Category: Classical music

Omar Khairat’s compositions are more a timeframe than timeless.

The pianist, 74, is synonymous with some of the greatest Egyptian films, including Lailat al-Qabd Ala Fatima (The night they arrested Fatima) in 1984 and 1994’s The Terrorist, which were pan-Arab hits. His latest pair of concerts at Dubai Opera on Friday and Saturday are therefore likely to be a nostalgic affair, with fans often humming along to the wistful melodies.

Khairat, who performed as part of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s fifth-anniversary celebrations last year, says he doesn’t mind sticking to his vintage material.

In 2019, he released the album Music of Egypt, Vol 2 and composed the soundtrack for the action film El-Mamarr.

“I could have done more recordings but I am happy dedicating this phase of my career to concerts,” he tells The National. “The music really speaks to people and it reminds them of certain periods of their lives which are often simpler and full of happiness.”

To describe Khairat concerts as a mere retread would be unfair, however.

Through his work in television and film, Khairat helped usher in classical music into Egyptian popular culture with sophisticated works rooted in the region.

“I never wanted to lose the Arabic identity in my music,” he says. “It’s not only important to me personally but the music from our part of the world is rich and diverse enough that it can easily mix with other western forms.”

It is a skill he honed at the Cairo Conservatoire, established in 1959 by his uncle and revered composer Abu Bakr Khairat.

That classical education was matched by Khairat’s evening gigs as drummer for the influential Egyptian rock band Les Petits Chats.

Formed in 1967, the group amassed a cult following in Egypt and the Levant and were the subject of a self-titled documentary in 2015.

Khairat perks up at the mention of Les Petits Chats and recalls the experience as important to his development as the rarefied surroundings of the conservatoire.

“I was studying the piano and playing drums with the band,” he says.

“As a composer, because it showed me how to link different genres together, it made me understand even more the structure of compositions and the importance of melodies.”

That knowledge is prevalent in Khairat’s work, characterised by the controlled and measured expressions of western classical music, with the free-flowing musical style found in the East.

In his 1984 song Fatma, classical piano is juxtaposed with heavy Arab percussion and the folk sounds of the oud, while in 100 Years of Cinema (1986) he puts everything in the mixer, adding some funk and Latin grooves on top of Levant rhythms.

With his formal training setting up his quest to forge “a global sound that is also distinctly Arab,” Khairat worries such rigorous training will become a thing of the past.

He says artists today are mostly relying on mere talent alone.

“Don’t get me wrong, that is very important but it’s ultimately not enough,” he says.

“Having that backed by a deep and rich knowledge of music will also give you the tools to develop it. Without that understanding, I fear the music that will be released will be ultimately stagnant.

While his concern for the future is well-intentioned, Khairat is satisfied he did his bit to point the way forward.

It is for this reason, the composer says he is having the time of his life right now on stage, playing the classics.

“To see people’s faces each night, face to face on stage, is something that inspires me,” he says. “That joy is shared and I look forward to playing for more time to come.”

Omar Khairat performs at Dubai Opera on Friday and Saturday, at 9pm. Tickets, starting at Dh295, are available at www.dubaiopera.com

Egypt’s Asil Ensemble play first show on home soil since forming in 2003 – in pictures

Just over one year since hauling down over $227 million in a Series E round, one that saw Fever obtain a valuation of over $1 billion, New York City-based, but with strong Spanish roots live entertainment discovery platform Fever has ordered up a new ticket in the form of $110 million.

The venture funding round was led by historic backer of the platform Goldman Sachs and saw the participation of Eurazeo, Convivialité Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Alignment Growth, Vitruvian Partners, and Smash Capital.

Despite waves of valuations slashed in recent months, Fever seems to be growing from strength to strength, reporting closing in on a double unicorn valuation, now hovering at $1.8 billion.

According to the company, over the last year, its been able to double its turnover, with North America now comprising over 50 percent of the group’s revenues. Not exactly a shocker with lockdowns all but a thing of the past, and cabin fever starved humans of ever size, shape, and colour clamouring to be surrounded by others in the dark with amplified sound and thousands of lumens meeting their collective cerebral cortices.

Even if you haven’t participated in an event directly via Fever, I’m willing to bet you’ve either attended, know of, or have a friend who has. The group’s been involved with Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Van Gogh, Jurassic World, and the Friends experiences. 

If none of those have appeared on your radar, I can guarantee that your insta feed has displayed one ad or another for the Candlelight classical music concert series (they’re inescapable). In so much, via the Candlelight series, Fever has become the largest seller of live classical music in the world.

