One bar into this timely celebration of his work and the composer's identity could not be in doubt.
The Rake's Progress, Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Sunday 25 March 2012
Stravinsky's morality tale is given a spirited and purposeful reading by singers and orchestra alike
Album: Ysaÿe, Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, opus 27 – Tai Murray (Harmonia Mundi)
Sunday 25 March 2012
Eugène Ysaÿe's 1924 sonatas anticipate the memorial beauty of Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Suites for Unaccompanied Violin by three years and the desolate fury of Bartók's Sonata for Solo Violin by two decades.
Know your lace: Because it's not just for doilies and dresses...
Sunday 05 February 2012
1. Indigo Lace Drum Lampshade
Royal Shakespeare Company: The Heresy Of Love
Monday 23 January 2012
Enjoy a two-course meal in the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant and Bar, followed by a performance in the Swan Theatre for just £30 per person
Giulio Cesare, Grand Theatre, Leeds
Prokofiev: Man of the People? Royal Festival Hall, London
Sunday 22 January 2012
This serious, simple production of Handel's opera is strong on storytelling and character, but suffers from musical hiccups
The house of plusher: Touch a neo-gothic nerve with these thrilling pieces
Sunday 15 January 2012
1. Gothic Chair
Rubens and Britain, Tate Britain, London
Sunday 18 December 2011
In 1629, Rubens came to London to negotiate a treaty between England and Spain; that done, he was knighted by Charles I and arose as Sir Peter Paul.
Rembrandt drawing stolen from hotel
Tuesday 16 August 2011
A drawing by Rembrandt, valued at $250,000 (£152,000) has been stolen from a hotel in California.
The Roman Forum, By David Watkin
Friday 22 July 2011
Unlike the previous 15 volumes in Profile's excellent "Wonders of the World" series, this learned but lively book explores a site that "can be baffling, ugly and frustrating".
Album: Sounds Baroque, Conversazioni I: Cantatas From A Cardinal's Court (Avie)
Friday 15 July 2011
Conversazioni I presents a programme of baroque pieces reflecting the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a well-connected young Venetian related to Pope Alexander VII who chose to indulge his passion for music through copious commissions of Albinoni, Handel, and both Scarlattis.
Album: Danielle de Niese, Beauty of the Baroque (Decca)
Friday 10 June 2011
The gamine soprano follows up last year's Diva compilation with this excellent set on which she revisits the Baroque music that first drew her into performance.
Villagers, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Monday 30 May 2011
On a permanently purple-tinged stage, Villagers create a show of rich contrast.
Album: Miles Kane, Colour of the Trap (Columbia / Sony)
Sunday 08 May 2011
Power pop, with a hint of glam, and a fair amount of Last Shadow Puppets-like orchestral baroque – what did you expect from the first Miles Kane solo album?
Album: Handel, Alexander's Feast – Ludus Baroque / Neville-Towle (Delphian)
Sunday 27 February 2011
Richard Neville-Towle delivers a toothsome account of Alexander's Feast with Ludus Baroque.








