Tina Foster reviews: In Winter by Katie Melua, Boots on the Ground by Richard Dannatt and The Spy by Paulo Coelho
Music to warm your heart
Katie Melua released her debut album ‘Call Off The Search’ in 2003. Since then she has released 5 further studio albums including 2013’s ‘Ketevan’ which is her birth name. Born in the ex-Soviet country of Georgia she moved with her family to Belfast at the age of nine.
In this latest offering, ‘In Winter’, Katie Melua takes the role of co-producer for the first time. The discovery in 2014 of a recording by Gori Women’s Choir was the spark for the record. “I was mesmerised by their tone and sonic richness. They are essentially a vocal orchestra,” says Katie. With a vision to create a winter-themed record, one that was centred around the Georgian choir’s unique polyphonic sound, Katie enlisted world-renowned choral composer Bob Chilcott to arrange the vocal parts.
“I’ve been asked a fair few times now why I chose to write around the theme of winter for this album, and, truthfully, the idea came from a conversation I was having with a friend of mine a few winters’ ago. We were both lamenting the fact that there didn’t seem to be a go-to album out there for us to listen to during the winter months – an album that would fill the house with wonderful, warm, poignant sounds rather than the usual jingle-bells pop songs that tend to hit the airwaves during that time of year”, explained Katie.
From the opening notes, sung in Ukrainian, there is something different and unexpected about this album. Twenty-five female voices blend to create a sound that is both powerful and delicate, that, in its apparent simplicity, is so beautiful it glows.
To view the official video of the track Perfect World:
The simple elegant music combined with the purity of Katie’s voice creates just the right sort of ambience for sitting in front of a log fire on a cosy winter’s night.
In Winter by Katie Melua was released on 14 October 2016.
An Officer, a Gentleman and a Scholar
For anyone who has an interest in the British Army and its history, this book is a must. And for anyone who is interested in the defence of our realm, past, present and future, it is essential reading.
The book is a fascinating mix of facts, opinions and insights from the man who rose to become the Chief of the General Staff and stood up for soldiers’ rights in 2007 when the military was under extreme pressure fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The title of the book rings with the evocative sound of military might, but indicates the human touch that those boots are on the ends of a soldier’s legs.
From the end of the Second World War and the ruins of housing, jobs and normal life throughout Europe, the General Leads us through the final skirmishes of the Empire and colonies to the high-tech weapons of today’s battlefields.
He charts the fight for freedom and democracy with the understanding of a military leader, but also the consideration of the struggles of individuals who face horrific situations.
General the Lord Dannatt is a much decorated and highly respected military expert, at the same time he has the engaging manner of one who is comfortable with his position and keen to share his experience.
A book for the shelves of anyone who cares about British History and our future in the world.
Boots on the Ground by Richard Dannatt was published in October in Hardback by Profile Books Ltd
Mata Hari – Exotic dancer and double agent?
Think female spy and probably the first name that comes to mind is Mata Hari. History has it that she was an exotic dancer and courtesan. She was executed in Paris in 1917 after being tried as a German spy.
Mata Hari was the stage name Dutch-born Margaretha Zelle took when she became one of Paris’s most popular exotic dancers on the eve of World War I. Although details of her past are sketchy, it is believed that she was born in the Netherlands in 1876 and married a Dutch Army officer 21 years her senior when she was 18. She quickly bore him two children and followed him when he was assigned to Java in 1897. The marriage proved rocky. The couple returned to the Netherlands in 1902 with their daughter (their other child, a son, had died mysteriously in Java). Margaretha’s husband obtained a divorce and retained custody of his daughter.
Margaretha then made her way to Paris where she reinvented herself as an Indian temple dancer thoroughly trained in the erotic dances of the East. She took on the name Mata Hari and was soon luring audiences in the thousands as she performed in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and other European capitals. She also attracted several highly-placed, aristocratic lovers willing to reward her handsomely for the pleasure of her company.
With the outbreak of World War I, Mata Hari’s cross-border liaisons with German political and military figures came to the attention of the French secret police and she was placed under surveillance. Brought in for questioning, the French reportedly induced her to travel to neutral Spain to develop relationships with the German naval and army attaches in Madrid and report any intelligence back to Paris.
In the murky world of the spy, however, the French suspected her of being a double agent. In February 1917 Mata Hari returned to Paris and immediately arrested; charged with being a German spy. Her trial in July revealed some damning evidence that the dancer was unable to adequately explain. She was convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad.
Told in Mata Hari’s voice through her final letter, The Spy is the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to defy convention and who paid the ultimate price.
Over the past twenty years, MI5 in the UK and Germany and Holland have released their files on Mata Hari, and it provided Paulo Coelho with a trove of information as he was researching his novel.
One of the most influential writers of our time, Coelho is the author of many international best sellers. Translated into 80 languages, his books have sold more than 165 million copies in more than 170 countries.
The Spy by Paulo Coelho published in Hardback by Cornerstone on 22 November 2016 RRP £12.99
