• Christoph Sietzen and the Wave Quartet at the Concertgebouw review ****

    Christoph Sietzen, Wave Quartet (Bogdan Bacanu, Vladi Petrov, Emiko Uchiyama, Christoph Sietzen) Het Concert-Gebouw, Recital Hall, 16th May 2018 Emmanuel Séjourné – Attraction for marimba, vibraphone and tape Iannis Xenakis – Part B (from ‘Rebonds’) for percussion J.S. Bach/Brahms – Chaconne (from Second Partita in D, BWV 1004) (arr. B. Bacanu) for marimba Stewart Copeland…

  • Spira Mirabilis at the Queen Elizabeth Hall review ****

    Spira Mirabilis Queen Elizabeth Hall, 15th May 2018 Beethoven – Symphony No 7 in A Op 92 Spira Mirabilis is a group of talented young musicians from around the world who play in various European orchestras. They hole up in Formigine in Northern Italy near Bologna to learn from each other and devote themselves to…

  • An Oak Tree the Orange Tree Theatre review ****

    An Oak Tree Orange Tree Theatre, 13th May 2018 Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree has been on my theatrical wish list for a little while now. First performed in 2005 at the Edinburgh Fringe it was, I understand, inspired by Michael Craig-Martin’s, (he of the day-glo technology), seminal work of conceptual art of the same…

  • Oedipus at Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg review ****

    Oedipus Tonneelgroep Amsterdam, Stadsschouwburg, 17th May 2018 The Tourist sets off to Amsterdam to see the new version of Oedipus from the mighty Toneelgroep Amsterdam. As well as his first visit to the Concertgebouw and a chance to reacquaint himself with one Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The Tourist finally blogs as a Tourist. What was…

  • The Gronholm Method at the Menier Chocolate Factory review ****

    The Gronholm Method Menier Chocolate Factory, 12th May 2018 Curious place the Menier Chocolate Factory. Properly fringe in looks and feel. But programming which is more Bournemouth than Borough. Still it knows its audience and seems to pack ’em in, even with prices that seem a little more confident than some of its more fringe-y…

  • Ligeti in Wonderland at the South Bank review *****

    Ligeti in Wonderland Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, 11th, 12th and 13th May 2018 Pierre–Laurent Aimard (piano), Tamara Stefanovich (piano), Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Marie-Luise Neunecker (horn), Daniel Ciampollini (percussion) Ligeti – Poeme symphonique for 100 metronomes, Ligeti – 3 pieces for 2 pianos (Monument, Selbstportrat, Bewegubg), Ligeti – Trio for horn, violin and piano…

  • DNA and The Fall: National Youth Theatre at the Southwark Playhouse review *****

    DNA, The Fall – National Youth Theatre Southwark Playhouse, 11th May and 14th May 2018 Let’s imagine you want to go to the theatre. To see a proper play. Let’s take the revival of Red for example at the Wyndham’s. 90 minutes straight through so not too taxing. Big name actor, Alfred Molina, in the…

  • Nightfall at the Bridge Theatre review ***

    Nightfall The Bridge Theatre, 10th May 2018 If you haven’t been yet the Bridge Theatre offers up London’s best large scale flexible space. And very nice toilets. You’ve probably know that if you have any interest in things theatrical. You will also have probably have read that the space, and specifically the stage itself, here…

  • The Writer at the Almeida Theatre review *****

    The Writer Almeida Theatre, 9th May 2018 The Writer is …. an absolutely staggering piece of …. writing. No other way to say it. I’d wager there were a few punters in the audience that disagree with me but I think Ella Hickson, along with director Blanche McIntyre and the rest of the creative team,…

  • Not Talking at the Arcola Theatre review ****

    Not Talking Arcola Theatre, 5th May 2018 Not Talking is, in his own words, Mike Bartlett’s first “proper” play. It won prizes when first aired on BBC Radio, (with Richard Briers and June Whitfield no less), but it was written for the stage and, here. courtesy of production company Defibrillator, it has it first theatrical…

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