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We are bowled over! We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts lovers and professionals alike – but the…
Sarah Kent |
I’ll never forget watching Tracey Emin reduce an audience to tears at the Royal Festival Hall. About 25 people were expected, but some 500 turned up even though she wasn’t well…
Simon Thompson |
Pretty much any performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony is a special occasion, but this one perhaps more so than most. For one thing, it was a landmark event in the BBC…
Veronica Lee |
Mark Simmons is, in the nicest possible way, an old-fashioned comic, in that he tells jokes. Puns, one-liners, slow-burners, delayed payoffs as well as visual and physical gags,…
graham.rickson |
Journalist Daniel Farson’s meteoric rise is neatly outlined on this disc, containing 14 of the short television films he presented for the fledgling ITV channel Associated-…
Rachel Halliburton |
Talking to Dave Stewart is like being on a psychedelic roller-coaster. He’ll start with one thought, spin it round and turn it upside down a few times, and just at the point when…
Thomas H. Green
Squeeze have done well. They’ve worked their arses off for years and now have significant profile again, playing some of Europe’s bigger venues (such as the O2). Their latest…
Adam Sweeting
The brainchild of Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, this is a strange and tortuous tale which defies easy categorisation. There’s plenty of humour in it but it isn’t a comedy, and…
Kieron Tyler
The title comes from the August 1965 Paul Revere & the Raiders single “Steppin' Out,” a paint-peeling stomp which just missed the US Top 40. While it wasn’t a massive hit – a…
Boyd Tonkin
Almost everything about Piotr Anderszewski's Wigmore Hall recital pleased, intrigued and even thrilled – except, perhaps, the order of the works. The Polish-born pianist opened…
stephen.walsh
The BBC NOW called this concert Echoes of France, which was both an understatement and a partial misnomer. Cardiff’s St David’s Hall being currently out of action, the orchestra…
Jon Turney
Two centuries ago, New York City was a tangled collection of streets on the narrowing southern end of Manhattan island. Expansion pointed only one way, and in 1807 a three-person…
graham.rickson
An English Violin Geneviève Laurenceau (violin), Orchestre de Picardie/David Niemann, with Jean-Frédéric Neuburg (piano) (NoMadMusic)
Image…
peter.quinn
Released once again in advance of International Women's Day, The Sisterhood 2 is a worthy successor to Sarah Jane Morris and Tony Rémy's celebrated 2024 album. It presents 11 more…
James Saynor
Cinema has a deep distrust of the devout. Even though many movie types are tied up in all sorts of personal spiritual pursuits, organised religion often gets a rough ride in…
Rachel Halliburton
Famously Handel and Bach never met, despite being born in the same year in the same country. So it was fun to see the programme for the English Concert’s delightful, vivacious…
James Saynor
We’ve heard of dad rock, but how about dad techno? This Spanish movie, directed by the French-born Oliver Laxe, immerses us in one of Europe’s more curious subcultures – ravers…
Tim Cumming
Catrin Finch has been at the top her field for a long time now. The Welsh harpist was appointed to the ancient office of Royal Harpist by Prince Charles in 2000, was nominated for…
Thomas H. Green
Things do not look promising at 8.55 PM. Half the 1500-capacity Engine Shed is curtained off. The venue is still far from full. The crowd is mostly between their 30s and their 50s…
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Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
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tv
A pioneering TV journalist's guide to late 1950s London, and beyond
Lisa McGee's drama is comedy, tragedy and much more besides
film
A vivid and bustling study of 18th century religious purists
The military dictatorship unleashed a carnival of killing and corruption, but Kleber Mendonça Filho's sprawling genre-buster shows there was hope, too
new music
From Sunderland to the Bahamas: one of the great rock chameleons of our time speaks
Difford and Tilbrook reanimate songs they wrote as teenagers, with mixed results
Thought-provoking primer in US pop’s varied pre-psychedelic musical landscape
classical
A great conductor returns in triumph to crown an orchestra’s anniversary celebrations
A master pianist dives deep into the farewell moods of Brahms and Beethoven
Big sounds needing more space but no better playing
opera
First-rate singing, playing and conducting, and the portable production has some impact
Biopic opera of the great Japanese artist Hokusai slightly misses its mark
The production sags, but boasts a tireless protagonist in heroic tenor Simon O'Neill
theatre
Alexi Kaye Campbell’s new play tells the story of George Eliot’s early struggle for independence
No sex please, we're British (and Irish)
Popular novel-turned-musical pushes the bounds of credibility to breaking point and beyond
dance
Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
The kindly Skoog made history as a brutal Interrogator in a classic modern ballet
The craic's 90 in Michael Keegan-Dolan's extraordinary wild ride of an evening
comedy
Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
Shaggy-dog story about a Hollywood party
books
Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
A Harvard professor presents a sprawling urban history
Cooper turns a fine ear to music for an exploration of creative life
visual arts
Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
The rise and rise of an artist
It pays to delay; how to be a great painter at 91
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