Vee vill find a vay of tracking you down!
 
UPDATE: Well done QAZ, you’re spot on. This isn’t an article. You clearly haven’t come across the term “blog”.
Cherwell 24 is not responsible for the content of German salami, or external links

Whilst many football fans have their ‘dream team’, I have a dream string quartet, comprising of my favourite musicians and, as of today, one addition to my ‘quartet’ is the Tippett quartet’s cellist Bozidar Vukotic.

The Holywell Music Room was full with an audience eagerly anticipating the Tippett Quartet’s performance of Michael Tippett’s string quartet no.1 and Beethoven’s string quartet in C sharp minor (op.131).  And the young ensemble’s performance did not disappoint, with both energetic and lyrical passages being performed equally effectively.

Tippett’s string quartet no. 1 opened the concert.  The cello’s two cadenza-like solos in the first movement were particularly resounding.  Tippett’s neo-classical music was heavily influenced by Beethoven, which made the choice of Beethoven’s string quartet in C sharp minor as the second piece of the concert most appropriate.  The cohesion of the quartet was apparent in this seven movement work, which was well received by the audience.

The ensemble was generally very well balanced, although the melody line was perhaps slightly lost in the second movement of the Beethoven. However, this was a rare problem in an otherwise excellent performance by all four members of the quartet.

by Robin Thompson, C24 Music Editor

 

The next coffee concert at the Holywell Music Room is next Sunday, February 3rd at 11.15am, and will feature the Adderbury Ensemble playing quintets by Mozart and Vaughan-Williams (tickets available from Tickets Oxford 01865 305305).

In a motion passed at the Wadham Student Union meeting on Sunday, Wadham students were given the option to opt out of being featured in their college rag-sheet.Students will now be able to email the Welfare Officers who will forward their names to the writers of ‘Wad Words’; this will be carried out in strict confidentiality.In the agenda for the meeting, the SU noted: “One. That Wadham students have a right to go about their lives without fear of being commented on in Wad Words. Two. That Wad Words nevertheless makes a contribution to college life and that there is no reason why it shouldn’t continue to do so.”Katharine Halls, Co-chair of Womens’ Campaign, says she proposed the motion after complaints were brought up at a number of meetings about the “derogatory tone of the college bog sheets”.”Oxford is an extremely stressful environment for everyone but sadly the age-old sexism of the place means it is often worse for women”, says Halls. “College rags are just another aspect of this, setting upon women for their sexual behaviour, objectifying those deemed attractive and deriding those who aren’t. We noticed that the situation in colleges with opt-out systems seemed a bit better, and thought the best way to tackle the problem was probably to take motions to common rooms.”SU President Leonora Sagan says, ” ‘Wad Words’ can sometimes be insensitive and quite cruel. An opt-out was considered to be the best way to ensure that the rag-sheet remains funny.” However, no specific examples of particularly cruel features were cited to support the motion.According to one Wadhamite, there was substantial feeling at the meeting that ” ‘Wad Words’ is not, in comparison to other college publications – for example the Jesus ‘Sheepshagger’ – that offensive.” He says, “The Freshers who chose to opt out are too boring to feature anyway.”Halls says, “I’ll be delighted if this turns out to be true. We never imagined there being more than a minority who’d want to opt out. The important thing is it is there for those who do want to, and if just one person feels a bit happier or less insecure because of it we’ll have achieved our aim. Incidentally, that minority are of course the very ones who are least likely to speak up at SU meetings.” One Fresher at Wadham said he was featured in ‘Wad Words’ for being ‘drunk too often and having to be carried home from events’. He thinks that an opt-out “takes away the point”, but that maybe people who are going to feature should be told in advance.”I wouldn’t say it was specifically sexist,” he said, “but I can see how girls would take offence to features like ‘Most Likely to Walk Funny in the Morning’.” He adds that to have been featured in ‘Wad Words’ means “you have done something noticeable or have a noticeable personality.”The ‘Wad Words’ opt-out motion follows similar motions that have been passed by Magdalen and Jesus JCRs, amongst others.by Sarah Fleming

C24's video preview of 50's rock and roll night Action Stations. Read the full column here.Video by Rachel Williams and Helena Zaba.