The new funding round is aimed at doubling down on these efforts and investing in new content opportunities. In other words, even more fuel for the fire that is burning over at Fever.

I love a good spy thriller, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from John LeCarre’s Smiley series (or more recently Mick Herron’s Slough House books), it’s this: there are two sets of rules.

Under Moscow rules, you watch your back or find yourself dead. With its bureaucracy and red tape, though, London rules require you to cover your butt, or risk career-related death.

Despite the rumors of lute-playing composer John Dowland spying for Queen Elizabeth, it seems to me he was more interested in covering his butt.

But maybe I got some bad intel… What do you think? Drop me a note behind that park bench. Then wait for the signal.

• Jonathan Douglas presented classical music programmes for Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK for decades, but he was also a composer and pianist
• Months before his death from cancer, he recorded 13 of his piano compositions, which his family have now released on Spotify as an album, Time and Again

Jonathan Douglas was a man of many talents. Best-known as the voice behind RTHK’s classical music programmes for 30 years, Douglas was also a theatre director and accomplished actor. But his first love was music.

In early 2022, months before he died at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer, Douglas recorded 13 of his favourite piano pieces among those he composed over the years, with some dating from his twenties and thirties.

Now these have been released on Spotify by his family as an album, titled Time and Again.

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There is a theory that each musical key provokes different emotions. Out of the 13 pieces, nine were written in the keys of D major and E major.

© Provided by South China Morning Post
Jonathan Douglas at RTHK Broadcast House in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, in 2017. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The former is the key of triumph, and often used to symbolise the overcoming of hardship – think of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy – while E major is a joyful, boisterous key (Rossini’s William Tell Overture). The result is that Time and Again is a portrait of a man who loved life and who stood defiantly in the face of death.

The album starts with “E Major Echo”. The opening section is played at a walking pace. It expresses a sense of hesitancy, as if someone were wandering around, not quite sure which way to go. It is the start of a journey, an apt beginning to the album to pull you in.

Time to stop the taming of Hong Kong public art

The following three pieces are jazzy and free-spirited. Yet the manner of his playing is contained and avoids the build-up of tension and climax, creating a sense of gentlemanly elegance and calm.

“Bitter Counterpoint” is in classic ABA form, but variations in tempo and the deliberately abrupt phrasing of the independent melodic lines gives it an interesting character. I didn’t sense any bitterness. Instead, the rewinds and repeats reminded me of piano practice and the learning of a new piece of music.

The seventh track on the album, called “Untitled”, is the longest at nearly seven minutes. It echoes the first track in its wandering nature, but stands out by venturing into a minor key in its middle section that darkens the mood and creates an ominous feeling.

Yet it ends with a peaceful ascending passage that suggests an ethereal eternity.

© Provided by South China Morning Post
Time and Again by Jonathan Douglas has been released on Spotify.

The title of “Sad Waltz in E” is a little bit misleading. It’s not a waltz, except for the beginning and the ending. And the mood overall is not as poignant as the title suggests. Conversely, the simple melody is reminiscent of the childlike innocence of the music of Joe Hisaishi.

The album closes, touchingly, with “Rebirth”. It is a tranquil piece, full of hope. The change in key (not surprisingly, from D to E) towards the end enhances the joyous mood and leaves the listener feeling positive.

Douglas can be heard speaking in two of the pieces, a nostalgic touch for those who recall his soothing radio voice.

© Provided by South China Morning Post
Douglas was a long-time host of classical music programmes on RTHK Radio 4. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

It is worth noting, too, that throughout the album, you can hear the distinct clicking sound of the piano hammers, which suggests that he recorded the music (in a London studio) with the piano cover removed and the microphones placed close to the action.

It is a popular way of creating an ambience of intimacy, used by pianists such as Olafur Arnalds (in “We Contain Multitudes”), VIkingur Olafsson (“Ave Maria”) and Joep Beving (“Last Dance”).

Time and Again is not about groundbreaking compositions or ambitious piano techniques. It is a perfect gift left to us by a man who deeply loved music.

Time and Again by Jonathan Douglas was released in January 2023. It can be listened to, free of charge, on Spotify.

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Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today the initial lineup for the Summer 2023 season, including the Wolf Trap Opera (WTO) season, classical, symphony, and dance programming, and films with live orchestral music. The performances take place at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts at the Filene Center and The Barns at Wolf Trap.

