theartsdesk.com, first with arts reviews, news and interviews
Nick Hasted |
This is top-notch French popular cinema, a coming of age tale subtly interweaving themes of class and race and authentic memories, comic and musical set-pieces, star power and…
Helen Hawkins |
Fans of Steven McRae will relish this two-hour showcase of his self-reinvention; along the way they may well conceive a similar passion for the fine Bulgarian violinist Vasko…
Simon Thompson |
There’s a chill in the Scottish air at this time of year, and the summer’s heatwaves are a distant memory as the September nights start to bite. Thank goodness for East Lothian’s…
India Lewis |
'Tis the season for American Halloween – pumpkin spice lattes, maple and s'mores everything, endless reruns of Gilmore Girls, and the similarly syrupy sweet revival of the US’s…
Bernard Hughes |
I didn’t think I was interested in Barbara Cartland, but it turns out I am. This new biography by Matthew Sweet, by turns revelatory, hilarious, gripping, astonishing and moving,…
Naomi Bedford |
Like most people not immersed in the world of classical music, I had no clear idea of what a conductor does (other than a vague impression that they made contorted shapes in front…
Kieron Tyler
This useful five-CD clamshell box set collects the soundtrack music from the Tarkovsky films Ivan's Childhood (1962), Andrei Roublev (1966), Solaris (1972), Mirror (1975) and…
johncarvill
As in so many other cultural arenas, the UK punches way above its weight in pop music. And, drilling down a level, Manchester is the country’s greatest music city. Please: don’t…
Aleks Sierz
Marching feet, stamping feet, men in black balaclavas, masks, racist chants. In this home atmosphere, and with several European countries witnessing the resurgence of the hard…
Adam Sweeting
Guy Ritchie’s tall tales of toffs and robbers continue apace in this second series of The Gentlemen, as we return to the country estate of Edward Horniman, 13th Duke of Halstead.…
Graham Rickson
Frank Loesser: Guys and Dolls Sierra Boggess, Nathaniel Hackmann, Louise Dearman, David Seadon-Young et al, Sinfonia of London/John Wilson (Chandos)
Image…
Mark Kidel
The breathtakingly prolific artist, Rhiannon Giddens, inhabits a rich territory that breaks the constraints of time and space – the nourishment that comes from tradition on the…
Rachel Halliburton
For composers like Mozart and Beethoven, the key of B minor was traditionally one of the most melancholic keys – in Mozart’s case, specifically, it was closely associated with…
Helen Hawkins
Tamara Rojo was a staunch supporter of women choreographers when she ran English National Ballet, so it’s no surprise that her inaugural season as San Francisco Ballet’s director…
Gary Naylor
It’s a tricky elevator pitch for a night out. On the one hand, Kimberly Levaco, the protagonist, is aging in dog years and has just hit a not so sweet 16, her condition’s median…
Clare Stevens
Sixteen world premieres and two Welsh premieres, performed in the space of five days by a string chamber orchestra, a choir and several instrumental soloists – that’s quite an…
Sarah Kent
“I wanted the film to feel like a fairy tale for adults”, says Miro Remo, the award winning director of Better Go Mad in the Wild and, from the off, he lets us know that this is…
Ibi Keita
Bloc Party have been a staple of any 2000s indie rock playlist since the release of their landmark 2005 album Silent Alarm. While their discography has had its ups and downs over…
Justine Elias
For every general who thinks they've got war down to a science – a mix of tactics, logistics, manpower, and "warfighting" testosterone levels – there's a formidable, often…
disc of the day
A journey to the American South: tradition and new roots
tv
Further outlandish adventures of aristo Eddie and his criminal cronies
Vicky McClure returns as bomb disposal expert Lana Washington
Can detectives Silva and Longacre catch the killer and avoid triggering Armageddon?
film
Farce and joy in Eighties Paris in a funny, feelgood French hit
A unique hybrid of fact and philosophical fiction
new music
Box set collecting the music from all five feature films the director made in the Soviet Union
A journey to the American South: tradition and new roots
2000s indie rock pioneers just miss the mark
classical
An addiction charity's remarkable collaboration with a London orchestra
A Broadway masterpiece gets a lavish new recording, plus neglected British repertoire and German romanticism
This team retains the freshness and exuberance of its earlier interpretations
opera
Zurich Opera production has some good singing, but its mood is monochrome
Singers, and players, rise above some clunky moments in Strauss's meta-opera
Missy Mazzoli’s impressive new opera follows Wynton Marsalis' jazz symphony opening night
theatre
Celebratory return of superstar Tilda Swinton in a terrific version of a contemporary German classic
A show to make you happy and sad all at the same time
Fine cast shows Ntozake Shange's groundbreaking piece still has teeth and dynamism
dance
The Royal Ballet principal shows off his tap skills, his colleague a Paganini party piece
The Pandora myth makes an underwhelming vehicle for the dangers of AI
Matthew Bourne’s 2000 hit revs up again with impressive dancers and a witty score
comedy
Larky cabaret; smart musical comedy; and a blast of a debut
books
This revelatory biography is sympathetically told and endlessly entertaining
Clint Boon lovingly recalls those baggy, funky, sinsemilla-scented Madchester days
The debut author discusses the value of emotional labour, the modern feminist, and why pain remains vital for a flourishing life
visual arts
The Festival may be over for another year, but there is plenty of art still to see
Great American photographers all in one place
Four artists' films and a computer game speculate on societal collapse
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