theartsdesk.com, first with arts reviews, news and interviews
Bernard Hughes |
There are few more joyful sights in classical music than violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja diving into a performance, impishly whimsical, completely physically engaged, almost…
theartsdesk |
The death of country star Dolly Parton has been a shock that reverberated worldwide. Not the fact that it happened: she was 80 and in ill health and passed after a life well lived…
Veronica Simpson |
Dublin born and London based, Eva Rothschild makes unapologetically urban sculpture. Its geometric forms and patterns are conveyed in thick, usually black, hard lines, evoking the…
Jack Barron |
Ruth Newton’s The Carrier asks a simple question: if you could offload your negative emotions (grief, heartbreak, jealousy), would you? The answer is complex, nuanced, and…
Thomas H. Green |
Since their reappearance in 2012 they’ve been called Dexys but for their seventh and, possibly, final album, they return to the name of their 1980s glory years: Dexys Midnight…
Kieron Tyler |
Jazz Dari Angkasapuri and Tiga Trombone are two albums dedicated to giants of Malaysian jazz. The first collects compositions by Johari Salleh, while the second focuses on work by…
Veronica Lee
Chris Cantrill is one half of the delightfully mad sketch duo The Delightful Sausage alongside Amy Gledhill, who have rather set up camp in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, The…
Mark Kidel
In that wide field commonly known as world music, ancient traditions co-exist with cutting edge experiment. At Bristol’s intimate city-centre venue Strange Brew, the opening…
Graham Rickson
CPE Bach: Cello Concertos Elinor Frey (cello), Accademia de’ Dissonanti (Channel Classics/Outhere Music)
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Canadian/…
Tom Carr
After a long break, a new album can be a delicate act to balance for an artist, as well as something of a daunting task. This year has already seen other long-awaited returns from…
David Kettle
Theatrical trickster extraordinaire, purveyor of bewilderingly lavish stage illusions to unsuspecting and often jaw-dropped spectators, New York-based magician and theatre maker…
Boyd Tonkin
At this year’s Aldeburgh Festival, I watched Lise Davidsen take a young singer through Mahler’s “Liebst du um Schönheit” in a riveting public masterclass. Go big on feeling and…
Adam Sweeting
Published by Australian author Miles Franklin (full name Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin) in April 1901, My Brilliant Career was a hit in its day, and has been reincarnated as a…
David Kettle
Barely contained in one of the bunkers tucked alongside the Pleasance’s main Courtyard, a first-time production from three young mates blazes with more energy and dazzles with…
James Saynor
Here’s something you don’t see every day at the cinema: a filmmaker tells a boring story, then makes the whole point of the film about telling a boring story. Pedro Almodóvar is…
David Kettle
With its five-hour Angels in America, the International Festival has already hosted one production of epic proportions in Edinburgh this year. At getting on for three and a half…
Jonathan Geddes
Geese may be the most buzz-worthy band in the world these days, but even they cannot get away with teasing a Glasgow crowd too much. After something politely described by singer…
Demetrios Matheou
Queer Cinema provocateur Gregg Araki’s first feature in 12 years, after the atypical White Bird in a Blizzard, sees him return to his signature themes – sex and…
David Kettle
Ten Ways to Die Happy, Underbelly, Bristo Square ★★★★A live gameshow about life and death? Yes indeed, and host Perla Ambrosini proves the ideal guide, leading a panel of audience…
disc of the day
Kevin Rowlands' much-loved Eighties soul rebels close out on a less-than-persuasive set
tv
Philippa Northeast stars as Miles Franklin's girl-power heroine
The onetime 'Blue's Clues' TV host on doing battle with reports of his own demise
Alan Ritchson adds brain to brawn in the title role
film
The Spanish master asks: Can a wilfully dull film be worth watching?
new music
Wit, wisdom, and rhinestones: personal recollections of an extraordinary cultural presence
Kevin Rowlands' much-loved Eighties soul rebels close out on a less-than-persuasive set
Major figures in Malaysian jazz are celebrated
classical
Performances full of character and life – but some balance issues
New choral music, French piano miniatures and a phalanx of bassoons
A luxurious mezzo-led journey across Mahler's soundscape
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
Only clowns left to run the show in Geoff Sobelle's vitriolic reflection on his home country
A new company's debut production blazes with youthful energy and moving insights
An 11th-century Arabic saga gets a patchy, three-hour stage adaptation
dance
Matthew Bourne’s 2000 hit revs up again with impressive dancers and a witty score
Marianela Nuñez celebrates 28 years at the company
A test of stamina for the audience as well as the dancers
comedy
Larky cabaret; smart musical comedy; and a blast of a debut
Political gags; absurdist fun; and a personal update
books
The debut author discusses the value of emotional labour, the modern feminist, and why pain remains vital for a flourishing life
This wide-ranging miscellany combines urban history and geography to nerdily entertaining effect
David Thomson explores the dark side of cinema, but still offers a flicker of hope
visual arts
The Edinburgh 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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