Wolf Trap Opera’s (WTO) season opens on The Barns at Wolf Trap stage in June with Handel’s Semele. The love story follows the god Jupiter, who is enchanted by the beauty of the all-too-mortal Semele. Known for some of Handel’s most powerfully seductive music and triumphant choruses, this opera touches on the parable of ambition and indulgence. Conductor Timothy Long leads the cast in this musical drama directed by Tara Faircloth.

Gounod’s Faust, the French grand opera follows the timeless tale about a man selling his soul to the devil for immortality in a new immersive production at The Barns at Wolf Trap stage in July. The tragic opera established Gounod’s place as a legendary composer, and asks if the freedom of youth is worth the price of one’s eternity. Geoffrey McDonald conducts one of opera’s most performed tragedies, directed by Alison Mortiz.

Mozart’s Don Giovanni soars onto the Filene Stage this July. This popular tragic-comedic opera with a supernatural twist, follows the path of destruction for a young playboy (Don Juan) in a single day. The themes of power, justice, and loyalty in this masterpiece are just as resonate today, making it a story to remember. Stephanie Rhodes Russell conducts the Wolf Trap Orchestra and Mary Birnbaum directs this compelling new production.

“Wolf Trap takes an artist-centric approach when choosing our summer repertoire,” said Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President, Opera and Classical Programming. “Our opera productions are specifically tailored for the voices of the most promising artists selected for our competitive summer residency program. This year’s performers are some of the best we’ve seen, and we are excited to showcase their talents with an array of operas and concerts that feature their talents.”

Other WTO performances this summer include a new Salon Series (July 7, July 12, and July 28) featuring intimate performances in the Scottish Barn; two programs with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival — A Night at the Opera (June 3) with Wolf Trap Studio Artists and acclaimed soprano Tiffany Townsend in Walker’s Lilacs (June 24); a recital program led by Steven Blier’s Night and Day U.S.A (June 4); Aria Jukebox (July 2), where the audience chooses the program (or arias. Just not ‘songs’); and Studio Spotlight with opera scenes featuring Studio Artists (August 3).

Each summer, Wolf Trap welcomes the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) to the Filene Center stage for a variety of performances and concerts. This summer audiences can enjoy The Planets in HD (July 7), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert (July 8), Jurassic Park in Concert (July 22), Hilary Hahn plays Brahms (August 4), and Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (August 5).

Joe Hisaishi Symphonic Concert: Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki (July 14 + 15) celebrates the partnership between composer and filmmaker. With montages from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki, known for their legendary and beloved characters, accompanied by the illustrious score of composer Joe Hisaishi, who conducts the NSO.

Wolf Trap Opera (WTO) is a summer residency program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, offering emerging artists career development and performance experiences. The Filene Artists are at a point in their profession between training and full-time professional careers, and many have already won prestigious awards and finished professional training programs. Internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Ryan McKinny (WTO 2006, 2008) is the 2023 Filene Artist in Residence. McKinny known for his highly crafted performances and intimate character portrayals, will give a public recital and conduct a master class this summer.

The 2023 Filene Artists are Brittany Logan (soprano), Louisiana, Denis Vélez (soprano), Mexico; Esther Tonea (soprano), California; Renée Richardson (soprano), Pennsylvania; Tiffany Townsend (soprano), Mississippi; Véronique Filloux (soprano), California; Emily Triegle (mezzo-soprano), Louisiana; Kathleen Felty (mezzo-soprano), Texas; Mary Beth Nelson (mezzo-soprano), California, Eric Taylor (tenor), Washington; Lunga Eric Hallam (tenor), South Africa; Daniel Rich (baritone), Maryland; Kyle White (baritone), Texas; Andrew Gilstrap (bass-baritone), Tennessee; Cory McGee (bass), Virginia; Eric Lindsey (bass), Georgia; and Wm. Clay Thompson (bass), Kentucky.

Wolf Trap Opera also selects Studio Artists each year who show significant potential and cultivates these young artists by providing skill-enhancing and career-building curriculum designed around their skillsets. The Studio Artists gain professional experience by covering their colleagues in the Filene Artist program, and through smaller roles and choruses for Wolf Trap Opera’s main-stage operas, opera scenes programs and recitals.

An opera, symphony and dance calendar, production information and casting, and a full WTO artist roster can be found here. To view the full season, including pop, rock, musicals and more, visit www.wolftrap.org/calendar. Ticketing information and links to print-ready photography are below.

Ticketing and On-Sale Information

• Tickets for these performances go on sale to the public on Friday, February 17 at 10 a.m. at wolftrap.org.

