Based on Victorian bestseller The History of Margaret Catchpole, ‘Margaret Catchpole’, the opera, is the story of a Suffolk servant girl who steals a horse to join her lover in London. In the 18th century when this true story played out, horse-stealing was a capital offence. Stephen Dodgson’s opera was a slow burner during his lifetime. It…
Tracing the blues
Singer and guitar player, Skip James. Born 1902 Yazoo County, Mississippi In the 1920s and early 1930s *RACE record companies such as OKEH in America, went in search of the South’s most talented African-American blues artists. Musicians and singers were brought off the streets, where they had been performing for nickels at a time, and…
Thrill of ‘La chasse’: I Fagiolini, ‘The Stag Hunt’
Harmony, hilarity – and a touch of horror – are seamlessly combined in this cunning, captivating new release from the innovative vocal ensemble I Fagiolini. Sidestepping the more conventional CD or digital audio formats, ‘The Stag Hunt’ is a nine-minute film, featuring a performance of Renaissance composer Clément Janequin’s ‘La chasse’. Following a brief opening…
20 from 2020
However badly this year has treated us – and in the UK, it has treated those working in the arts very badly indeed – we have still been lucky enough to hear an astonishing amount of great music. Before joining ArtMuseLondon, I would normally assemble a couple of ‘round-up’ posts for my own blog ‘Specs’…
The Christmas Story in Art
Guest post by Dr Chris Davies Paintings of The Feast of the Nativity, The Adoration of the Shepherds and The Adoration of the Magi The Feast of the Nativity The most challenging task for any artist seeking to represent Christ is how to depict his dual nature, human yet fully divine. Christian art is above…
An unexpected cultural bonanza: ArtMuseLondon Editor’s review of the year
When in March 2020 the concert halls and opera houses fell silent, and the museums and galleries shut their doors, I expected ArtMuseLondon to take something of a sabbatical. What was there to review if culture in London, and beyond, had closed down for the foreseeable future? In fact, this year has proved unexpectedly rich…
The Making of an artist’s career
Guest article by Dr Chris Davies With museums and galleries still restricted by the effects of the pandemic, Dr Christopher Davies explores the making of an artist’s career. The approach is Socratic, provocative, inviting debate Introduction Why one artist succeeds whilst others fail has long intrigued art historians. It raises a number of questions: Are…
Queen’s Dutch and Italian masterpieces go on display
A Girl Chopping Onions by Gerrit Dou 1646 Dripping wet from a heavy downpour I was very relieved to step inside the rarefied atmosphere of the Queen’s Gallery to see Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace. The exhibition is the latest offering from the Royal Collection with sixty-five priceless Dutch and Italian works on display. The first blue…
Past presence: Dead Space Chamber Music and Kate Arnold
Two brilliantly-timed records that for me sum up the word ‘spirit’: both in the eerie, evocative atmospheres they conjure up, and the sheer inventive brio with which the music was created. * Dead Space Chamber Music are an intriguing collective from Bristol, UK, who seemingly belong to all genres or none. Within the first few…
Alleviate – Simon Templeton
I have found myself drawn more and more, as both player and listener, to the kind of post-Classical ambient piano music which Simon Templeton writes, and never more so this year when I have felt a certain estrangement from the kind of classical music I usually enjoy hearing in concert. Ambient is a misnomer, for…
