They won't ever be seen together again - not in this lifetime

BBC News features the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition opening today in Leeds: Becoming the Brontës.

Manuscripts, handwritten letters and poems are among "fascinating items" by the Brontë sisters that have gone on public display for the first time.

The University of Leeds' Becoming the Brontës exhibition also features "a rare notebook filled with more than 30 of Emily's poems", organisers said.

It charts the famous literary family's rise to being "genre-defining" authors.

The university said the exhibition would provide a rich insight into the siblings' childhood and their legacy.

Among the items on show together for the first time include:

First editions of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey and Shirley, which was previously owned by the family's servant Martha Brown.

Emily's own annotated copy of the first Brontë book, 'Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell', published under the sisters' pen names to hide their gender.

Eight miniature books, handwritten and crafted by Charlotte during childhood and adolescence, including two that are bound in packaging originally used for Epsom salts.

A pencil sketch by the then 10-year-old Emily, which shows a small hand reaching through a broken window. Curators said the image suggests that of Cathy grasping Lockwood's hand in Wuthering Heights.

Letters from the sisters revealing their frustration at errors in first editions of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, as well as the challenges they faced together to get their work seen by publishers.

The rare surviving notebook of Emily's poems contains annotations by Charlotte, including the handwritten line: "Never was better stuff penned".

Sarah Prescott, literary archivist at the University of Leeds, said it was "such a privilege to host this exhibition".

"The display features some of the most significant Brontë items to come to light, and it's unlikely that they will be on public display together again in our lifetimes."

Scot McKendrick, from the British Library, said the exhibits gave "an unprecedented insight into the Brontës' evolution as writers." (Pritti Mistry)

The Yorkshire Post has a video interview with archivist Sarah Prescott and an article.

There are personal notebooks and rare first editions of the literary sisters' most famous works, held onto by the family's faithful servant, with a pencil sketch by a 10-year-old Emily.

Then tiny books, handcrafted by Charlotte as a little girl, measuring as small as a postage stamp or bound in Epsom Salts wrappers still stamped from their Keighley chemist.

Today Becoming the Brontës opens in Leeds, sharing intensely private pieces and notes, long thought lost, only saved for the nation after powerful appeals.

And they won't ever be seen together again - not in this lifetime - with the tiny books and handwritten letters just too fragile and precious to move anew, even across Yorkshire.

To Sarah Prescott, literary archivist at the University of Leeds, this is "incredible".

"These objects, especially the little books, are vanishingly rare," she said. "It's just magic - to interact with something so fragile but so important as well.

"These women, who had such constrained lives, had such an impact on the world. To see these items, which were so intensely personal, throws you into their story." [...]

Ms Prescott said they include some of the most magnificent finds to have ever come to light. (Ruby Kitchen)

Financial Times reviews Herrmann: Suite from Wuthering Heights giving it 4 stars.

Less well known is that, between 1943 and 1951, he also composed an opera, Wuthering Heights, based on Emily Brontë’s novel. Herrmann struggled to get it staged in his lifetime and it was not a success when it was put on after his death. There have been just a couple of productions since.

Wuthering Heights has fared better in recordings, including a complete recording with the imprimatur of Herrmann himself as conductor. This single disc offers an hour of the music in a suite made by Hans Sørensen, focusing exclusively on Cathy and Heathcliff, well sung by Keri Fuge and Roderick Williams.

Given the subject matter, it is no surprise that the heady atmosphere of Vertigo looms large. A smouldering sense of doom and passion combines in the score from the start. So much is broodingly slow that it is hard to sense any dramatic drive, but the music is pure Herrmann and anybody who loves the film soundtracks may feel this is a good way to sample the opera.

There is a worthwhile filler in Herrmann’s string quartet Echoes, arranged here for string orchestra also by Sørensen, though the playing of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in this case is not top of the grade. Mario Venzago conducts the suite and Joshua Tan the string quartet. (Richard Fairman)

Telegraph India reports that,

Janhvi Kapoor has begun filming her upcoming movie Ulajh. She traveled to London to start shooting for the film, which also features Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew in prominent roles. On Wednesday, the actress took to Instagram to give her followers a glimpse into her Ulajh experience by sharing a post. 

Rocking a chic beige trench coat, paired with denim and stylish white sneakers, she exuded
major fashion vibes. But wait, there’s more! Janhvi added a poetic touch by sharing lines from Emily Brontë’s timeless poem, Stanzas. To top it off, she sealed the post with an enthusiastic hashtag, “Ulajh Diaries”. Get ready for some enthralling behind-the-scenes adventures! (Ananya Kesh)