Reviews
Sónar Barcelona 2016Tuesday, 21 June 2016
A few beers down, in the middle of a crowd listening to music you love, you tend not to think of the latest news story as your highest priority. But Britain's relationship to Europe weighs heavy on the mind these days, and when the news of the... Read more... |
Murray Perahia, BarbicanTuesday, 21 June 2016
A couple of hours of certainty really were very welcome during referendum week, and Murray Perahia did indeed bring clarity, poise, and an unquestioned masterpiece – Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata – to a full Barbican Hall last night.... Read more... |
Heroes of Loot 2Monday, 20 June 2016
The original Heroes of Loot put you in control of a Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard or Elf who wanted nothing more than to stripmine their local dungeon of anything shiny and valuable that the owners had failed to nail down. The sequel, a fast-... Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl: Volume 18 - Star Wars, Plaid, Air, Fog, 18+ and moreMonday, 20 June 2016
For new, independent artists, access to putting music on vinyl can seem daunting, especially to those who’ve grown up in the era of virtual music. There are schemes out there to counter this, notably the VF Selects programme, wherein the self-... Read more... |
SuburraMonday, 20 June 2016
An underage prostitute dies from a drug overdose at a mini “bunga bunga” party with a high-ranking politician. When that’s one of a film’s less shocking moments, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride.With its steady stream of killings, maimings,... Read more... |
Hobson's Choice, Vaudeville TheatreSunday, 19 June 2016
Harold Brighouse's time-honoured English comedy from a century ago survives, its virtues mostly intact especially once attention shifts away from the snarling patriarch of the title, Henry Horatio Hobson (a padded Martin Shaw), to the generation of... Read more... |
The Disappearance, BBC FourSunday, 19 June 2016
The Disappearance, shown in France a year ago, was adapted from a Spanish drama. Both shows had a more gender-specific title: Desaparecida or Disparue. A less abstract translation into English might have been The Missing, but that title had already... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Lust for LifeSunday, 19 June 2016
Punk rock, or what’s touted as punk rock, is practically inescapable right now. In London, a series of events tagged as Punk.London: 40 Years of Subversive Culture includes concerts by reanimated bands, exhibitions and film seasons. Backers include... Read more... |
Don Giovanni, Classical Opera, Page, Cadogan HallSaturday, 18 June 2016
Mozart operas on period instruments – it’s hardly a new idea, but it’s still the exception rather than the rule. The 18th–century sound has a lot to offer in Don Giovanni, as Ian Page and his Classical Opera Company demonstrated this evening. Clear... Read more... |
Eurotrash, Channel 4Saturday, 18 June 2016
It was an exhumation waiting to happen. As the UK ponders trashing Europe, Eurotrash was summoned from the grave to remind voters what they’ll be missing if enough Brits put an X in the exit box. The Europe of Eurotrash is not grey suits and... Read more... |
Cottier Chamber Project 2016, GlasgowSaturday, 18 June 2016
It should have been a complete disaster. Not announcing your festival’s programme until barely a week before it started ought to have guaranteed that nobody knew about it – no press, no audiences, other plans made, other things booked.But still they... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Beshevli, Gershwin, Gilbert & SullivanSaturday, 18 June 2016
Ilya Beshevli: Wanderer (Village Green)Siberian musician Ilya Beshevli's background will resonate with anyone who's resented learning an instrument. The son of a composer and a musicologist, Beshevli grew to dislike his enforced piano lessons,... Read more... |
