Emergency! Emergency! I made it to this show unforgivably late in the run, and at the time of writing it only has a week remaining. If you’re in or near London and can find the time, I would recommend it purely for the heady, intense experience it offers. Failing that, I hope you find the…
Scenes from Childhood – ‘Enough’ by Stephen Hough
The title of this memoir is a clue to just how much, or how little, the author, the celebrated concert pianist and polymath Sir Stephen Hough, is prepared to reveal. Anyone looking for an account of “how I became a concert pianist” will not find it in this frank, witty and entertaining account of the…
Seeing red: ‘Carmen’, English National Opera
This is a stunning production of an opera you might think you know – until this version starts stripping it down, peeling away the layers until you’re left with just a man, a woman… and darkness. English National Opera (ENO)’s current ‘Carmen’ is director Jamie Manton’s revival of Calixto Bieito’s 1999 staging, which updates the…
‘Return to Latvia’ by Marina Jarre. A profoundly moving memoir.
The late Italian writer, Marina Jarre (1925-2016) is virtually unknown in the UK. Two of her books Distant Fathers and Return to Latvia have been published by Vessel Press and translated into English by American writer Ann Goldstein. I have read both books and am now eagerly awaiting book number three. For those of you who have read, Distant…
Picture This: French Artist, France Mitrofanoff presents ‘The Journey’ for ArtMuseLondon
The forest is up ahead. I stride across the clearing of bright sunlight and plunge into the dark undergrowth. Brushing away the leaves of tender green and earthy brown, I rediscover the path running diagonally through the vegetation. The flowers and grasses bend to the wind. The wind follows the sweeping movement of my paintbrush….
France Mitrofanoff présente ‘En Chemin’ pour ArtMuseLondon
Là-bas au bout du chemin de terre, c’est la forêt. Une clairière baignée de lumière; la pénombre des arbres révèle des verts tendres alternant avec des bruns profonds. Au centre, la diagonale sombre du chemin. Le vent incline les tiges qui se prêtent aux mouvements libres de mon pinceau chargé de couleurs; quittant la clairière,…
Les Talens Lyriques Deliver a Mesmeric Performance of Schubert’s Early Symphonies under Christophe Rousset’s Baton
In the public mind, Schubert’s most popular works are to be found in his piano sonatas, his chamber music and his lieder. What is often forgotten is Schubert’s contribution to symphonic repertoire (bar the Unfinished Symphony). Schubert’s introduction to orchestral writing came early and was largely due to opportunity and circumstance. As a young man,…
Invisible Threads: An Illuminating Photography Show at the St Albans Museum+Gallery
The St Albans Museum + Gallery presents Invisible Threads in which time, memory, personal and public histories are explored by twelve photographers. Rosemary Cooper’s hand printed black and white prints focus on the hearth and family. A man’s coat hanging on the back of a chair conveys absence whereas hope comes in the form of…
Contrasting albums from recent Leeds competition winners
Alim Beisembayev and Eric Lu, winners of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2021 and 2018 respectively, have both released new albums. Eric Lu impressed at the 2018 competition with his beautiful tone and the phrase “poet of the piano” is regularly attached to his playing. Elegant lyricism is highly appealing, especially in the music…
Picture This : Photographer Bunshri Chandaria Charts Alzheimer Loss in an Art Book ‘Silent Voice’
“I was your childhood friend. You gave me your daughter.” These are words of my late mother-in-law, Ramaba placed next to a saree image in the artist book, Silent Voice. Ramaba’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis alarmed me. She was the epitome of beauty but a disconnect between her and the world had set in. She was unable to communicate…
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