Arts
Inspired messiness
Can you tell how intelligent a musician is by listening to him play? Last year I discovered a recording of…
Humour, horror, beauty
Fans of Chekhov have to endure both feast and famine. Feast because his works are revived everywhere. Famine because he…
The optimism of light
Tragically, Ian Welsh (1944–2014) did not live to see this exhibition of his latest work. Diagnosed with terminal cancer on…
Anthem of hope
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Mannenberg, the seminal album by the Cape Townian jazz pianist…
Anthem of hope
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Mannenberg, the seminal album by the Cape Townian jazz pianist…
Anthem of hope
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Mannenberg, the seminal album by the Cape Townian jazz pianist…
Inspired messiness
Can you tell how intelligent a musician is by listening to him play? Last year I discovered a recording of…
Inspired messiness
Can you tell how intelligent a musician is by listening to him play? Last year I discovered a recording of…
Back to basics
Roderick Conway Morris is edified and entertained by the Venice Architectural Biennale
Petticoats galore
Belle is based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a sea captain and…
The good, the bad and the ugly
One of the great traditions of the RA’s Summer Exhibition has always been that each work submitted was seen in…
Going Dutch
I find it easy to forget that Piet Mondrian is a Dutch artist. The linear, gridlocked works he is famed…
That’s entertainment
Operas about artists are not rare. However — perhaps for obvious reasons — those artists tend to be musicians, singers,…
Shakespeare for laughs
It’s hilarious. It’s also annoying that it’s so hilarious. Jonathan Munby’s earthy and glamorous production of Antony and Cleopatra goes…
Hopkins to the rescue
It’s a long time, a very, very long time, since I bought a Coldplay album. Has any band of the…
Spectator sport
You know what the world needs most right now? What it needs is five good-looking-ish, talented-ish blokes dressed in a…
Tough love
The Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre and the London Library (above) are buildings of varied character and rich…
Tough love
The Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre and the London Library (above) are buildings of varied character and rich…
Tough love
The Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre and the London Library (above) are buildings of varied character and rich…
Hopkins to the rescue
It’s a long time, a very, very long time, since I bought a Coldplay album. Has any band of the…
Hopkins to the rescue
It’s a long time, a very, very long time, since I bought a Coldplay album. Has any band of the…
Northern soul
Matthew Stadlen talks to the violinist Nicola Benedetti about what drew her to Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy
Worshipping Bach
When I was first learning about classical music, 50 years ago, the scene was more streamlined than it is now.…
Viola and St Paul’s
Deans are a strange breed. Growing up in the Church of England, I met a wide range, their cultural tastes…
Discerning eye
Earlier this year, I sat down and watched Kenneth Clark’s groundbreaking TV series Civilisation. I vaguely remember when it was…