• Pricing varies by performance and seat location, and are subject to change. See individual performance listings online or the calendar below for prices.

Wolf Trap members have access to exclusive presales and may purchase tickets in advance of the general public. Memberships with presale access start at $80 and are tax-deductible less the value of goods and services provided. For more information, visit wolftrap.org/membership.

Standing in the gazebo at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Sarasota on Saturday, violinist Adrian Anantawan told the children gathered around a story about how furious he’d get when his younger brother would steal a cookie from him.

“And sometimes I got so mad that I wanted to express it in music. And when Beethoven — a composer who wrote music — got really mad, he wrote a piece of music that sounded like this,” Anantawan said, beginning to play Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor.

Anantawan and pianist Leigh McAllister performed for about an hour, showcasing classical music and the violin’s alternate identity — the fiddle — and engaging the children in spontaneous storytelling that involved a king, a cell phone and a tiger.

The event capped a week-long artist in residence stay with the Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation for Anantawan, 40, and gave children in the historically Black Sarasota neighborhood of Newtown a chance to make their own instruments — tambourines made from paper plates — and play along with a famous violinist.

Anantawan is a graduate of Yale and Harvard, and has performed at high-profile venues like the White House and the Olympics. But he said events like this have a special draw.

“It is always important as a classical musician for us to come out to the audiences,” Anantawan said.

“Sometimes just going and making art where people are at is not only something that is meaningful for our field and classical music, but it is just such a joy as a musician to work up front with people who I wouldn’t normally see in a concert hall.”

Anantawan said there’s another reason why he appreciates the chance to meet his young audiences.

“I grew up with a visible disability. I am missing my right hand and a lot of times children come up to me and ask me what happened, why are you different?” he said. “And a lot of the times I tell them some people are tall, some people are short, some people have darker skin, some people have lighter skin, but we are all the same on the inside.

“And I think playing music really amplifies that message, so I am very grateful to have this gift to be able to share.”

He was accompanied by McAllister, 26, who was born with three fingers on her left hand. She also relishes performing for young people.

Kerry Sheridan

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WUSF Public Media

“I just love to see the look on their faces, knowing that when I was a kid, I loved music. I wanted to be a musician at a very young age, about three years old,” she said.

McAllister said her parents initially wouldn’t allow her to play piano because of her disability. But she persevered, and eventually she was allowed to take lessons.

“And I want the children to experience that too, to see musicians who have overcome that and to know they can do that too,” she said.

Arts education events like this take place at Newtown’s Martin Luther King Jr Park. once a month, according to Stevey Jones, a teaching artist and one of the organizers.

“We’ve been addressing this need going on almost two and a half years, coming out here once a month, just exposing, encouraging, exploring with our students that are based in Newtown and families that are based out here,” he said.

Chandler Balkcom

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WUSF Public Media

Each month they have a different theme. This time, it’s “music is for everyone.” The theme for the next one, Feb. 25, is Black history.

“Music just makes the difference and to let children learn about good music is really so important,” says Valerie Buchand, president of Newtown Nation, another of the event’s co-sponsors.

One of the most prolific and influential composers of our age, Philip Glass has become an icon and figurehead in the arts. At its core, Glass describes his music as having “repetitive structures.” He’s taken that foundation to fifteen operas, multiple chamber operas and musical theater works, fourteen symphonies, twelve concertos, chamber music, nine string quartets, and several film scores (three of which have been nominated for an Academy Award). Glass founded the Philip Glass Ensemble in 1968, and the group continues to perform worldwide and record to this day.

When getting to know his work, you’ll start to find connections to popular culture and history everywhere. To wit, this list of the best of Philip Glass includes encounters with David Bowie, Kafka, Hollywood, J.S. Bach, and more along the way.

Listen to the best of Philip Glass now.

Opening (1981)

When Philip Glass originally composed his six-movement piece Glassworks in 1981, his intention was to introduce his music to a broader audience following the success of large-scale concert and stage works. It was composed for the recording studio and Glass intentionally wrote the work in shorter and more accessible movements to extend a hand into the broader listening community. It worked. Classical music aficionados, and those new to classical music alike, will find it hard not to immediately find something to love about this mysterious and sentimental piece.

Violin Concerto No. 2, The American Four Seasons (2009-2010)

There’s one critical difference between Philip Glass’s “The American Four Seasons” and its companion piece, Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” In Glass’s version, there is no indication which season is linked to which movement and the listener must decide for themselves. The music features sweeping strings and showcases Glass’s signature two-against-three rhythmic motive. This feeling of two against three creates a natural push and pull in the music, an underlying source of tension and intrigue.

