- published: 17 Jul 2015
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Embers is a radio play by Samuel Beckett. It was written in English in 1957. First broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 24 June 1959, the play won the RAI prize at the Prix Italia awards later that year. Donald McWhinnie directed Jack MacGowran – for whom the play was specially written – as “Henry”, Kathleen Michael as “Ada” and Patrick Magee as “Riding Master” and “Music Master”. Robert Pinget translated the work as Cendres and “The first stage production was by the French Graduate Circle of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival, 1977.”
The most recent version of Embers was broadcast in 2006 on BBC Radio 3 and directed by Stephen Rea. The cast included Michael Gambon as Henry, Sinéad Cusack as Ada, Rupert Graves, Alvaro Lucchesi and Carly Baker. This production was rebroadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 16 May 2010 as part of a double bill with a 2006 production of Krapp's Last Tape.
Opinions vary as to whether the work succeeds. Hugh Kenner calls it “Beckett’s most difficult work” and yet maintains that the piece “coheres to perfection,” John Pilling disagrees, remarking that Embers “is the first of Beckett’s dramatic works that seems to lack a real centre,” whereas Richard N. Coe considers the play “not only minor, but one of [Beckett’s] very few failures.”Anthony Cronin records in his biography of Beckett that “Embers met with a mixed reception [but tempers this comment by noting that] the general tone of English criticism was somewhat hostile to Beckett” at the time.
Jack Christopher Allsopp (born 18 May 1975), known by the stage name Just Jack, is an English musician from Camden Town, London. He first came to prominence with the release of his 2007 single "Starz in Their Eyes", which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. He has also since been known for the songs "Embers", peaking at number 17, and "The Day I Died", which peaked at number 11.
Born in Camden, Allsopp grew up listening to dance music including breakdance, electro hip hop and house. An amateur breakdancer at eight, he started DJing at the age of 15 and he soon became submerged in DJ culture and UK garage.
After completing a degree in Furniture Design at Kingston University, he enrolled in a community music production course, so that he could better his awareness of sampling and its potential for use. He went on to practice on perfecting his sound by night and to take on a series of jobs by day.
Allsopp's debut album, titled The Outer Marker, released in 2002 by the independent label RGR Records, was a collection of songs about modern life, relationships, and the pressures of social situations. The album spawned three singles "Paradise (Lost & Found)", "Snowflakes" and "Triple Tone Eyes". "Snowflakes", his first song to enter the charts at number 164, samples The Cure's song "Lullaby" off their album Disintegration.
From the gloving fragments of what remains,
The soul shall rise from amongst the flames,
From smouldering ruins the power grows,
Feel the pulse of fear as we regain control.
From the ashes of a million dead,
The children of tomorrow now are led.
Into the darkness as emotions slowly
Memories of the past cannot be saved.
Bowing down to face your new found life,
There is no escape, you must comply,
This resurrected hate can't be denied.
Asking for redemption - we laugh and look away,
There shall be no exception - Revenger on man begins today.
You thought that is was all over, But its only just begun,
For your life is mortal, Look to what fate will become.
Learn to live afraid of what may be,
For we possess this world - All that you see,
Your life is no more than a game to me.
Visions of the future reflected in the past,
Existing in the present which surely cannot last.
From the void terror takes its hold,