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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…
When news first filtered through that the Scouse comedian John Bishop’s marital woes were going to be turned into a film, my brain lazily…
The Weaving is an Ango-Irish trio of accordion, voice, fiddle and piano. The voice belongs to Méabh Begley, from Kerry’s prominent musical…
On a dank January evening in St Albans, there seemed little sign of life or excitement on the streets. To reach my destination – St Peter’s…
“One pure sonofabitch 45. The record to put them high in the national charts. Top five at least.” In October 1976, the weekly music paper…
There is nothing to compare with the visceral experience of hearing a massed choir – in this case the 230-strong combined forces of the…
Tim Crouch is one of our great theatrical alchemists. Most famously – in his conceptual show An Oak Tree – he creates a portrait of grief…
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Stravinsky: Late Works Cappella Amsterdam, Nord Nederlands Orkest/Daniel Reuss (…
Spanning centuries, cultures and an ocean, Finn Anderson and Tania Azevedo’s new musical, Ballad Lines (say it fast and it sounds like…
It’s more than a decade since Opera North had a new production of The Marriage of Figaro, and 30 years since the one before that had its…
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Caetano Veloso is a unique figure in world popular music. As bright as the likes of David Byrne and Brian Eno, but also a genuine pop star…
Location, location, location... a tangible sense of place and local identity can make or break a TV drama, and Under Salt Marsh …
It’s more than a decade since Opera North had a new production of The Marriage of Figaro, and 30 years since the one before that had its…
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My album of the year came as a real surprise to me, Arvo Pärt’s output…
In the long slide from its imperial economic might, it’s hard to make a case for finding a place for “The UK” and ‘“World-leading” in the…
This year the Royal Court is 70 years old. Yes, it’s that long since this premiere new writing venue staged its opening season, whose third…
There is nothing to compare with the visceral experience of hearing a massed choir – in this case the 230-strong combined forces of the…
Humour is a good way of defusing tense situations. You know, social embarrassments, personal difficulties and existential puzzles. In the…
You can brush aside any problems septuagenarian pianists may have in the toughest repertoire, especially if they give you more than…
Lana Del Rey can be a polarising figure among music lovers. This seems to be largely due to media claims of “inauthenticity”, whatever that…