This is a tough one – what could I possibly write about Sarah Connolly that was neither too personal nor too fawning, nor like a slightly creepy love letter? It wasn’t always quite like that – my first conscious memory of Sarah (if I may) is hearing her sing Dido’s lament on ClassicFM (my landlady’s … More In praise of… Sarah Connolly
On Saturday the Weston Library celebrated the centenary of the Hogarth Press with a pair of lectures (Dame Hermione Lee!) and a marathon printing workshop in the Old Bod. I had no idea that the Schola Musicae is now used as a print shop by the library – a whole treasure trove of ancient printing … More Lately
A dark stage. As the lights come on, a woman in her 60s is sitting by a table in what looks like a green room of a concert hall. She’s dressed in an evening gown, and is putting on her makeup using a handheld mirror. She’s tall and attractive, but handsome/striking rather than conventionally beautiful. … More In praise of… Dame Felicity Lott
On Friday week ago I went to London to do two things – to see the pre-Raphaelite paintings in Tate Britain, and to hear Angela Gheorghiu sing. I have been reading Kathryn Hughes’ book Victorians Undone, and was in the middle of the chapter on Fanny Cornforth, one-time or the other the model, muse, lover, … More Tonight at the opera
There haven’t been many weeks like this. Over the space of just seven days, I have seen Renee Fleming’s farewell performance at the Royal Opera, watched Simon Russell Beale play Prospero in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest, and finally listened to Martha Argerich play Prokofiev in the Sheldonian. I have been trying to write … More Lately
My career of loving music goes very roughly like this: My father was a professional musician, and so it would have been quite natural that my parents would take me to see Verdi’s Aida when I was 5. It was in Savonlinna, and I remember standing on my seat to see better (the other punters … More In praise of… Sir Thomas Allen
This past Sunday I went to Salisbury Cathedral for their famous Advent service. This is the Church of England at its ceremonial grandest, a procession of clergy and choirs, with the staffs and crosses, even the embroidery on the gonfalons* sparkling in the candlelit darkness, designed for maximum impact. As the clock struck, the lights … More It was a very cultured week
On Saturday I went to see the first of my November operas, Alban Berg’s Lulu at the Coliseum. Couple days before I had seen somewhere online a picture of the Frederic Leighton House, and a weekend’s entertainment was ready – the museum, a walk around the nearby Holland Park, a quick trek to Liberty and … More A rainy day in London
On Friday evening, the Cabinet Office released the list of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and we fans of Penelope Wilton finally had something to celebrate – she had been made a Dame, at long last. It was an honour well deserved, and much overdue. Wilton is one of those actresses who never seem to attract … More In praise of… Penelope Wilton
Warning: this post is heavy on poetry and purple prose. On the Bank Holiday Monday couple of friends and I set off to visit the Sissinghurst Castle in Kent. It was a cold, rather dreary day, the sky hanging low, and no amount of wishing and hoping on out part would make the clouds part. … More England’s song
Shakespeare for absolute beginners 