Metamorphosis (1988)

If Philip Glass’s “Metamorphosis” sounds familiar, it could be for a few reasons: “Metamorphosis One” was included in an episode of Battlestar Galactica and “Metamorphosis Two” can be found in the acclaimed 2002 film, The Hours. “Metamorphosis Two” is also the piece that Pearl Jam plays before their shows! What inspired Glass to create this work? The name “Metamorphosis” is a reference to Franz Kafka’s 1915 novella of the same name. Perhaps the disquieting threat of drifting into a distant key throughout Glass’s work can be linked to Gregor Samsa’s unwelcome transformation in Kafka’s story.

Echorus (1995)

“Echorus,” which stems from the word “echo,” is a lush work for two solo violins and string orchestra. Philip Glass has shared that “the music is inspired by thoughts of compassion and is meant to evoke feelings of serenity and peace.” These intentions shine through brightly. Glass calls upon the chaconne in this work, a form that J.S. Bach is famous for using, and the soloists either play the chaconne or melodic parts.

The Poet Acts (2002)

While “Metamorphosis I” was inserted into The Hours, “The Poet Acts” is part of the original score that Philip Glass created for the film. This is the kind of moody music that’s perfect for a rainy day – of particular note is the bass line which alternates between taking place as the accompaniment and the melody.

Four Movements for Two Pianos (2008)

Perhaps the most dissonant of Philip Glass’s works to be found on this list, this piece showcases Glass’s profound piano writing. Glass, who is also a trained pianist, creates an engaging dialogue between the two instruments. One wonders, at moments, if the pianos are conversing or in argument.

Heroes Symphony (1996)

Who was Philip Glass’s favorite rock musician? The evidence points to David Bowie. Glass took inspiration from Bowie’s “Heroes” album when composing his “Heroes Symphony,” and Glass’s first symphony is based on Bowie’s album Low. The “Heroes Symphony” is exuberant and bright, with the brass and winds coming to the forefront.

Études – No. 6 (1994)

The pianist is in a full-out sprint throughout this incredibly virtuosic étude. Like many of Philip Glass’s best works, equal attention must be paid to both the left and right piano hands, as they both contain melodic material. It’s simultaneously the sound of pure joy and determination.

Discover more of our articles collecting the best works of composers through the ages.

Format: UK English

i’m bringing my annual January exploration of free music to a close with an album that, as happens every year, should have appeared in my Best Albums of 2022 but i ended up listening to it just too late. That being said, when i first spent time with Encircle by Lithuanian musician Sole Massif, in the final days of 2022, i made the mistake of listening through headphones: it sounded good enough, at times even quite impressive, but not necessarily outstanding. Revisiting it again in the last week or so, however, i’ve allowed it to speak properly through speakers, and the difference is absolutely extraordinary.

The album’s title suggests being surrounded, enclosed even, and that’s absolutely the impression created by the 10 tracks that make up Encircle. Furthermore many of the track titles reference industrial objects or processes, ideas that again make their presence felt in the music. One of the primary characteristics of Encircle is a startling level of intensity. This manifests in various ways, most obviously in the recurring sense that we’re caught in the midst of a debris-filled maelstrom, with massive collisions happening on all sides. Sole Massif likes to place these in the unnervingly close foreground, where the resulting assortment of accents, frictions and drones smash, scrape and bombard our eardrums. Opening track ‘Disintegrate’, as its name suggests, almost seems to be setting up the debris field, throwing sound objects together and observing the reverberant aftermaths of each forceful contact.

Yet it also reveals the music’s dual primary aspect: sustained tones that throughout Encircle act as both a foil and a counterweight to the percussive elements that threaten to pummel everything into oblivion. In ‘Disintegrate’ it’s a somewhat fuzzy, middlegrounded drone, one that appears to vanish two-thirds through but which we realise is still present at great depth below the track’s powerful conclusion. Pitch often coalesces into drone formations, though usually coloured or inflected by the surrounding mayhem, such as the razor-sharp tones that cut through the texture in ‘Frontline Replicant’ or the far-off tolling of detritus-encrusted bells at the close of ‘Tempered Glass Deploy’.

Perhaps the aspect of Encircle that i find most compelling is the deft balancing act between these sustained (usually pitched) elements and the enormous violence (both percussive and noise) of each track. It’s not remotely the kind of balance that one could plausibly call an ‘equilibrium’, as the volatility is such that at almost no point does the music sound stable. yet regarding the album as a whole, which of those two primary elements is ultimately the more pervasive, or has greater agency, or proves more compelling, is impossible to say.

