GEOFF BOTTOMS relishes a profoundly human portrait of a family as it evolves across 55 years in Sheffield
Best of 2023: Contemporary classical music
BEN LUNN singles out the remarkable swansong of Kaija Saariaho, and James Weeks’ monumental feat of social organisation
HEROINES AND HEROES: (L) Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho in the red scarf at Cite de la Musique, Paris, 2013; James Weeks, composer and organiser
[Jean-Francois Gornet/CC; Jon Cartwright]
PAUL DONOVAN applauds an excellently crafted new musical that explores the life and death of Ruth Ellis
PAUL DONOVAN is tickled by the excruciating take-downs of one of the funniest, wittiest, political writers around.
RON JACOBS points out, via a transcription of Kissinger’s secret recordings, that Trump could never have existed without Nixon and Kissinger
ELLIS RAE is persuaded that the advantages of the ‘talking cure’ are superior to the treatment of mental illness with drugs
JOHN GREEN, MICHAL BONCZA and BELLA KATZ review The Good Boy, Broken English, and Don't Be Prey
2023 has been quite a manic year for the arts, especially in Britain — though, like all years, there are the good, the bad and the curious moments of light and clarity which do make life truly interesting.
Personally, it has been a busy year on numerous fronts — which despite working in music has meant my ability to listen to and see performances has ironically been lessened, a truly strange quality of the profession.
That being said, there are a handful of things I want to share and reflect on.
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