festivals
King Arthur, Spitalfields MusicWednesday, 15 June 2011It’s not often that a performance of Purcell’s King Arthur requires its entire cast of singers to strip down to very tight Union Jack boxer shorts. It’s not often either that the audience find themselves actively encouraged to talk over the music,... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Fes: The Festival and the Moroccan SpringWednesday, 15 June 2011Strange portents – the weather is always dry and baking hot this time of year in Fes. This time it was like winter, with lashing rain and thunder for the first few days of the Fes Festival. But then things are strange in general here; events are... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Göttingen: Handel With an UmlautSunday, 12 June 2011Georg Friedrich Händel of Halle probably never came here. Other great men certainly did: long after the official foundation of Göttingen's Georg August University in 1734 - the year in which the composer wrote a masterpiece, Ariodante, in another... Read more... |
theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Seasick SteveSaturday, 11 June 2011Seasick Steve Wold (b 1941) has achieved widespread popularity over the last five years with his raw, rootsy, blues-flavoured sounds. He's also renowned for his customised guitars, such as one featured on his new album, You Can't Teach an Old... Read more... |
CD: JuJu - In TranceThursday, 02 June 2011Over the past five years, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara have made two albums and an EP together, but it’s only now that they’ve got round to doing what most bands can’t wait to do, which is give themselves a groovy band name. Even though I’m a poo-... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Hay: Books EtceteraThursday, 02 June 2011Watching bookaholic punters tramping down windswept country lanes in hiking boots, anoraks and rucksacks instantly alerts you to the singular quality of the Hay Festival, though it's surprising that nobody has grasped the glaring opportunity to... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Aarhus: SPOT Festival 2011Tuesday, 31 May 2011On the Jutland coast, Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city after capital Copenhagen. Its attractive continental atmosphere is amplified by the presence of this week’s temporary population, which includes visitors from Britain, Estonia, France,... Read more... |
European Festivals 2011 Round-UpMonday, 23 May 2011Be different - take a festival break in Europe instead of the UK, and catch a different landscape. While artists in both new music and classical are constantly circling the world in search of more picturesque settings, you can find your alternative... Read more... |
Fanfare Ciocârlia vs Boban Marcovic - Balkan Brass Battle, The Dome, BrightonSunday, 22 May 2011Subtlety is overrated. I've always thought so. Critical consensus too often rates nuanced, emasculated emoting over music that smashes you over the head with an iron bar. From hardcore punk to gabber to speed metal to the sort of dubstep that... Read more... |
Kutlug Ataman, Brighton Festival/Thomas Dane Gallery, LondonSunday, 22 May 2011One of the highlights of this year’s Brighton Festival, curated largely via web chats and long-distance phone conversations by Aung San Suu Kyi, is Kutlug Ataman’s silent film installation Mesopotamian Dramaturgies. The leading Turkish artist, a... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Western Sahara: The World's Most Remote Film FestivalSunday, 22 May 2011During the 1960s, when decolonisation movements were sweeping the world, it was joked that, after achieving independence, a country had to do three things: design a flag, launch an airline and found a film festival. Western Sahara has a flag but... Read more... |
UK Festivals 2011 Round-UpSaturday, 21 May 2011It's time to dust down your tent and ice-box and plan some summer breaks with theartsdesk's definitive clickable festival guide - listings and links for all the UK festivals this summer, from rock by the lochs to DJs in London parks, and catching... Read more... |