this moment leading up to it is flat. At the end they too get to sing and have a jolly old time, joining in with the absurd, retro dance moves seen at the start of the evening.
You can never go wrong with this one hit wonder from Humperdinck. It remains endlessly charming.
Mid Wales Opera’s latest production will be Berlioz’s Beatrice & Benedict on tour around Wales in autumn 2023.
After their Bag of Bones delight, the Manchester Collective are unstoppable in their scope and creativity. In tours all around the UK, it would be a delightfully morbid night in Bristol at Strange Brew that they offered up another stellar concert.
As if were weren’t treated enough we had a warm up act that of Harrga. Dali se Saint Paul and Miguel Prado remain a fascinating duo. Sat in the front row, their sonic offering was not blazing loud, more a sort of political upset in sound, It worked well, Dali appearing more busy in their vocal work, though Miguel helped create the crumbling, formulated noise. Dali has a resounding voice, proven in little moments of opera and French, there is a pressure in the work as if we are hearing a manifesto or a protest of some kind. My plus one had seen them before and spoke well. They were a fine addition prior to the Collective’s feature event.
Starting off with Carrot Revolution by Gabriella Smith, the piece could only be described as The Straight Story on acid. It remained quite thrilling, it’s country vibe brought smiles and head bopping jerks. The String Quartet No. 2 from Edmund Finnis was next and had a soft, sensuality to it, the string quartet much more subdued in moments in the mostly enticing thing. Moor Mother’s DREAM CULTURE had a volcanic presence to it, a strange urban fiver permeated the work and proves the value of the composer in perhaps soundtrack form. It deserves more listening time (we got to digest it before an interval) and also the collaboration with Harrga proves elaborate more tingly music making.
Respite would heard the second movement of Schubert’s 14th String Quartet, better known as ‘Death and the Maiden’. It has to be said that this was performed exceptionally well. The kinetic energy between the four players. It was as if the work has never been done before, their emotive grip never wained the tenderness and passion abound forever. With no pause, they burst into the main event: George Crumb’s Black Angels. Here everything came into its own from the recently departed American composer in his best known piece. There is everything in this: shouting, glasses filled with water, German, thimbles, tam-tams and more delights. A fairly dense offering, the Collective made it all their own, the sheet music massively presented in front of them. Even the Schubert we just heard is quoted, touching moments unfurl with a mock viol-consort sees them play high on their instruments. I found the water glass moments incredibly moving.
I’m already thinking of their new event: Rosewood with guitarist Sean Shibe featuring John Cage, Julius Eastman and new work as well. I can’t believe my luck!
In December 1922, twenty-eight-year-old Edith Thompson was put on trial for inciting the murder of her husband, Percy Thompson. Just two months earlier, twenty-year-old Frederick Bywaters had stabbed Percy as he walked home. The prosecution claimed Edith told him to do it, using love letters sent to Frederick from Edith as evidence. Edith was found guilty, but this verdict inspired a petition signed by over a million people.
The bizarre ‘love-triangle’ between Edith, her husband and her lover, Freddy, is an intriguing tale and there is even a website ‘dedicated to the memory and innocence of Edith Jessie Thompson who died aged 29 at Holloway Prison on 9 January 1923’ filled with transcripts, press coverage, copies of the love letters and reams of photographs- one particularly odd addition, showing Edith between Freddy and her husband, Freddy’s head on her hip and Edith embracing it. It’s certainly worth a glimpse if you’d like to find out more- https://edithjessiethompson.co.uk/
One hundred years later, using the real court transcripts, Crowded Room re-examine the sensational case of one of the last women to be executed in this country. The judge opens the proceedings: “You should not forget that you are in a court of justice trying a vulgar and common crime. You are not listening to a play from the stalls of a theatre.” How very apt then, that we ARE in fact listening to a play from the stalls of the theatre and although we cannot turn back the clock and give Edith Thompson the treatment she may have deserved back in 1922, we CAN re-examine as onlookers and let it teach us a lesson- one of justice, hope and change.
Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre, making use of real people’s words and testimonies. Actors performing this style often speak of a sense of responsibility and loyalty to the real people that they are playing, and the importance of delivering an authentic performance. This is certainly felt throughout this production and during the post-show discussion. It is clear from the outset that a huge amount of research has been done in order to represent this story and its characters, authentically. Although of course, we are talking about people living in the 1920s, so access to video footage, social media, television interviews etc. don’t exist, which must’ve made this all the more challenging for Crowded Room.
Crowded Room are an award-winning theatre company specialising in true stories and they do this exquisitely. Working with women from HMP Styal, they have created a fantastic piece of theatre which emerges the audience in this trial and transports us back to a time when only one woman sat on the jury, when there was no such thing as DNA testing and when the only way of keeping up with the news was in a newspaper or on the wireless.