Hearing such ferocious caprice play out is exhilarating and often completely overwhelming. This is reinforced by the highly tactile timbral quality of Sole Massif’s palette. Big abrasive splashes in ‘Precalibrated Dispersion’ sound as if we were being sprayed with acid; ‘Tempered Glass Deploy’ gives the impression of tangible materials being handled, occasionally discharging energy, streaming a jet of white-hot matter directly at us; ‘Pact of Multiplication’ combines pounding crunchy accents and squalling noise bursts in an almost absurdly ferocious display of playfulness.

However, these are consistently matched and militated against by the longer-term pitch elements which, in the closing tracks on the album, seem to have proved dominant. ‘Directional Enquiries’ features resonant chords trying to emerge through a gentle, dronal industrialscape, in a liminal music that suggests imminent explosions from implied internal power but which is somehow held in check, in the process projecting soft warmth. In ‘Glowing White Indicator’ the softness of the drone paradoxically turns out to prove resilient against a barrage of intense impacts and scratches, hovering behind and, towards the end, evaporating seemingly by choice. Closing track ‘Controlled Machinery Formation’ pushes this unbalanced balance to an extreme, pelting squelch and noise left and right, triggering huge accents that transform everything, yet despite the effervescence and instability of the soundworld, following a series of shimmering metallic ripples what transpires is radiance, floating chords that equal the entirety and the enormity of everything that’s their opposite, leading to a majestic climax of impure glory.

Encircle is available as a free download from the Sole Massif Bandcamp site.

© Google
The restaurant in Wrexham will play classic music and ration Wi-Fi in a bid to control the yobs

A McDonald’s restaurant in Wales is turning to classical music in a bid to deter yobs who have caused chaos. Staff at the branch in the city of Wrexham will play classical music including Beethoven after 5pm in a bid to stamp out the misbehaviour that has blighted an area of the city in recent months.

A dispersal order was issued in Wrexham last week after after a group of more than 20 youths rampaged through the streets, prompting reports of an assault, a fire extinguisher being set off, signs and coins allegedly thrown at the restaurant staff and younger children chased.

North Wales Live reports that police inspector Luke Hughes was “absolutely appalled” by the behaviour centred around certain streets and areas, including a “certain fast food outlet”, Eagles Meadow and a bowling alley. He said: “I have spoken about these locations a few times and the concerns I have about youths gathering, as well as some of the behaviours we were starting to see that were causing concern and upset.”

“We had multiple reports…. of one particular group of youths, that at times numbered 20-30, roaming between locations. There was more than one allegation of assault, a fire extinguisher set off, signs and coins thrown at shop staff and younger children chased by this group.”

“I was absolutely appalled when I received the overnight incidents. I am determined to address this behaviour. We did apprehend a few, and took a few home, but I’m not content that this will fix the issue long term.”

Now The Sun reports that the 24-hour McDonalds in Wrexhamwill play classical music from 5pm, in a bid to deter the yobs.

Inspector Hughes later said: “I also want to thank those businesses that I had written to earlier in the week. I had a great response, with some imposing entry conditions. A well-known fast-food retailer will be playing classical music from 5pm in the evening, so unless we have some local and unruly Beethoven enthusiasts, it should discourage some issues.”

The restaurant will also restrict its Wi-Fi service in an attempt to deter the jobs, while nearby businesses have also pledged to impose entry conditions to tackle the problem.

Another branch of McDonald’s in Shepherds Bush, London, previously started playing classical music to control behaviour. McDonald’s has previously said: “We have tested the effects of classical music in the past and played it in some of our restaurants as it encourages more acceptable behaviour.

“Typically, classical music would be played from early evening onwards and, in some cases, on certain nights in a small number of restaurants.”

The Mirror says that Glasgow was the first city reported to play classical music in a bid to calm rowdy punters. A branch in Stockport, Greater Manchester, also used the tactic following a spate of yobbish behaviour. Another tactic used by McDonald’s in Wales in 2020 included banning unaccompanied children from the restaurant after a spate of violent behaviour.

It remains to be seen whether the move works. As a word of caution, in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptatation of Anthony Burgess’s novel A Clockwork Orange, classical music such as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 provided the soundtrack to ultra-violence from a gang of young thugs. The gang’s leader Alex was particularly partial to a “bit of the old Ludwig van”.

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