• Stravinsky, Debussy and Shostakovich: LPO and Leif Ove Andsnes at the Royal Festival Hall review ****

    London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) Royal Festival Hall, 18th April 2018 Stravinsky – Symphony in C, Stravinsky – Tango arr. for orchestra Debussy – Fantaisie for piano and orchestra Shostakovich – Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op 54 I am pretty confident that no-one reads the reviews of classical music…

  • Caroline, or Change at the Hampstead Theatre review *****

    Caroline, or Change Hampstead Theatre, 18th April 2018 How many exceptions does it take before the rule is unproven? I don’t, as a rule, like musicals, as I have oft repeated on these very pages. I absolutely adored this though. That might be because it isn’t your classic show tunes, jazz hands, fake emotion overload.…

  • The Country Wife at Southwark Playhouse review ***

    The Country Wife Southwark Playhouse, 17th April 2018 I haven’t seen that many Restoration comedies. In fact if I take the list of notable examples of the genre offered up by Wiki I see it is a grand total of one, in the form of the NT’s Beaux Stratagem from 2015, directed by the versatile…

  • Macbeth at the National Theatre review ***

    Macbeth National Theatre Olivier, 14th April 2018 Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more This was frustrating. No way of hiding it. It promised so much. A Macbeth. With Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff, both of whom, when furnished…

  • Bach: The Late Concertos from the Feinstein Ensemble at Kings Place review ****

    The Feinstein Ensemble, Catherine Mason, Miki Takahashi, Sarah Moffatt (violins), Robin Bigwood (harpsichord), Martin Feinstein (flute, director) Kings Place, 13th April 2018 JS Bach Triple Concerto in A minor for flute, violin & harpsichord BWV 1044 Concerto in D minor for violin (reconstructed from BWV 1052) Concerto in F for harpsichord & two recorders BWV…

  • The Marriage of Figaro at the ENO review *****

    The Marriage of Figaro English National Opera, 12th April 2018 It isn’t easy to think of a better opera than the Marriage of Figaro. And, as we culture vultures know, when opera works there is scarcely any entertainment to match it. It is just a shame that opera so rarely all comes together. It did…

  • Isle of Dogs film review ****

    Isle of Dogs, 12th April 2018 Many, many years ago, just after the London Docklands Development Corporation was set up in 1981 I had cause to visit the Isle of Dogs, the real one, as part of my academic studies. It was a desolate sh*thole then, with all due respect to the few residents still…

  • Humble Boy at the Orange Tree Theatre review ***

    Humble Boy Orange Tree Theatre, 11th April 2018 Sometimes it can be tricky to put your finger on exactly why a play doesn’t quite work for you. Other times it is easy. This was one of the latter. For me, writer Charlotte Jones lavishes so much attention on shoehorning in all her ideas, themes and…

  • Bryce Dessner and the London Contemporary Orchestra Soloists at Queen Elizabeth Hall review ***

    London Contemporary Orchestra Soloists, Galya Bisengalieva (violin), Rakhi Singh (violin), Robert Ames (viola), Oliver Coates (cello) – Bryce Dessner (electric guitar) Queen Elizabeth Hall. 10th April 2018 Bryce Dessner – Aheym for string quartet Mica Levi – You belong to me for string quartet Steve Reich – Electric Counterpoint for electric guitar and tape Steve…

  • Isabelle Faust and Kristian Bezuidenhout at Wigmore Hall review ****

    Isabelle Faust (violin), Kristian Bezuidenhout (harpsichord) Wigmore Hall, 9th April 2018 JS Bach – Violin Sonatas 4, 5 and 2, BWV 1017, 1018 and 1015, Johan Jacob Froberger Suite No 12 in C minor for harpsichord, Biber – Violin Sonata No 5 in E minor, Mystery Sonatas Passacaglia in G minor “Guardian Angel” JS Bach…

At Home He Feels Like A Tourist