From the moment the play begins, we are invited to become the jury, to make judgements and decide for ourselves whether we would have sent Edith Thompson to the gallows. When the cast say ‘all rise’, they mean it! Would the verdict be different a hundred years later? The set is simple but effective- a chair for each actor and screens to display character names, locations, days, interviews and Edith reading some of her love letters aloud- a nod to the contemporary in order to provide clarity for the audience. Although the cast seem to be bringing the story into the modern day with the use of technology to drive the action, some modern music choices and up to date fashion, the language of the piece takes us right back to the 1920s, due to the majority of the script being taken directly from transcripts of the time. There feels no need to bring this piece into the modern day as many of its themes and topics are still relevant today.
The piece is structured as the trial would have been and even includes ‘recess’, rather than an interval, during which the house lights are brought up and the actors seemingly come out of character to take a drink or look at their mobile phone. This was a time to reflect as an audience. However, these were also moments to ‘keep-watch’ as the cast still had ‘something to say’ throughout these instances of pause. Ear defenders are donned, possibly signalling the need for calm within the courtroom or to block out the opinions of us, the jury. Or to symbolise the lack of real listening or communication throughout the real trial? During one recess, the actor playing Freddy sits casually and uses their mobile phone- as a twenty year old man would today. What would Freddy’s WhatsApp messages read if he had been able to send them a hundred years ago? All of these little details get the cogs whirring!
With only five in the cast, each has more than one role to play, and all do it wonderfully- though not with costume changes or entrances and exits, but by cleverly adapting their body language, tone of voice and/or accent. This is so brilliantly done that there isn’t room for doubt- we know who’s who throughout. This is also done with a touch of comedy, an important addition to this otherwise serious plot.
It is an interesting time for this tale to be re-told because, believe it or not, it was announced at the beginning of this year that Edith Thompson’s case is to be reviewed as a potential miscarriage of justice. It has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and a government spokesperson has said it would provide closure to Edith’s family.
Whilst the Bristol Beacon might not be open as of yet, the London Symphony Orchestra is getting some time in the nearby Bath at their Forum. This Art Deco wonder was the perfect space for their event with singer/conductor Barbara Hannigan in a concert of Messiaen and Mahler.
In Messiaen ‘L’ascension’ we get glimpses of heaven, the brass woodwind and strings getting solos for the most part just for them. Early Messiaen is full of such promise. Stravinsky is there as an influence and you can hear the original voice soon to be blasted out, very French.
The agonising last movement remains a highlight, the strings on their own plain. My plus one said there was no reference points for him, thus proving how out their Messiaen really is, even in his early days. Dense chords and the soon to be vital birdsong features and his Catholic faith is superimposed into all of his canon. Truly impressive.
Mahler’s 4th Symphony might not be my favourite of his, yet the LSO offered a really stellar offering. I don’t quite know about Hannigan’s conducting, a singer by trade she at times appears stiff and unanimated. She appears to be doing a bang up job with the orchestra as the symphony was a triumph, the jingle bells, Austrian angst and saddened irony was everywhere here.
An hour in length, this meaty work sits between even larger Mahler symphonies and I feel this one sometimes gets over looked. Hannigan couldn’t offer us her USP for the night, where she both sings and conducts simultaneously, due to illness. Though a shame, the ‘child in heaven’ solo for the finale was taken by Greek wonder Aphrodite Patoulidou wrapping up with the touching, joyful thrill that mirrors Mahler’s own grief. I was rightfully won over by this Mahler.
This show had a highly regarded reputation and an amazing preconception, so I had high expectations going into it.
Let me set the scene. When you enter the sold-out performance space, it’s with excitement and anticipation in the air. There are smells, and alternative pop music being played. A bus stop is in the middle of the stage, with about nine black poles dotted around it, and an electronic screen in the middle of the bus stop displaying places in Swansea and times. The screen showed drug terms and definitions before the play started, such as “chasing,” “methadone,” “tick,” “weighing and bagging,” “chasing the dragon,” and “sorter” (which I hadn’t realized until now was a drug term; it means using a drug as payment for work instead of money). This was cleverly used for setting the scene, and these were the terms the performers used in the piece. If you remembered what some of these terms meant, you could understand it when they used them in the piece. The electronic screen was also used to show captions during the performance, as Friday night’s show was one of the captioned performances.
