Lightbulb moments: Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain

The exploding shed is probably the image familiar to most. But the joy of seeing so much of Cornelia Parker’s work all in one place shows just how consistently she has sought to reach the heart of the (subject) matter by systematically taking it apart or changing its form – violently or otherwise. * The…

At Last! Vengerov’s Albert Hall Celebration of Forty Years Plus On Stage

Maxim Vengerov is “the greatest living string player in the world today” according to Classic FM. He is also a conductor and an educationalist. During lockdown, he created, (with a dedicated IT team), a hugely successful educational platform which live-streamed his free master classes to students and audiences across the world.  Karine Hetherington from ArtMuseLondon…

The Innocent Ear

The Innocent Ear was a radio programme, broadcast on the Third Programme (which became BBC Radio 3) in which listeners were invited to “preserve [their] ‘innocence’” by not trying to guess the composer, and by approaching the music with fresh judgment, freed from prejudice”.  The music broadcast would be identified afterwards, thus freeing the listener’s…

Jollymath: Bill Bailey at the Royal Opera House

There is a huge range of skills at play here. And the way he weaves them all together into something resembling a whole is bewilderingly deft. But that said – you could probably describe Bill Bailey as having the one, key superpower: an ability to make a large group of strangers blissfully, almost deliriously happy…

Deep Listening – Inner Landscapes: Christina McMaster

“The act of listening can be transformative. It can introduce a change of perspective, heighten our perception of sound, space, time, spirituality. Our intuitive intelligence knows there is more beyond the images we see, the sounds we perceive. Just sit in silence for a few minutes to begin to recognise this. In this age of…

UK Premiere of ‘Little Women’ at Opera Holland Park

‘Little Women’ at Opera Holland Park 2022.  Back stage, Harry Thatcher and Kitty Whately as John Brooke and Meg March. Front stage, Frederick Jones and Charlotte Badham as Laurie and Jo March. Sisterly love has rarely been treated in opera, or in the arts in general, with the exception of Chekhov’s plays. Mark Adamo, composer…

Thrilling Staging of Puccini’s Le Villi at Opera Holland Park

Every year Opera Holland Park presents a new double bill of short opera. It’s a neat endeavour as it introduces audiences to opera that might not otherwise have seen the light of performance. In the hands of new creatives, singers and musicians, the bite-size works, lasting no more than forty-five minutes, give interesting insights into…

Picture This : Featuring Artist Oliver Merrington

The original idea for this painting, which is part of a series, started with images of polluted skies and landscapes blacked by industrial waste. The bright colours of chemicals being poured into rivers and streams for example.   When I start painting, I have these images in my head, that evolve very quickly and become something…

Get ‘Carta’: Xuefei Yang, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Clark Rundell perform the works of John Brunning

This is an elegant, ravishing album. On first encounter, it might place you firmly in a ‘traditional’ British orchestral soundworld, and lovers of that heritage should investigate this without hesitation. However, there are mysteries and idiosyncrasies waiting to be discovered on further listens – and no wonder, given Xuefei Yang’s distinctive brilliance and composer John…

The Cutty Sark hosts Elgar and Vaughan Williams

The Cutty Sark has always captured the public imagination and one can see why. For one, it is the world’s only surviving extreme clipper. It still is an impressive sight at its dry dock in Greenwich, with its three raking masts, intricate rigging, and elegant, stream-lined hull, which, in its time, cut through the waves…