Fright wing: ‘The Horror Show’, Somerset House, London

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…

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,…

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…