Arts
Remembering John Tavener
When I first met John Tavener in 1977, he was still largely known for his dramatic cantata The Whale, which…
The killing fields
In the future, everyone will have silly names. Some people will be called Haymitch Abernathy. Others will be Effie Trinket…
Baroque brilliance
Visits by English Touring Opera are always to be looked forward to, but this autumn it has surpassed itself with…
In the slammer
Athol Fugard is regarded as a theatrical titan but I usually need a microscope to find any trace of greatness…
Who’s who
If I could go back in time, I’d watch Doctor Who from the very first episode. I wasn’t born in…
Squirming at Screwtape
A surfeit of anniversaries this week reminded us that on the day of President Kennedy’s assassination, C.S. Lewis (born 1898)…
Images of war
Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War at the Imperial War Museum North (until 23 February) is alone worth a trip to…
Images of war
Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War at the Imperial War Museum North (until 23 February) is alone worth a trip to…
Images of war
Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War at the Imperial War Museum North (until 23 February) is alone worth a trip to…
Critical divide
Collectors may be mad for Jean-Michel Basquiat but the critics hate him. Niru Ratnam asks why
Flawed Flute
A new production of The Magic Flute is something to look forward to, if with apprehension. How many aspects of…
Visual poetry
The famous court case in which Ruskin accused Whistler of ‘flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face’ continues…
Decline and fall
It’s an unlovely venue, for sure. Charing Cross Theatre, underneath the arches, likes to welcome vagrant plays that can’t find…
Here’s Johnny
James Mumford talks to the sickeningly talented actor and folk singer Johnny Flynn
Poor service
The Butler tells the story of an African–American butler at the White House who served eight American presidents over three…
Seasonal treats
There was a time when the term ‘world première’ was not as fashionable as it is these days. Great works…
Curse you, Sandbrook
Gosh it isn’t half irksome when someone who went to the same school as you but is considerably younger than…
Tavener’s lament
Best line of the week came on Monday from the composer John Tavener, and was given added poignancy by the…
Eye witness
If you want to buy a picture or a piece of sculpture and have lots of money or not very…
Eye witness
If you want to buy a picture or a piece of sculpture and have lots of money or not very…
Eye witness
If you want to buy a picture or a piece of sculpture and have lots of money or not very…
Seasonal treats
There was a time when the term ‘world première’ was not as fashionable as it is these days. Great works…
Law in action
As a new production of Twelve Angry Men opens in the West End, Robert Gore-Langton names his favourite courtroom dramas
Third time lucky
When Keith Warner’s production of Berg’s Wozzeck was first produced at the Royal Opera, nine years ago, it made me…
Visions of the sublime
The V&A’s remarkable survey of Chinese painting begins quietly with a beautiful scroll depicting ‘Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk’,…