Trinity 5-2 University 
The race for promotion from JCR Division Two took another twist on Friday, as favourites Univ were comprehensively defeated in an extraordinary game by mid-table Trinity. The corresponding fixture last term had ended in a comfortable 4-1 win for the High Street club, but the story today was very different. 
Univ were missing several key players, not least mercurial left winger Nima Amini, but started strongly nonetheless. After ten minutes, Matt Miskimmin headed just wide as the promotion chasers dominated the early exchanges. It was Trinity, however, who took an unexpected lead. A long punt from the back was held up by the strong wind, bamboozling the Univ keeper Ed Hardy and allowing Charlie Hill to pass into the empty net. Incredibly, the home side soon doubled their advantage, with a low cross finding David Kaestle, who arrived late and slammed the ball past Hardy. Univ endeavoured to play their usual passing game, but a combination of the windy conditions and tenacity from the hosts meant they just couldn’t get going. Indeed, it was Trinity who scored a third goal just before half time, with Charlie Hill running through and scoring his second. 
The second half began with Univ looking a completely different team, as they chased a comeback of epic proportions. Within a couple of minutes of the restart they had reduced the arrears. A powerful cross from the left was bundled home at the far post by Will Stuart for his eighth goal of the season. Trinity suddenly looked nervous, and just a minute later Univ had pulled back a second. More positive wing play, this time from the right, was rewarded as an unmarked Matt Miskimmin arrived from the left of midfield to make it 3-2. The away side continued to dominate completely, but somehow failed to find a leveller. Miskimmin hit the bar and later volleyed just wide, while the dangerous James Gingell rattled the post with an excellent long-range drive.  
As Univ poured forward however, they naturally left gaps at the back, which Trinity were able to exploit late in the game. With less than ten minutes left, a defensive mix-up led to a fourth goal worthy of inclusion in the next Own Goals and Gaffes compilation. Incredibly, Univ centre-forward Will Stuart ran the length of the pitch from the resultant centre, only to be thwarted on the line by some desperate Trinity defending. By this point though, the game was over as a contest, and the home side scored a late fifth, Charlie Hill springing the offside trap and again finishing calmly to complete his hat-trick and a perfect day for the home side. 
Even the most diehard Trinity fan would have to accept that the 5-2 score line flattered them somewhat, but they still deserve credit for a performance which took full advantage of the windy conditions. As far as Univ were concerned, their inconsistent away form continued. As one pundit commented, a team with title ambitions should be looking to come to places like Trinity and win. Before this round of games it looked as though Univ and Merton/Mansfield might run away at the top of the table, but this result, along with the Merton’s shock 5-0 defeat at John’s, has thrown the promotion race wide open. It has also set the scene for a fascinating finale to the season.

Rating: 3/5 If you don’t think that death, fisting, gang necrophilia rape (which is difficult with a dead body) and your mother’s magic box are all hilarious, then you are a complete prude and won’t like Dead Mother Cabaret. I laughed until my spleen ruptured. The play is a fantastic concept and the writing and production team should be extremely proud of themselves. The script is snappy and gloriously directionless.Dead Mother Cabaret is, however, comparable to the USSR: a great idea which had a few problems when it burst forth from Lenin’s magic box. (I’ll stop stealing that metaphor now). The genius of the concept is somewhat let down in the realisation. The acting isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not as good as the play deserved.Some notable individuals really stand out. Chris Tudor, as Guy Johnson, comes close to the verbosity that this play really needed, and he’s helped along by the fantastic script. Dead Mother Cabaret is at its funniest in these moments, when a member of the cast manages to really go over the top. Tom Corcoran as the Narrator-Son puts on a perfect smoky American film noir hero style voice, though some shameless line forgetting without an attempt at picking up the pieces made me wonder for a moment whether I was back in primary school (you shouldn’t have a prompt, you just shouldn’t!). Real credit goes to Niall Gildea for his hilarious presentation of a Freudian-minded, Derrida driven writer, and Nishani Nijjar is strong in this scene as well. By far the best thing on stage was Philip Aspin as the grotesque Father, who surpassed even Chris Tudor in the bombastic presentation of his character. Aside from these flourishes, the acting tends to be rather plain. It’s not bad, but Cabaret demands over-the-top performance, which not all the cast was able to deliver.Complaining about a whole cast in a student production is a little over-critical, I’ll admit. The play has some fantastic touches. The guest stand-up comedian (on the Tuesday night James Laurence, who was wicked awesome with cream on top) is a brilliant innovation. Musically, Dead Mother Cabaret delivers as well. A live Jazz band is nigh on impossible to assemble in Oxford theatre, unless it’s playing at Satan’s Christmas party. Praise goes to the band, which perform astoundingly. The Oxford Belles are another great addition. However, they seem to have difficulty coping with accompaniment and could do with being louder. They sing beautifully, but that’s what you’d expect. Furthermore, they’re hampered by the same lack of over-enthusiasm as a large proportion of the cast. However, the play really does deserve credit for having the sheer audacity to try to do a musical in the all too frequently mute world of Oxford theatre.I’ve criticised some elements of Dead Mother Cabaret quite heavily, but I would honestly recommend it as one of the best things on this week. As a project, the play is audacious and is definitely what the Oxford stage needs. I’m tired of going to the theatre only to find I could have visited the Tate Modern (for free) to get a similar experience. Well done for putting fun back on the stage in a corset and suspender belt!by Dan Rawnsley

