theartsdesk Guide to Valentine's Day

There's more to 14 February than roses and rom-coms

by TheartsdeskMonday, 14 February 2011

'You should be kissed often and by someone who knows how': Rhett Butler spins his sweetest line to Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind'

Whether it’s consolation, stimulation, or just some old-fashioned romance you’re after this Valentine’s Day, theartsdesk’s team of writers (with a little help from a certain Bard from Stratford) have got it covered. Exhibitions to stir the heart, music to swell the soul, and comedy to help recover from both – we offer our pick of the most romantic of the arts. So from Giselle to Joe Versus the Volcano, from Barthes to the Bard, theartsdesk celebrates the many-splendoured thing that is love.

Judith Flanders

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Dunedin Consort, Mulroy, Wigmore Hall review - songs of love old and new First-rate chamber choir explore contemporary and Renaissance approaches to amour

People, Places and Things, Trafalgar Theatre review - a scintillating shot in the arm Duncan MacMillan’s riotous reflection on addiction and recovery returns

Album: Jack Savoretti - Miss Italia Middle of the road singer embraces family history with an album of Italian pop

Jack Doherty, Soho Theatre review - warm and witty childhood memoir Former chat show host on his David Bowie obsession

Withnail and I, Birmingham Rep review - Bruce Robinson’s 1987 film makes for a theatrical hit Withnail and Marwood fix up the Jag and head for Birmingham

Two Tickets to Greece review - the highs and lows of a holiday from hell Laure Calamy, Olivia Côte and Kristin Scott Thomas star in a silly French comedy

Hoard review - not any old rubbish A star is born amid the muck and squalor of Luna Carmoon's ambitious directorial debut

Hidden Door 10th Birthday Party, St James Quarter, Edinburgh review - going underground Car park transformed into gallery/rave venue for multi-art celebration

Blu-ray: Chocolat Claire Denis' African debut is a nostalgic yet unsparing look at colonial life

Coote, LSO, Tilson Thomas, Barbican review - the triumph of life A great, ailing conductor rises to Mahler's mightiest challenge

Conchúr White, St Pancras Old Church review - side-stepping the past to embrace the future Northern Irish troubadour pushes forward

DVD/Blu-ray: The Holdovers Bittersweet, beautifully observed seasonal comedy - not just for Christmas

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