OPERA
Another successful visit to Britain’s most accessible and best value opera company, Welsh National Opera, in Cardiff. Wozzeck was given a great production and was brilliantly sung, but the depressing tale and inaccessible music meant it didn’t really light my fire. La Traviata, however, was one of those evenings at the opera when it all [...]
Archive for the ‘Film’ Category
The Rest of October (in the UK!)
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Film, Opera, tagged Art, Classical Music, Film, Opera on October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Rest of August (in London)
Posted in Architecture, Art, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Photography, tagged Architecture, Art, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Photography on August 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
ART
A catch-up month!
Telling Tales is a small exhibition at the V&A where contemporary designers respond to three themes – forest glades, enchanted castles and heaven & hell – with narrative art / design works. It was quirky and intriguing, but I’m not sure I got the point! Radical Nature at the Barbican is an even [...]
The Rest of July
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Film, Opera, Photography, tagged Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Film, Opera, Photography on July 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Opera
L’Amour de loin is a strange concoction by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho; a 12th century love story played out at a distance between France and Lybia. The music is hypnotic in a Debussy-like way and the staging by a Swiss Italian better known for circus spectacles by Cirque Eloize and Cirque du Soleil includes a [...]
Manchester International Festival blog
Posted in Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Opera, Theatre, tagged Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Design, Film, Opera, Theatre on July 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is only the second MIF. The first, two years ago (it’s biennial), had one big coup – Damon Albarn / Jamie Hewlett’s ‘opera’ Monkey. This one has lots!
My visit started with It Felt Like A Kiss, a site specific installation / film / journey from Punchdrunk. This is the fourth of their shows I’ve [...]
The Rest of June
Posted in Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Dance, Design, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography, Theatre, tagged Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Dance, Design, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography, Theatre on June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
OPERA
At the Guildhall School of Music & Drama there was a pairing of Martinu and Rossini one-act comic operas. I love these Guildhall opera evenings – always value and often a treat. I wasn’t mad keen on the music of the Martinu though I liked the production and performances (particularly Nicky Spence). The Rossini, an [...]
The Rest of May
Posted in Art, Circus, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography, tagged Art, Circus, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Dance, Film, Food & Wine, Opera, Photography on May 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
OPERA & CLASSICAL MUSIC
Handel’s Giustino, one of his 42 operas!, was given a very rare performance by Trinity College of Music in Wren’s wonderful Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich. The staging was a bit hit-and-miss but the singing was terrific. The venue has great acoustics and a wonderful atmosphere, but the pews proved a [...]
The Rest of April
Posted in Art, Contemporary Music, Film, Theatre, tagged Art, Contemporary Music, Film, Theatre on April 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
CINEMA
I really enjoyed The Damned United, a film about Brian Clough’s short time at Leeds United with another stunning portrayal of a real person by Michael Sheen. I found it more sympathetic to Clough than the backlash suggested.
In The Loop, Armando Ianucci’s big screen version of his BBC profile of spin doctors benefits from the [...]
The Rest of March
Posted in Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Opera, Photography, tagged Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Dance, Design, Film, Opera on March 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
MUSIC & OPERA
Only two operas and an oratorio in a musically lean two months! Dr Atomic at ENO would have been a much better opera if he’d cut it by 30 mins (especially in the more static first half). I liked the design and staging, the music is accessible and there are some very good [...]
The Rest of February
Posted in Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Film, Opera, Theatre, tagged Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Film, Opera, Theatre on February 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
OPERA & MUSIC
Well it was a busy month for opera, with three each from Opera North in London and WNO in Cardiff plus one each at the ENO and Covent Garden.
I suppose none of the Opera North offerings were really opera. Skin Deep was a modern operetta about cosmetic surgery – a great idea with [...]
The Rest of January
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Film, Photography, tagged Art, Classical Music, Film, Photography on January 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
ART & EXHIBITIONS
What a disappointing month! I can’t really see the point of Rothko and found his Tate Modern exhibition dull. The Miereles installations and Gonzales-Foerster in the turbine hall at the same venue were only slightly more interesting. The Royal Academy’s GSK Modern was another dull affair; if this lot are the best of British [...]