A warning, reader: I have a predilection for eavesdropping. As you sip your pint in the K.A.; as you sip your cocktail at the Grand; as you nibble your ludicrously overpriced salad in Quod, the chances are that I am (or that another of my ilk is) listening. Granted, most of what we hear is trivial, the froth and foam of existence, but sometimes, just sometimes, one of the grand scenes of life drifts through the thrumming air to our ears. For One Night Only appeals for the simple reason that it perfectly mimics the experience of prying.Each episode is improvised around a single occurrence in a single character’s life, and the resulting spontaneity adds real interest to what would otherwise be a fairly un-dramatic plot. On the night of the review, for example, Lucy Kellet, played by Rebecca Baron, fails her A-Level English exam. After a short initial period, where the cast acted just as people in plays do, rather than as people in life, they relaxed into their roles and totally captured the audience’s attention. All the performers seemed both to have absorbed the essence of their characters and poured themselves into their personae, so that they were less acting than living the drama. A special mention must go to Jamie Budd, played by John Gethin, who appeared simply to have strolled into the B.T. and played himself- there was never a moment where he was anything less or more than his character. Production was for the most part good, although scene changes were noisily reminiscent of a school play. All in all, however, this was as enjoyable a foray into contemporary theatre as could be desired.By Andrew Pearson 

Although Dangerous Liaisons may be best known to many from the 1980s Glenn Close adaptation or it’s more recent incarnation, Cruel Intentions, Quo Vadis’ production stands on its own two feet as a fine example of Oxford’s thespian talent. With its timeless story of intrigue, lust, and revenge, Dangerous Liaisons details the manipulations and seductions of the Marquise de Merteuil and her sparring partner, the caddish Vicomte de Valmont.  

Alexander Stewart’s Valmont alternates between a sinister whisper and an assertive roar, stalking his prey around the stage, while Emerald Fennell sparkles as the scheming Marquise, calmly controlling the ingenuous Cécile de Volanges. Although one does spend much of the play watching the actors in profile as they banter across the stage, this heightens the intimacy in the moments where they are physically close. The staging conveys the complicated dance of Parisian aristocratic society, notably emphasising Cecile’s youth and social inexperience. The exchanges between Cécile (Sophie Siem) and a tuneful Chévailer Danceny are a pleasure to watch. 

Based on an epistolatory novel, naturally the dialogue is heavily rhetorical and at times may seem artificial, but the cast rise to the challenge of pulling it off without descending into pantomime or farce. Jonathan Rhodes provides a delightful comic touch to his portrayal of Valmont’s manservant, Azolan. Reminiscent of an eighteenth century Reginald Jeeves, Azolan’s cynicism tempers Valmont’s more sinister moments.  

Promising stunning costumes, some of which were featured in the recent Kirsten Dunst film, Marie-Antoinette, and with excerpts of contemporary music by Glück, Dangerous Liaisons demonstrates attention to detail and commitment to authenticity. Sure to be even more impressive when installed in the Moser Theatre, this production should appeal to even the most dedicated admirers of Choderlos de Laclos’s literary masterpiece, or of previous adaptations of Hampton’s play. 

by Chantal Hadley

The driver of the refuse lorry that crushed an Oxford student cyclist broke down yesterday and cried at an inquest into the incident last April.

The deceased cyclist Tsz Fok, 22, was an outstanding third year engineer at Worcester College. He died of multiple injuries after being crushed under the wheels of the lorry at the junction of Broad Street and Parks Road on April 18, 2007.

He was cycling with Worcester law student Alicia Tew, to a dance class at her college. Ms Tew told the Oxford Mail that they were heading straight across the junction into Holywell Street. Mr Fok was level with the front of the lorry, on the inside, while the light ahead of them was red.

The lorry driver, Trevor Ashworth, 31, recalled the course of the fatal crash to the inquest at County Hall. He stopped his refuse lorry at traffic lights at the top of Broad Street. He had noticed “two, three, or four” cyclists on his passenger side.

As he turned left into Parks Road, he “felt a bump in the road, just like a pot hole.” “In the commotion I stopped and I saw what I had done.”

PC Steve Jenkins, a roads policing forensic investigator, acknowledged that Mr Fok had not been wearing any high-visibility clothing or a cycle helmet and said “the deceased’s actions played some part in his death.” However he believes Mr Ashworth should have been especially cautious ahead of the collision.

“He should have been aware of the dangers at this busy junction, taking extra care checking for pedestrians and cyclists as he commenced his left turn,” PC Jenkins added.

PC Jenkins also spoke of the possibility that Mr Ashworth’s phone records that morning showed several calls. But he said lack of evidence failed to prove that the driver had been using his phone during the accident.

Katherine Harris, a history of science student, who was between Mr Fok and Ms Tew said the deceased accelerated at the same time as the lorry driver when the lights switched to green.

“I was still and waiting just in horror. The next thing I knew the lorry completed his turn and Mr Fok was rolling in the street.”

Mr Ashworth will be tried at Wantage Magistrates’ Court next week, for driving without due care and attention.

A tourist was knocked down on George Street on Wednesday night. The victim, a visiting American, was struck by a dark Volvo as he crossed the road outside The Cock and Camel public house. The Volvo had been reversing around the corner to avoid the traffic cameras on George Street. A pool of blood was visible on the road and the tourist was taken to hospital but police at the scene described his injuries as minor. The driver of the vehicle was questioned but was later allowed to leave.