There was an orange light from the left corner, a purple light from the right, and a blue and a green from respective sides of the bus stop before the performance started. The performers used colour so cleverly during the piece, and they had multiple magnetic lights that they would take at different points and put them on the poles to set the scene for what they were describing, as the set was minimalistic. For example, for one scene when Richard Mylan is describing “memory 3,” with a guy named Ernie and a gas fire that he, when he was younger, was getting warmth from, they took a light to that pole, and the light was a warm orangey glow like a fire, to help emphasise the scene for the audience. There were also lights behind the bus stop. An excellent example of the riveting nature of the piece is the use of seagull noises in the background, such as when Sophie Melville’s character gets a view of Mumbles. At another point, there was an electric spark and a heartbeat that kept getting faster. There are many ways in which they use lighting and sound cleverly to envelop the audience into the story.
It is very fast paced, as Richard Mylan will tell his story, and then Sophie Melville will continue with hers, and it goes back and forth throughout, so you have to try and remember what happened in each story. “Sorter” was about a nurse who got addicted to morphine, and he was a high-functioning drug addict, which is based on Richard Mylan’s (writer and actor) life. Sophie Melville played a character who was addicted to drugs, and her boyfriend was also her drug dealer. “Sorter” was an astonishing and impressive piece. It was immersive, with moments of laughter amidst the darkness, and you really felt sympathy for the characters.
It made you think retrospectively about how harshly you judge homeless people or people addicted to drugs, when many factors go into becoming addicted to something. As Sophie Melville’s character says in the piece, “they are almost impossible to get off” [paraphrased], and a lot of factors go into becoming homeless. Who are we to judge these people when they don’t get the help they need? It was eye-opening and shocking but a must-see. You had to see it in the Grand Arts Wing because you had to be in thrust and a small stage to feel close to the characters, feel sympathy for them, and understand them. Also, there were lots of references to places in Swansea, one being when Jess, Sophie Melville’s character, climbs up on the ladder behind the bus stop and talks about how “people like her don’t deserve to have such a breath-taking view of the Mumbles and Swansea, living in Mayhill” [paraphrased].
Richard Mylan and Sophie Melville are exceptional and tell the story so well that you wish you hadn’t missed it.
It’s amazing to see some fine musicians get to Cardiff, so many don’t. Going around St David’s Hall I was stunned some people were not going in for the warm up act, saying they are just here for Vega. This opening act being Sam Lee, I declared those who didn’t come in for him as fools. I recall Sam from his immaculate set at the Queen Elizabeth Hall back in 2019, his love of all things folk and nature remains the eternal muse. Whilst that fine late night concert would offer up a live stream of nightingales setting down for the night, this warm up was a treat of folksy ballads, Sam’s buttery voice doing laps around the melodies of these sweet, old song from the British Isles. His sweet persona is infectious and his encouragement of a singalong needs little energy in the Welsh capital. A joy to see and hear him again.
Suzanne Vega is know for a few famous songs, though there are other jewels to be mined. Though perhaps most famous for ‘Tom’s Diner’ (one of our giddy encores for the evening), a strident song about a very precise instance in her life. I’m so glad she sang ‘Luca, an incredible touching, full on 90s song about a little boy who is abused by his family. It tugs the heart and still though remains funky. Ever the poet, Vega declare her love for Leonard Cohen and other influences, the song writing capability a fine thing to hear.
Gerry Leonard joined Vega as backing bassist, the sole accompanist on stage and one of immense talent and of subtle impact. The lack of synths and drums made this large, St David’s Hall concert feel rather intimate. It is Vega’s homely nature, her warming appeal and conversational voice that just makes all of us feel calm and contented. Finding ways to describe her voice, it seems there is a uniqueness and familiarity. Perhaps best known for ‘Marlene On The Wall’, an almost country ballad and pop delight with a soft and wide chorus that most should hopefully recognise.
Vega delighted us with attempts to speak Welsh, with some livid fans shouting at her how to say things correctly. Her returning to Welsh later on almost put me in a coughing fit, her humour is quite dry yet open. Stories of past lovers, who then (of course) become songs are treasures, words from her mum and some quips from legend Lou Reed all pepper the evening, though I wouldn’t quite say the evening could be billed as both songs and stories, the former the bulk of the show, as itself.
No one quite does it like her.
Suzanne Vega continues on tour around Europe and the United States
Another centre to the Royal Academy in London would see a huge show with a massive scope spanning centuries for the art of Spain. There was a lot to get in here and I dare say I think a good three hours (consider a break in between) would be advised to drink in its entirety.
We start with the Bronze Age and Roman finds from Spain, though there a only a few items on display. A headless statue of Diana, goddess of hunting and the moon is one curiosity, the other an astounding pair of trullae, large silver spoons two thousand year olds and in phenomenal condition. Later rooms would feature the influence of Islam and the Moors, textiles becoming mainstream with intricate detailing and fine craftsmanship. Larger and larger bolts would also prove popular with wonky animals and more elaborate patterns, though this gradually grew overdone.
A dog door knocker possibly from Galicia excited one of my friends from the area on Messenger, I also noted that the map of Spain upon entry, only listed some cites and regions and not others. What did, wow were the coloured busts of saints, both the fine artistry of Juan de Juni and Pedro de Mena whited gleamed in their light and candid ecstasy. Even more amazing remained the Polychrome wooden busts of Christ and the Virgin Mary by Andrea de Mena and what remained a highlight of the whole epic show. Mary even had eyelashes…I remained floored by these two creations.
Work from their empire in the Americas would see a dazzling aqua lion water kettle, vivid plates and a statue of an angel so dramatic it somehow appeared Asian in design. The smaller things in the show would prove the triumph with ‘The Four Fates of Man: Death, Soul in Hell, Soul in Purgatory, Soul in Heaven’, attributed to Manuel Chili (called Caspicara). You can just feel the shame and guilt these little half bodied figures would install in people back then, their death metal appearance is still vivid all these years later. Some classic, conventional Goya portraits are also a delight, though I did crave some of his more twisted, unsettling works.
Many pieces do obviously feature religious subjects, more specifically Catholicism and we can see this grip loosen as the empire dies down, after looking at some famous maps of the Americas and Europe. Velazquez still has a pull over an audience all these years later, his portraits command the space. ‘El Costeño (The Young Man from the Coast)’ by José Agustin Arrieta sees a young man of colour who was possibly a slave, holding an abundance of tropical fruits, a decent painting loaded with more than you think.
The work of Joaquín Sorolla moved with it’s watery impressionistic beach scapes, really lovely just to look at. Contrasting this in the same space was Ignacio Zuloaga disturbed with ‘The Penitents’, dark and moody, blood everywhere. The show ends with a sketch of one of Sorolla’s murals ‘Vision of Spain’…but the question remains…where is the art that came out of Spain since these painters? We are talking over a century of work which has been completely ignored for perhaps a safe choice of not going into Modernism and other movements. What about Picasso? Dalí? Joan Miró? This remains a shame as it could have crowned the exhibit with a final flourish.
I’m usually in London for theatre and concerts. Yet, there was an unmissable chance at the Southbank Centre to see Bernie Sanders live. The man who ran for U. S. President twice and remains the longest running serving independent representative in congressional history has a reputation like no over.
There was a very brief window to meet him at a reception beforehand. I may have had the privilege of being the only person at the event to get a copy signed of his new book: ‘It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism’, a review will soon follow. I shook his hand, as ever an honour and he had to shoot of to the main event after a little speech just for us as guests, his wife, some family and even Jeremy Corbyn in attendance. In his talk, he dazzled us with home truths about the deep troubles in his own country and on these shores. This post mortem asked us “Where do we want to go in the future?”. Strong words, indeed.
To say I’m a fan of Bernie is a huge understatement. I found even my host in London had a lot to say about the man, all highly critical and disparaging. His ideas, though old in some respects now, have only ever made people get the chance in life, the right to healthcare and as Americans love to say…“the pursuit of happiness”. I think he knows himself the baton has been passed on in these views and ideas, yet Bernie who is now 81 is still full of gusto.
The galvanising political spectrum we’ve all been lost in the past few years has only emboldened enemies of Bernie and his philosophy. Taxes are always the word in his mouth, I think most people can agree the Musks, Zuckerbergs and Bezoss should lift their wallets more often. He also spoke highly of the NHS and in a rather touching moment glowed about our Nye Bevan. The NHS may have its flaws, but we should be thankful for it in the end. He even encouraged younger people to consider getting into politics, something which is happening more now.
Interviewed by writer and academic Emma Dabiri, the evening strolled along nicely with a laid back feel. Bernie even wanted to stand for the first part of the interview since he was as he said, used to doing it that way. There was so much to take in during this discussion, oligarchs, Ukraine, wages, social media and more all popped up. I love Bernie’s frank, no nonsense approach to these topics. He happily gets to the root of these problems and the reasons for them, it’s very refreshing from some one who has been in politics for so long. We simply need more people just like him. It has to happen.
I really do wonder how the world will be after the pandemic, energy and bills crisis, strikes, the ugly return of sexism, homophobia, racism and transphobia, amongst many other fears. I feel Bernie who delighted this Festival Hall audience and live stream viewers the strength to keep going in both life, work, beliefs and everything in between.
I left London with worries, yet thankfully a lot of hope about the future.
Thank you, Bernie.
Watch the stream for free till 2 March 2023.
It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism, published by Crown Publishing Group/Penguin Random House out now in all good book shops and to order online.
Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw