'The Secret Commonwealth' by Philip Pullman

11 December 2019

It must have been daunting for Philip Pullman to attempt to follow his acclaimed trilogy of ‘His Dark Materials’ novels with a similarly ambitious trio, ‘The Book of Dust’. But, so far, this second series of books about Lyra Silvertongue and a parallel-world Oxford populated by people with animal daemons is shaping up to surpass the original. Some are saying the latest novel, ‘The Secret Commonwealth’ (the middle volume of ‘The Book of Dust’), is the best of all. It’s hard to compare it with ‘Northern Lights’ which felt like an instant classic of children’s literature but ‘The Secret Commonwealth’, which I’ve just finished reading as an unabridged audio book narrated by Michael Sheen, is a stunning thriller. Lyra is now 20 years old and although the events in this novel happen after her journey to the North (and beyond) in the ‘His Dark Materials’ books, ‘The Secret Commonwealth’ has more in common with the prequel ‘La Belle Sauvage’ (reviewed here in November 2017), with the events of the great flood that happened when Lyra was a baby coming back to affect the adult Lyra. ‘The Book of Dust’ takes Spenser's ‘The Faerie Queene’ as its underlying theme and ‘The Secret Commonwealth’ starts to take us further into the faerie realm. This is a much more grown-up book with some scenes of extreme violence and sexual assault. It has the feeling of a cold war spy thriller, with the action moving across Europe and into Central Asia. The stakes seem even higher than in the previous novels and no character feels entirely safe. Pullman is very good at the high-level political scheming and his targets here include multi-national corporations and people-trafficking as well as organised religion. I really enjoyed ‘The Secret Commonwealth’. It ends rather abruptly with ‘to be continued’ and I can’t wait for the final volume of ‘The Book of Dust’.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

10 December 2019

As regular readers will remember, the official start of Christmas is the annual Northampton Symphony Orchestra Christmas Cracker concert. After last year’s Victorian-themed concert (as part of our 125th anniversary season) on Sunday afternoon we finally got to play the ‘Heroes and Villains’ concert that we had to cancel at the last minute two years ago because of snow. A large, enthusiastic audience of all ages joined us at the Spinney Theatre in Northampton – many of them dressed as their favourite heroes or villains. There were some amazing costumes on display in the orchestra as well – a few of which were quite disturbing! Alongside the usual Christmas carols and festive medleys, we saluted heroes and villains with music including John Williams’ ‘Superman March’, the ‘Overture to The Crimson Pirate’ by William Alwyn, ‘Men of Sherwood Forest’ by Doreen Carwithen (which we had played at our concert in Clifton Cathedral in Bristol in November), ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ arranged by Jerry Brubaker and ‘Music from Frozen’ by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, arranged by Bob Krogstad. ‘Frozen’ was a particular hit with the younger members of our audience, and featured a beautiful violin solo by Scott Blundell. Scott had been called in at the eleventh hour to deputise for NSO leader Stephen Hague after Stephen was suddenly taken ill last Thursday. He is now recovering well but Scott did a wonderful job as leader in his absence. The centrepiece of the concert was Carl Nielsen's ‘Aladdin’ suite, originally written 100 years ago in 1919 as incidental music for a production of ‘Aladdin’ at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. For the NSO Christmas Cracker concert Graham Tear wrote a new narration which was woven into Nielsen’s music with the help of NSO conductor John Gibbons and theatrically performed by our compère, Alan Bell. It was great fun and a clear highlight of the concert for many members of our audience.

‘Constitution Street' by Jemma Neville

3 December 2019

In 2017 Jemma Neville took a 9-month sabbatical from her role as Director of Voluntary Arts Scotland to write her first book. Responding to issues raised by both the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, and drawing on her own background in human rights law, Jemma wanted to explore the potential for a rights framework in the form of a written constitution. She did so, rather brilliantly, by looking at the national (and international) picture through a very local lens, setting out from her home in Constitution Street in Leith to walk and talk with her neighbours – literally taking a constitutional. The resulting book ‘Constitution Street: finding hope in an age of anxiety’ is a compelling read. Through 60 interviews with residents of Constitution Street Jemma examines the reality of human rights in our everyday lives. The stories of the people she gets to know are beautifully told. The structure of the book follows the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but the focus is always on the individual people, with the underlying message subtly in the background. Jemma is an incredibly generous narrator, giving ample room even to views she clearly doesn’t share. ‘Constitution Street’ is a deeply personal work, taking the reader through Jemma’s own moments of joy, confusion and grief. Although the book draws mainly on Jemma’s expertise in human rights law it was good to spot some small influences from Voluntary Arts – both in a focus on ‘the commons’ and on the use of exploratory ‘open conversations’. At this worryingly unsettling time in national and international politics ‘Constitution Street’ is an important book, gently persuasive and refreshingly human. It’s also a fascinating social history of a particular community and a really entertaining and enjoyable read. Last Thursday, having almost finished reading the book, I found myself walking along Constitution Street to visit Jemma in the new Voluntary Arts Scotland office on Customs Lane. I had walked down Constitution Street many times before, but now I was seeing it differently, recognising particular buildings from the book and imagining particular individuals behind the doors. The street itself is currently closed to traffic during the construction of the extension to Edinburgh’s tram system. With the road surface inaccessible behind high metal fences along the edge of the pavement and subject to excavation and resurfacing, and the closing chapters of the book fresh in my mind, Constitution Street felt like a film set being dismantled after shooting had finished. Or maybe a community being prepared for the next chapter in its history. ‘Constitution Street’ is an amazing achievement: if you haven’t bought your copy yet go straight to: https://www.404ink.com/store/constitution-street-jemma-neville

‘The Season’ by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

2 December 2019

On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see ‘The Season’ – a new chamber musical by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan. This lovely two-hander features Tori Allen-Martin and Alex Cardall as an odd couple, meeting in New York on Christmas Eve, discussing all the terrible clichés of New York Christmas romcom movies and then proceeding to act out those same clichés. It’s a very knowing take on the schmaltzy Christmas romance which manages to rise above the cynicism to be genuinely charming. The story of the musical’s development is also heart-warming, with Barnes and Buchan getting their break to stage their first musical after winning the 2018 Stiles & Drewe mentorship award which gave them a year’s mentorship from the successful musicals writing partnership George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (whose works include 'Betty Blue Eyes', reviewed here in July 2011). ‘The Season’ – a Royal & Derngate, Northampton and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich co-production, directed by Tim Jackson – is witty, sweet, moving and great fun. It has been playing to packed houses in Northampton and Saturday’s audience gave the show an enthusiastic standing ovation.

'The Portage' by RANT

28 November 2019

I’ve been enjoying ‘The Portage’ – the new album from Scottish fiddle quartet Rant. This is chamber folk – somewhere between Trad and classical. Rant are four young female fiddle players, two from Shetland and two from the Highlands. The album, which was recorded over four days at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Church in Glasgow, is a nicely varied collection of tunes ranging from frantic fiddling to haunting melancholy ballads that reminded me of the albums by Duncan Chisholm (reviewed here in December 2010). And like Duncan Chisholm, Rant have played with Julie Fowlis, providing the strings for her album 'Gach Sgeul (Every Story)' (reviewed here in May 2014). There is a beautiful simplicity to the music of ‘The Portage’ precisely because it is played so precisely and sensitively.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

19 November 2019

I’ve been a member of Northampton Symphony Orchestra for 19 years but last Saturday was the first time I’ve played with the orchestra outside Northamptonshire as we performed a concert in Clifton Cathedral in Bristol. It was really enjoyable being ‘on tour’ with the orchestra (if only for one night!) and getting the chance to play in a truly unique venue. Clifton Cathedral is a modern, hexagonal Cathedral – winner of the 1974 Concrete Society Award – and an amazing space in which to perform. It was also great to have a second opportunity to play some of the pieces from our October concert in Northampton. We usually rehearse a work for weeks but only get one chance to perform it. Revisiting Tchaikovsky’s ‘Fantasy Overture: Romeo and Juliet' I think we gave a more exciting performance second time around. And it was fascinating to play the ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ by Rachmaninov with a different soloist, so soon after our performance in Northampton with Rhythmie Wong. In Bristol we were joined by the amazing Latvian pianist Arta Arnicane – a favourite of the orchestra following our previous performances with her of the 'Rhapsody in Blue' and the 'I Got Rhythm' Variations for piano and orchestra by Gershwin (reviewed here in June 2014) and the ‘Piano Concerto No 3’ by Bela Bartok (reviewed here in May 2017). Arta’s performance of the Rachmaninov Second Concerto was thrilling and incredibly romantic (and featured an outstanding clarinet solo by Christine Kelk in the second movement). Arta also joined us to play the ‘Piano Concerto No 1’ by William Alwyn (which the orchestra had played in a concert I missed in March 2018). NSO conductor John Gibbons is a champion of the Northampton-born 20th century composer and it’s a lovely concerto with some achingly beautiful moments. Our programme also featured the ‘Overture: Men of Sherwood Forest’ by Doreen Carwithen, which we will get another chance to perform as part of the NSO Christmas Cracker ‘Heroes and Villains’ concert at Spinney Theatre in Northampton on 8 December. It was great fun playing at Clifton Cathedral and I think it was one of our best recent performances.

Ruth Notman

19 November 2019

I remain eternally grateful to our good friend Steve Heap for introducing me to the music of young Nottingham folk singer Ruth Notman. In 2008 Steve's label, Mrs Casey Music, released ‘Threads’ - the debut album by the 18-year-old Ruth Notman (reviewed here in February 2008) and in 2009 I saw her perform most of the songs from the album at The Stables in Wavendon (reviewed here in April 2009). Ruth took an extended break from music to complete a degree in Medical Science followed by postgraduate studies as a Physician Associate. Ten years after I saw her at The Stables she returned to the folk scene with a new album of duets with Sam Kelly, ‘Changeable Heart’ (reviewed here in March 2019). And last Friday we returned to The Stables to see the 30-year-old Ruth Notman. It was wonderful to hear her distinctive voice again, with its remarkable quivering vibrato making even solo unaccompanied songs sound like an ensemble. She sang songs from ‘Threads’ – still one of my favourite albums – and spoke about how it felt to revisit songs she had written as a teenager. It was great to see her really enjoying performing: she was relaxed, chatty and smiley – a more polished performer now. We had a lovely evening: my highlights included the jaunty story-song ‘Limbo’ (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcM17Jc3Lw) and the beautiful ballad ‘The Lonely Day Dies’ (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Tc7n0MPKE). And, with apologies to every Scottish singer who has recorded it, I think Ruth Notman’s version of Dougie Maclean’s ‘Caledonia’ is unbeatable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4xREBu9-XE

'The Pitmen Painters' by Lee Hall

12 November 2019

Lee Hall’s 2007 play ‘The Pitmen Painters’, which tells the story of the miners who learn to paint at a Workers Education Association art appreciation class at Ashington in Northumberland, quickly became a valuable shorthand for everything Voluntary Arts is about. Writing about the National Theatre/Live Theatre touring co-production featuring the original cast from the premiere at the Live Theatre, Newcastle (reviewed here in October 2009), I described the play as “entertaining, thought-provoking, moving and extremely funny”. It was wonderful, last Saturday, to revisit the play 10 years later in a brilliant amateur production by Company of Ten at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans. Jenny Kilcast’s production has a great set by Alison Pagan which features three enormous easels at the back of the stage holding large blank canvases onto which the pictures being discussed are projected. The projections (by Matt Harker) are slickly timed, creating triptych studies, both of the classic paintings the miners are studying and their own works. The amateur actors were excellent, particularly Peter McEntee who was earnest, humble and entirely believable as Oliver Kilbourn. Above all it was wonderful to rediscover Lee Hall’s brilliant comic script which was impressively handled by Company of Ten. The script is full of quotable lines that extol the importance of everyday creativity and the value of having a go. As the Pitmen Painters say (in a moving Greek chorus section at the end of the first half of the play) “we saw that art was not about the privileged. It wasn't about money or doing things a right way or a wrong way. Art was a gift ... Art doesn't really belong to anybody – not to the artist or the owner or the people who look at it. Real art is something that's shared. Real art belongs to everyone.”

The Open Ears Project

6 November 2019

I'm really enjoying listening to the Open Ears Project – a daily bite-sized podcast of classical music recommendations from WNYC Studios in New York. There are 30 episodes available to download. In each a different person talks about a particular piece of classical music that means something special to them. The guests include famous musicians, writers and actors alongside a firefighter and a yoga teacher. Each podcast consists of just a couple of minutes of the guest talking about the music, followed by a full uninterrupted recording of the relevant piece. It’s nice to be introduced to some unfamiliar music but also to reflect on the role music plays in our lives. You could binge-listen to the entire series but  I am enjoying listening to one-a-day: each episode is really short but it's a great way to start the day. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/open-ears-project/episodes

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare

18 October 2019

On Thursday we made a second visit to the Curzon Cinema at Milton Keynes Gallery to see a screening of Nicholas Hytner’s production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', filmed live at the Bridge Theatre in London. This is an immersive promenade performance with the actors moving amongst a standing audience, in a similar way to Hytner’s spectacular production of ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Bridge Theatre (reviewed here in April 2018). Once again the crowd control, by discreetly positioned stewards within the audience, was very slick – with the audience parting at just the right moment to let the actors through. Nicholas Hytner sets the opening Athens scenes of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in a fiercely patriarchal society clearly modelled on the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. And once the action moves into the forest he references Peter Brook’s legendary 1970 RSC production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by deploying a team of aerial gymnasts on trapezes above the audience. The production is great fun with a multitude of clever gimmicks and additions (maybe too many). Nicholas Hytner’s main innovation – which works wonderfully – is to swap the roles of Oberon and Titania, making the sexual politics of the dream funnier and much less creepy. Gwendoline Christie is magnificent as Titantia/Hippolyta but Oliver Chris threatens to steal the show as Oberon/Theseus. David Moorst is very funny and incredibly athletic as Puck and the lovers are excellent, particularly Tessa Bonham Jones as Helena. The rude mechanicals are also extremely funny – led by Felicity Montagu as Quince and featuring a brilliantly vulnerable performance by Hammed Animashaun as Bottom. The end of the first half of the play and the finale both turn the auditorium into a massive party and it looked like great fun to be part of the promenading audience in the pit. My only criticism was that some of the added tricks and business distracted a little from what are usually the funniest scenes of the play. I don’t think it quite matched the cinema screening of Julie Taymor's amazing 2014 production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Theater for a New Audience in Brooklyn, New York (reviewed here in August 2015) but the Bridge Theatre performance was incredibly enjoyable and left me beaming.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

14 October 2019

On Saturday I was at St Matthews Church in Northampton for the first concert in the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s 126th concert season. This concert was part of the 14th Malcolm Arnold Festival and we played three pieces by the Northampton-born composer. The ‘Peterloo Overture’ featured brilliant playing by our percussion section, evoking the violent events at St Peter’s Fields, Manchester on 16 August 1819. Arnold’s ‘Variations on a Theme of Ruth Gipps’ is a rarely performed work that pays tribute to his friend and contemporary – a prolific composer and celebrated conductor who deserves greater recognition. Stolen Face is a 1952 Hammer horror film directed by Terence Fisher for which Malcolm Arnold wrote the music. Philip Lane’s transcription of the score is a mini piano concerto which we performed with Rhythmie Wong – an award-winning pianist from Hong Kong. Rhythmie also joined us to play the ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ by Rachmaninov. Such a well-known virtuosic work is a real challenge for soloist and orchestra but Rhythmie Wong’s performance was flawless and the orchestral accompaniment was impressive – with a particularly beautiful clarinet solo in the slow movement by Naomi Muller. It’s an incredibly emotional piece of music which always moves me to tears ("Oh, no, please, it's only something in my eye"). We finished the concert with another powerfully romantic piece, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Fantasy Overture: Romeo and Juliet' which cleverly portrays the key elements of the story of the star-crossed lovers. It was a lovely concert which played to a packed and enthusiastic audience.

'Ask Again, Yes' by Mary Beth Keane

11 October 2019

I really enjoyed 'Ask Again, Yes', the new novel by Mary Beth Keane, which I've just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Molly Pope. It's a family saga which follows the families of two New York cops who live next door to each other. A shockingly violent incident drives a wedge between the families and has repercussions for decades. Aspects of the story reminded me of 'The Goldfinch' (reviewed here in February 2014) and Mary Beth Keane's ability to make the reader simultaneously sympathise with characters who have diametrically opposed views rivals Jonathan Franzen in 'The Corrections' (reviewed here in Februy 2015). 'Ask Again, Yes' also has a lot in common with 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' by Lionel Shriver (reviewed here in August 2006). This is exalted company for a contemporary novel but is totally deserved. Mary Beth Keane resists a multitude of possible corny plot twists to present a moving and believably realistic picture of flawed people dealing with difficult situations as well as they can.

'A Flavour of Flitwick' Fun Palace

11 October 2019

On Saturday morning I was at Flitwick library for the Fun Palace, 'A Flavour of Flitwick'. There were plenty of people taking part in creative and science activities, including lots of very young children. They were painting and drawing, engaging in a foreign language quiz and practicing the strange art of bookfolding (see: https://youtu.be/S0asVzuW7y4). Local air cadets were supervising a paper aeroplane challenge, a group of adults were playing whist and there was a lot of Lego on the floor. Someone was tentatively tapping out a tune on an upright piano and a circle of chairs, each containing a ukulele, promised more music to come. It was certainly a fun environment, with people genuinely enjoying themselves and trying new things for the first time. This was one of 390 Fun Palaces that took place across the country last weekend, see: http://funpalaces.co.uk/

Ben Goldscheider

2 October 2019

The 2016 BBC Young Musician competition (reviewed here in May 2016) felt like one of the best ever, with a concerto final at The Barbican in London that featured saxophonist Jess Gillam and ‘cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. The third finalist was the horn player Ben Goldscheider who played the 'Concerto No 2' by Richard Strauss. Ben Goldscheider went on to study at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin and is making a name for himself as a soloist around the world, having played at the BBC Proms and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has benefited from taking part in many young musician competitions in addition to BBC Young Musician, but the only competition in which he won the overall prize was the 2013 Toddington Young Musician of the Year, organised by Toddington Music Society. Last Saturday Ben Goldscheider returned to the Bedfordshire village of Toddington to thank Toddington Music Society for their help in setting him on the ladder to a professional career by performing a recital with the pianist Richard Uttley. They played pieces by Beethoven, Dukas, Tchaikovsky, Hindemith and Richard Strauss. It was great to see Ben play: his technique is amazing and he makes a lovely sound. I was ready and waiting in case he fell ill and they might need to ask if there was a horn player in the audience – but it was probably better for everyone that Ben made it safely through the concert!

'Inspector Drake and the Time Machine' by David Tristram

2 October 2019

One of the highlights of the offerings from our excellent local amateur theatre company TADS over the past ten years, has been the trilogy of ‘Inspector Drake’ plays by David Tristram, starring local amateur actors Joe Butcher and Kevin Birkett as the mercurial Inspector and his intellectually challenged sidekick, Sergeant Plod. We really enjoyed ‘Inspector Drake and the Black Widow’ (reviewed here in April 2009), ‘Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime’ (reviewed here in July 2010) and ‘Inspector Drake’s Last Case’ (reviewed here in April 2011). It was wonderful, therefore, to be back at the TADS Theatre in Toddington last weekend to see David Tristram’s new play ‘Inspector Drake and the Time Machine’. But it was sad to discover that this performance was dedicated to the fond memory of Kevin Birkett. Dave Hillman stepped into Kevin’s formidable flat-footed shoes to play Sergeant Plod, accompanying the brilliant Joe Butcher as the Clouseau-like Inspector who seems oblivious of the most obvious things happening around him but still somehow manages to solve the case. It was another festival of corny puns, with much breaking of the fourth wall – and the added plot complications resulting from time travel. And reassuringly, as usual at the end of the play, the Inspector was presented with a briefcase covered in wrapping paper just so that he can say “well, that’s another case wrapped up”.

Ruhpolding, Bavaria

27 September 2019

We had a wonderful holiday in Germany last week, staying in Ruhpolding – a beautiful small town in the Bavarian Alps, 30 minutes from Salzburg. The flat valleys, steep mountains and lush green countryside were very similar to the area around Kitzbuhel in the Austrian Tyrol, which we visited in September 2016. We had some lovely late summer sunshine and used the cable cars and chair lifts to get some spectacular views. We did a lot of walking  - on the Rauchsberg, Hochfelln and Unternberg mountains, around the Lödensee, Mittersee and Weitsee lakes and from the towns of Reit im Winkl and Inzell as well as visiting the pretty medieval town of Traunstein. You can see a selection of my holiday photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Bavaria2019

'French Exit' by Patrick deWitt

13 September 2019

Patrick deWitt is trying to be the Stanley Kubrick of contemporary novelists, with each of his books exploring a completely different genre. After his brilliant quirky Gold Rush Western ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (reviewed here in October 2015) and the strange, funny, middle-European fairytale ‘Undermajordomo Minor’ (reviewed here in September 2016) he has now turned his hand to an old-fashioned ‘tragedy of manners’ in his latest novel ‘French Exit’ which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Laurence Bouvard. This feels like a chamber piece compared to the previous novels: it is a fairly short book in which not too much happens. A rich widow and her son lose their fortune and have to leave Manhattan to live in a friend’s apartment in Paris. Along the way they accumulate a collection of friends, acquaintances and tradesmen to whom they are mostly rude or indifferent. It’s an odd tale, slightly surreal and often frustrating. None of the characters are particularly likeable but the book has a strange charm. It reminded me a little of the play ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart (reviewed here in January 2012) which features a house guest who arrived six years ago to deliver ice and never left. There is also an echo of PG Wodehouse about the idle rich characters – and the novel feels like it should be set in the Wodehouse era, despite apparently being present-day. It’s not trying to be funny in the manner of Wodehouse, though it builds gently until you reach a set-piece farce scene without realising it. ‘French Exit’ is a peculiar, detached piece of storytelling which I didn’t think was entirely successful but Patrick deWitt is a fascinating writer and it will be interesting to see which genre he chooses next.

'The Entertainer' by John Osborne

6 September 2019

On Thursday we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see ‘The Entertainer’ by John Osborne. ‘The Entertainer’ is such an iconic play, famous for Laurence Olivier’s self-deprecating performance and his endorsement of the angry young playwright. It’s one of those plays you feel you know, without having seen it. So it was fascinating to sit through a performance of ‘The Entertainer’ for the first time and to find that much of the play wasn’t what I had expected. The front-of-curtain routines in which the fading music-hall star Archie Rice is objectionable, embarrassing and sad yet, still manages occasionally to be genuinely funny, were wonderfully performed by Shane Richie. But the scenes in his family home surprised me, with Sara Crowe’s Phoebe an apparent prototype for Beverley in Abigail’s Party (reviewed here in March 2018) and the Rice family dynamic an uncanny predecessor of the Trotters in ‘Only Fools and Horses’. I also saw an unexpected parallel with 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro – both stories reflecting on the end of empire and a shift in Britain’s place in the world. Bizarrely, I spotted this similarity because Pip Donaghy, who played Archie’s father Billy Rice – a retired performer coaxed back onto the stage by his son, with disastrous consequences – also played Stevens Senior – a retired butler coaxed back into service by his son, with disastrous consequences – in the stage adaptation of ‘The Remains of the Day’ that we saw at the Royal Theatre, Northampton earlier this year (reviewed here in March 2019). Sean O’Connor’s production of ‘The Entertainer’ shifts the setting from 1957, with its backdrop of the Suez crisis, to 1982 and the Falklands War. This works well, without requiring much adjustment to the text. The action is interspersed with recordings of news broadcasts, giant projections of tabloid newspaper headlines and plenty of 80s pop music. This setting also now has the effect of making Archie Rice – as an ageing old-fashioned comedian in the early 1980s – seem even more seedy. ‘The Entertainer’ is an uncomfortable watch – a sad  commentary on Britain’s global role that feels very timely.

'Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense' by The Goodale Brothers

6 September 2019

The pretty seaside town of Sheringham in North Norfolk is one of our favourite places. When we lived nearer we used to have regular day trips to Sheringham every summer to walk the dogs in Sheringham Park (a large National Trust country park) and along the seafront, before finishing the day with a visit to Sheringham Little Theatre. Since we have moved further away we have been less frequent visitors: our last trip was eleven years ago, when we saw the play 'Dangerous Obsession' by N J Crisp (reviewed here in July 2008). So it was a lovely trip down memory lane to return to Sheringham last weekend. The Little Theatre (capacity 180) still runs an old-fashioned weekly rep company over the summer months, with the same set of actors putting on a different play each week. On Saturday we saw them perform ‘Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense’. This is a dramatisation by The Goodale Brothers of a P G Wodehouse tale, made even more entertaining by framing it as a play-within-a-play, as Bertie Wooster, Jeeves and fellow butler Seppings attempt to act out the story for us. The challenges of playing multiple characters, often within the same scene, create a wonderful theatrical farce. Nick Earnshaw’s production, starring David Tarkenter, Steve Banks and Ryan Starling, was great fun and a lovely end to a beautiful sunny day by the seaside.

'Sweet Caress' by William Boyd

30 August 2019

I’ve been reading ‘Sweet Caress’ by William Boyd – a novel published in 2015 which weaves a 20th century family saga around a collection of old black and white photographs. Subtitled ‘The Many Lives of Amory Clay’ it tells the story of a woman born in 1908 whose personal and professional life bears witness to some of the most significant world events of the century. This reminded me of Kate Atkinson’s ‘Life After Life’ (reviewed here in June 2013) whose protagonist, Ursula Todd, is born in 1910. But ‘Sweet Caress’ is a much less tricksy novel: it’s a fairly conventional saga, partly told in hindsight by the older Amory Clay in 1977. William Boyd seems to have used a set of (apparently) unconnected photos as the inspiration for his story, making Amory Clay a professional photographer and constructing her history to explain how she came to be in each of the places and events depicted by the photos. The result is an enjoyable novel which lacks the literary ambition of ‘Life After Life’ but demonstrates William Boyd’s skills in engaging the reader: again and again when I was planning just to read to the end of a chapter I found myself unable to stop because I desperately wanted to know what happened next. Describing a book as a ‘page-turner’ can feel like damning with faint praise but ‘Sweet Caress’ is an entertaining read.

'Yesterday' by Danny Boyle

21 August 2019

On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to see Danny Boyle’s film ‘Yesterday’, written by Richard Curtis and Jack Barth. It’s a charming romcom, silly and ridiculous but completely loveable. Himesh Patel plays Jack, a struggling singer songwriter involved in traffic accident, who comes round to discover he is now in a world where nobody has heard of The Beatles, except him. Jack struggles to remember the lyrics to as many Beatles songs as he can and soon becomes feted as the greatest ever songwriter. But fame and fortune takes him away from his childhood friend/fan/manager/driver Ellie, adorably played by Lily James who was so brilliant in Ivo van Hove’s 'All About Eve' (reviewed here in April 2019). The real stars of the show, however, are those classic Beatles songs. You don’t need to know anything about The Beatles to enjoy ‘Yesterday’ but by presenting 17 of their best songs as fresh compositions it reminds us what all the fuss was about.

'The Book of Traps and Lessons' by Kate Tempest

16 August 2019

Writing here in October 2014 I said “Kate Tempest is a name to watch.” Since then the South London poet/rapper/playwright/novelist has continued to impress, with an eclectic track record that has been consistently brilliant. Her new album ‘The Book of Traps and Lessons’ feels more reflective and less angry than its predecessor ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’ (reviewed here in October 2016). The beats have been stripped back (by producer Rick Rubin) to leave Kate Tempest’s distinctive voice revealed more obviously as poetry backed by music, rather than rap. The wordplay is incredibly clever, full of double meanings that turn the sense of a phrase on a single word. Each track reveals more each time you listen to it. Tempest hasn’t lost her anger, suggesting the UK is a nation living “in the mouth of a breaking storm”. She says “I’m a child of the gimme more nation” and “our leaders aren’t even pretending not to be demons”. But the scale of our looming crises now require more than anger and there is optimism in ‘The Book of Traps and Lessons’ in its celebration of love and dancing. Listen to the track ‘People’s Faces’ (and read the lyrics) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRULtXn6W0s

'The Lehman Trilogy' by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power

9 August 2019

The defining moment of the 2008 banking crisis was the fall of Lehman Brothers Bank. The iconic image of traders leaving its skyscraper headquarters in New York carrying their personal effects in cardboard boxes summed up a grim period in our recent history. Sam Mendes’ National Theatre production of ‘The Lehman Trilogy’, which we saw in a NTLive encore screening at the Quarry Theatre in Bedford on Thursday, tells the story of Lehman Brothers – from the arrival in America of the three immigrant brothers from Bavaria in the 1840s to the collapse of the bank eleven years ago. ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ is an adaptation by Ben Power of Stefano Massini’s nine hour long Italian radio play. Although Power has trimmed the play considerably it still lasts three and a half hours, in three acts with two intervals. But it’s an amazing theatrical performance. Three actors – Simon Russell Beale, Ben Miles and Adam Godley – play the Lehman brothers, their sons, grandsons, wives and a host of other characters in an acting masterclass. There are no costume changes and hardly any props, but the switches between characters are clear from small changes in facial expressions and posture. The play is mostly narration rather than dialogue, with the three actors taking turns to provide the narrative voice like a Greek chorus. This might have made for a dull play but the story is gripping and the script is playful and poetic, full of recurring phrases and repetitive episodes. The staging (by Es Devlin) is simple but inventive, with the three actors enclosed in a giant rotating transparent box through which we see constantly changing back projections (by Luke Halls). Apart from a boardroom table and chairs, the only furniture is a pile of the infamous cardboard boxes, which are used to construct each scene in this epic family saga. The actors are accompanied by Nick Powell’s sparse music, performed on a single piano in front of the stage by Candida Caldicot. It’s an unusual but incredibly effective theatrical experience. The focus is on the history of Lehman Brothers and the development of Western capitalism: there isn’t much detail about the causes of the 2008 crash. But it’s a fascinating story, brilliantly acted.

'Things in Jars' by Jess Kidd

5 August 2019

We seem to be living in a golden age for detective/fantasy/science fiction novels set in Victorian England. I’ve written here recently about the ‘Newbury and Hobbes’ series by George Mann (‘The Affinity Bridge’, reviewed here in June 2019) and I’ve just finished reading ‘Things in Jars’ by Jess Kidd (as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jacqueline Milne). ‘Things in Jars’ is a much more literary work, each sentence beautifully crafted in the manner of a poet. The mystery centres on a missing child but takes us into a world of collectors of scientific curios, weird creatures and circuses. It reminded me of another recent novel of Victoriana, 'The Essex Serpent' by Sarah Perry (reviewed here in September 2016) but ‘Things in Jars’ has the driving plot I longed for in my review of Sarah Perry’s novel. The almost incidental appearance of a ghost assisting the detective also made me think of 'Rivers of London' by Ben Aaronovitch (reviewed here in June 2018). ‘Things in Jars’ is an unusual, compelling thriller and, in Bridie Devine – the flame haired, pipe smoking Irish detective with the ugly hat, Jess Kidd has created a wonderful lead character that deserves a series of novels.

'Big Sky' by Kate Atkinson

30 July 2019

What a treat to return to the world of Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels after so many years. The fifth novel in the series, ‘Big Sky’, belatedly follows ‘Started Early, Took My Dog’ (reviewed here in April 2011). Jackson Brodie (and several other returning characters) have moved on since then but ‘Big Sky’ is a familiarly multi-stranded mystery, most of which Brodie the private investigator seems unaware of until it bumps into him. The subject matter is particularly grim this time, with a story of child sexual abuse and modern slavery. But Atkinson manages to find humour in dark corners. I love the way each character’s interior thoughts are frequently answered by someone else (in a kind of flashback to when they had previously discussed the same points). And it was lovely to read ‘Big Sky’ as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jason Isaacs, who played Jackson Brodie in the TV adaptations of the earlier novels.

WOMAD 2019

30 July 2019

My annual visit to the WOMAD Festival, in Charlton Park near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, was slightly shorter than usual this year as we were attending a wedding in Lancashire last Friday. But I made it to WOMAD for Saturday and Sunday and experienced near perfect weather – dry and warm, not too hot and not a drop of rain. The music was pretty good too. I saw 14 full performances from across the globe. My highlights included the other worldly ethereal sounds of South Saami singer Marja Mortensson from Norway joiking accompanied by electronics, percussion and tuba. The former child soldier turned rapper Emmanuel Jal from South Sudan is a brilliant showman, performing here with his sister Nyaruach from whom he was separated for 20 years. I enjoyed the exuberant set by Balkan brass/klezmer band Lemon Bucket Orkestra from Toronto. And it was great to see ‘Kraftwerk Re:Werk’ - a  symphonic reworking of the classic 1977 Kraftwerk album ‘Trans-Europe Express’ by composers Charlotte Harding and Lloyd Coleman. The performance of this 40-minute, 6-movement piece by Army of Generals and the British Paraorchestra (the orchestra of professional disabled musicians originally formed for the London 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony) conducted by Charles Hazlewood was stunning. I also really enjoyed seeing Orquesta Akokan – a gloriously old-fashioned band from Cuba playing traditional mambo and swing from the 1940s and 1950s. But my pick of the festival was the six piece vocal group San Salvador, from the Massif Central in southern France, who sing in Occitan, mostly a capella but with occasional drums and other percussion. Their scrunchy vocal harmonies (sung by three men and three women) reminded me of my favourite Finnish folk/rock band Värttinä (reviewed here in August 2006) and of the famous Sardinian singing shepherds, Tenores de Bitti (reviewed here in June 2007). I loved how theatrical each of San Salvador’s long and varied songs were, while being performed with a serious intensity. There was no imploring the audience to clap along nor any need to whoop up the crowd – just a hypnotic performance of vocal drones, rapid fire chanting (sounding at times like the auctioneer in a livestock sale) and complex accelerating rhythms. And the massive crowd in the Siam Tent responded with the most genuine and prolonged wave of adulation of the weekend. Take a look at San Salvador performing at Womex 2018 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgUhP9qQYBw And you can see a selection of my photos from WOMAD 2019 at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/WOMAD2019

The Anniversary Games 2019

24 July 2019

On Saturday we made our first return, seven years after London 2012, to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London to watch the Anniversary Games IAAF Diamond League Athletics meeting in the Olympic Stadium. It was great to be back, and wonderful to see some high quality, competitive international athletics. Athletics competitions always seem to be meticulously choreographed, slickly alternating between track races and field events so there is always something to watch. Some of the highlights for me from Saturday were watching a magnificent Laura Muir win an impressive 1500, seeing one of the stars of the 2012 Paralympics, Jonnie Peacock, back to winning ways, Norwegian Karsten Warholm setting a new European record in the 400m hurdles, and the Jamaican sprinter Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce running a storming final leg to dip ahead of the Great Britain team in the 4x100m relay. You can see a selection of my photos from the Anniversary Games at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/AnniversaryGames2019

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare

18 July 2019

We last saw the Lord Chamberlain’s Men when they performed ‘Twelfth Night’ in the gardens of Woburn Abbey in 2009 (reviewed here in August 2009). This all male outdoor theatre company, a re-creation of Shakespeare’s original troupe of travelling players, specialises in traditional performances of Shakespeare plays. There are no modern references, props or gimmicks, just a group of excellent actors in full Elizabethan costume – with all the female parts played by men. On Wednesday we were back at Woburn Abbey to see the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in Peter Stickney’s excellent production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. It was another high quality performance that really gives you an idea of what it might have been like to see the play in Shakespeare’s time. Unlike many of the touring outdoor theatre companies, there is no breaking of the fourth wall, ad-libbing with the audience or pinching food from people’s picnics – just good acting which takes you into the imaginary world of the play and reminds you how good it is, and how funny.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

16 July 2019

On Sunday I played in the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s annual Friends’ Concert, bringing to an end our 125th anniversary concert season. This end of season party is an exclusive concert for the Friends of the Orchestra who have supported NSO over the past year. It gives the orchestra the chance to play a variety of shorter pieces that wouldn’t fit into a standard concert programme, and finishes with a buffet for the Friends and the orchestra. This year our conductor, John Gibbons, programmed two English folk songs delightfully arranged for strings by Frank Bridge (‘Sally in Our Alley’ and ‘Cherry Ripe’) followed by the ‘Capriol Suite’ by Peter Warlock, not in the original version for string orchestra but alternating between two arrangements for brass and woodwind. The main focus of the concert was a performance of the two suites from Edvard Grieg’s incidental music to ‘Peer Gynt’, which we played in the order they appear in Ibsen’s play so that John could give the audience his personal interpretation of the story of Peer Gynt (a play he admitted he has never seen!) between the movements. It is a bonkers story – worth watching this excellent Classics Explained YouTube video if you aren’t familiar with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBgPqhBUE2o The orchestra played beautifully, with woodwind impressing in ‘Morning’, strings showing precision in the chromatic challenges of ‘Anitra’s Dance’ and brass powering us through ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. But the stars of the show were the tuba and trombone players joining the percussion section for the ‘Arabian Dance’! We finished the concert with the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No 6 (Pathétique)’ - that famous glorious march that is usually punctured by the angst of the symphony’s final movement, but here was allowed to remain as a triumphant finale to our concert and our anniversary season.

Wimbledon 2019

12 July 2019

On Wednesday we were very lucky to have tickets for Wimbledon Centre Court where we saw the men’s singles quarter finals between Novak Djokovic and David Goffin & Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori. It was a hot, sunny day and we had great seats quite close to the court. After a close and entertaining first set Djokovic ran away with the first match in straight sets but the four-set tussle between Federer and Nishikori was much closer. It always looked like Federer would triumph but Nishikori never gave up and played some wonderful tennis. At the end of the afternoon we were treated to a ladies’ doubles invitation match featuring Martina Navratilova which was great fun, with Martina (now 62 years old) still playing brilliantly (and winning).

'Measure for Measure' by William Shakespeare

12 July 2019

‘Measure for Measure’ has never been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. I last saw it at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2012 (reviewed here in January 2012) which was the first time it really held my attention. But Gregory Doran’s new production for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon last Thursday, has finally won me over to the play. Apart from moving the setting to 1900s Vienna, this is a very straightforward production which concentrates on the acting. Antony Byrne (who I saw as Antony in the RSC production of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ reviewed here in December 2017) commands the stage as the Duke and Claire Price (who was so brilliant as Petruchia in Justin Audibert’s RSC production of ‘The Taming of The Shrew’, reviewed here in March 2019) provides the moral voice of conscience as Escalus. Sandy Grierson (Touchstone in ‘As You Like It’, reviewed here in April 2019) manages to make Angelo both loathsome and sympathetic, and Lucy Phelps (Rosalind in that same recent production of ‘As You Like It’) brings an earnest disbelief to Isabella’s reaction to Angelo’s indecent proposal that makes us see the play in a post #metoo context.

'Much Ado About Nothing' by William Shakespeare

12 July 2019

We first encountered the Handlebards at the 2018 Milton Keynes International Festival, where we saw their all-female troupe performing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (reviewed here in July 2018). The Handlebards are “cycling actors who carry all the set, props and costume needed to perform extremely energetic, charmingly chaotic and environmentally sustainable Shakespeare plays across the globe”. Last Monday we were in the garden of the Quarry Theatre in Bedford to see the Handlebards’ all-male troupe performing ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. It was a really enjoyable show, with a well-judged mixture of silliness and impressive acting. There was lots of audience interaction, good use of bicycle handlebars and bells and much fun had with the challenges of four actors playing multiple parts in the same scene.

'Small Island' based on the novel by Andrea Levy, adapted by Helen Edmundson

28 June 2019

I have written here before about Andrea Levy’s ‘Small Island’ – one of my favourite novels of recent years – a moving tale of Caribbean immigrants to the UK after the Second World War which manages to show you events through the eyes of each of the main protagonists so that you amazingly find yourself simultaneously sympathising with both sides of the racial prejudice at the heart of the story. It’s a brilliant novel and I had some trepidation about going to see the NTLive screening of Rufus Norris’s National Theatre production of Helen Edmundson’s stage adaptation of ‘Small Island’ at the Odeon in Milton Keynes on Thursday. Much as I knew I would enjoy revisiting Andrea Levy’s rich characters, I worried that the theatrical version would have to reduce a long and complex book so much that the best aspects might be lost. I need not have worried. Helen Edmundson has created a very inventive play of two halves which works extremely well. Whereas the novel starts with the arrival in post-war London, from Jamaica, of Hortense and Gilbert and then fills in the back story of each of the main characters through lengthy flashbacks, the stage version uses the flashbacks to create a linear, chronological first half. Rufus Norris uses the vast stage of the Olivier Theatre to create an epic, cinematic story, spanning decades and continents. After the interval the second half of the play starts with Hortense and Gilbert arriving in London and tells their ‘present day’ story as a more straightforward play-within-the-play, claustrophobically focussed on two rooms in Queenie’s house. By the time we get to this main story of West Indian immigrants coping with the harsh realities of 1940s London, we already know each character well. It’s an incredibly emotional story – funny, moving and shocking. It was great to be in a packed cinema to experience the collective gasps of the audience at some of the viciously racist language. And the acting was excellent, with the two female leads – Leah Harvey as Hortense and Aisling Loftus as Queenie – both outstanding. My only slight disappointment was with the portrayal of Queenie’s husband, Bernard. I think Andrea Levy’s greatest achievement in the novel was to allow the reader despise this most horribly racist bully, before filling in his backstory (particularly his experiences in the RAF in Burma and India) and making us shocked to find we can begin to find some sympathy for Bernard. In the play I felt the actor playing Bernard was too young: in the early scenes he came across as a socially awkward young man who was slightly too likeable. And because Bernard’s wartime experiences are cut from the play, and only briefly referred to in passing, we don’t really get the chance to see events from his point of view, making him seem jarringly unredeemed at the end. But apart from this slightly missed opportunity, the National Theatre production of ‘Small Island’ was truly excellent and it was wonderful to see it attracting a truly diverse audience – both in the theatre and the cinema.

Fever-Tree Tennis Championships 2019 at Queen's Club, London

21 June 2019

On Thursday we made a first-ever visit to the Queen’s Club in West London to see the pre-Wimbledon Fever-Tree Championships. After most of the matches scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed by rain, we were extremely lucky to see more than nine hours of uninterrupted tennis on Centre Court. The Argentinian clay-court specialist Diego Schwartzman played brilliantly to beat reigning champion Marin Čilić in straight sets. We saw two extremely close matches decided by final set tie breaks, with Nicolas Mahut triumphing over Stan Wawrinka (in the best match of the day) and the top seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, finally beating Jérémy Chardy of France after both men had succumbed to nerves when serving for the match. Finally we were thrilled to see the return to competitive tennis of Andy Murray, playing doubles with Feliciano López. Murray got an incredible reception from the Centre Court crowd and he and Lopez won a thrilling match against the top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah at the end of a wonderful day of tennis at Queen’s.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

18 June 2019

The Northampton Symphony Orchestra held its first rehearsal on 24 October 1893 with 21 members and gave its first concert in a crowded Northampton Town Hall on 20 January 1894, having grown to 40 players. The programme consisted of a large number of short ‘light’ pieces, including songs. The orchestra’s second concert the following November was a ‘grand success’ and the £10 surplus from the concert was used to buy 31 music stands and a cupboard to keep them in. In the following 125 years the Northampton Symphony Orchestra has gone through many changes but, in celebrating this momentous anniversary with a gala concert at the Derngate in Northampton last Saturday, I think we showed that the orchestra is arguably the biggest and best it has ever been. We had assembled a mammoth orchestra (116 players) for a mammoth programme.

The concert opened with a new piece commissioned by NSO to mark its 125th anniversary. ‘Overture: From the Heart of the Rose’ by the young composer Alga Mau, paints a picture of Northampton and the surrounding countryside from the bustling Victorian town of 1893 to the present day. It is, in part, a deliberate homage to the music of Eric Coates, whose ‘London Suite’ Alga Mau remembers playing during his time in the Northamptonshire County Training Orchestra. The overture is a tuneful, jolly piece which deserves many more performances. It was followed by a rousing performance of William Walton’s ‘Crown Imperial’, written for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, perhaps the best known piece on the programme.

The climax of the first half of the concert was Tchaikovsky’s ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ played by Peter Donohoe, who has been one of the UK’s best known pianists since winning the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1982. I have fond memories of performing the Grieg Piano Concerto with Peter Donohoe in a youth orchestra concert in Manchester when I was still at school and it was amazing to see him again so many years later with the same virtuoso technique, thrilling style and showmanship. Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto is a huge and fascinating work but is much less often performed than its more famous predecessor. The first movement lasts more than twenty minutes and feels almost like a complete work in itself: applause from our audience in the Derngate felt natural and deserved, and was smilingly acknowledged by Peter Donohoe. The second movement of the concerto is a beautiful and surprising triple concerto for violin, ‘cello and piano. In Saturday’s concert the orchestra’s Leader, Stephen Hague, and Principal ‘Cellist, Corinne Malitskie, played the solo parts stunningly. It was a mesmerising performance which transfixed the large Derngate audience – a real highpoint of the evening. The final movement of the concerto was a frenetic romp with Peter Donohoe racing the orchestra to a thrilling finish. He then treated us to an encore, playing the teasingly contemplative ‘Dumka’ by Tchaikovsky.

In the second half of the concert we played ‘An Alpine Symphony’ by Richard Strauss – a piece most French horn players dream of playing but rarely have the opportunity. The symphony is scored for 20 horns – 8 horns on stage (including 4 also playing Wagner tubas) and 12 offstage horns (4 playing each of 3 parts). Given that most orchestras usually have 4 horn players it is a major challenge to amass sufficient forces. We managed to bring together 17 horn players (from orchestras in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Luton and Windsor & Maidenhead) which allowed us to cover all the parts and sounded fantastic. ‘An Alpine Symphony’ was one of the first pieces I played with NSO – in a one-day workshop with members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2000 – and it was amazing to finally get the chance to perform the symphony in a concert 19 years later, as part of this massive horn section.

Richard Strauss’s programmatic symphony tells the story, in 22 short movements, of a mountain climb in the Alps. The trek begins before dawn, witnesses sunrise before embarking on the main ascent, travels through woods, by a brook and past a waterfall. It continues through flowering meadows, past cattle grazing on high pasture, emerging into bright sunlight on the glacier then reaching the summit. In the descent the party are caught in a furious storm before the symphony finishes back at the foot of the mountain with sunset and a return to night.

One of the most memorable moments of the symphony is the sound of a hunt in the distance, created by an offstage brass section. This offstage section only lasts about 40 seconds, and happens about 6 minutes after the start of this long symphony, so I am particularly grateful to everyone who joined us on Saturday just to create this brief but vital musical moment. I think the offstage section went even better in performance than it had in rehearsal, perfectly co-ordinated with the orchestra on stage, and it sounded fantastic.

The Alpine Symphony was a considerable challenge for the orchestra but I think our performance was really special. NSO conductor John Gibbons, who was deservedly awarded a British Empire Medal, for services to music, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last week, managed to create a moving, disciplined and powerful performance from the mass of performers on and off stage. There were so many highlights it would be impossible to mention them all but I particularly loved our brilliant percussion section who created a terrifying storm, and the brass section were outstanding with amazingly piercing high notes from the trumpets. For me, however, there was nothing better than that magical moment, at the summit of the mountain, when the 12 onstage horns all played together for the first time. It was incredible to be part of this huge team effort, and it was a wonderful way to celebrate 125 years of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra.

[Many thanks to Graham Tear's excellent programme notes from which I have blatantly pinched!]

'The Pope' by Anthony McCarten

14 June 2019

The Royal Theatre in Northampton is on an impressive run of form. The last three home-grown productions we have seen there have all been excellent ('Ghosts' by Henrik Ibsen, reviewed here in April 2019, 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro, reviewed here in March 2019, and 'Our Lady of Kibeho' by Katori Hall, reviewed here in January 2019). Royal and Derngate Artistic Director James Dacre’s production of Anthony McCarten’s new play ‘The Pope’, which we saw at the Royal Theatre on Thursday, maintains this glowing track record. Anthony McCarten is an award-winning screenwriter and film producer whose credits include ‘The Theory of Everything’, ‘Darkest Hour’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – all fictionalised versions of relatively recent events. ‘The Pope’ is an even more contemporary tale, looking at the decision  in 2013 of Pope Benedict XVI to resign – the first Pope to do so for more than 700 years. Anton Lesser plays Pope Benedict with Nicholas Woodeson as Cardinal Bergoglio (the future Pope Francis). The play has a simple and very effective structure, with mirrored scenes in the first half in which both men explain their intentions to female confidantes before the two of them come together for an extended dialogue to attempt to resolve their impasse. The script is remarkably witty – very funny without ever being disrespectful – and the play focuses on the contrasting characters of two men with a common purpose. Anton Lesser and Nicholas Woodeson are wonderful – it’s a great two-hander.

‘Mum’ by Stefan Golaszewski

7 June 2019

I’ve written here before about ‘Mum’, Stefan Golaszewski’s brilliantly bittersweet TV sitcom starring Lesley Manville (reviewed here in March 2018). As the third and final series comes to an end on BBC2, I have to reinforce my earlier praise. Over the three short series, every one of the seemingly ridiculous characters becomes completely sympathetic, without ever losing their obnoxious traits. It is beautifully written and wonderfully acted drama. All the actors are fantastic but Karl Johnson and Marlene Sidaway’s foul-mouthed grandparents deserve a series of their own! In this golden age of television, ‘Mum’ is one of the most precious gems.

‘The Affinity Bridge’ by George Mann

7 June 2019

I’ve just finished reading ‘The Affinity Bridge’ by George Mann (as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Simon Taylor) – the first book in the ‘Newbury and Hobbes’ series of Victorian detective/fantasy/science fiction novels. Despite being set in a strange parallel universe where the streets of Victorian London are dominated by steampunk vehicles and giant airships and the fog hides armies of zombie ‘revenants’, ‘The Affinity Bridge’ is a surprisingly believable period piece (including the attitudes to gender, race and class). Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes are unfailingly politely spoken, even in the most harrowing encounters with the forces of evil. And the amount of Earl Grey tea they manage to drink beggars belief! The book reminded me of 'Rivers of London' by Ben Aaronovitch (reviewed here in June 2018), ‘The House of Silk’ – Anthony Horowitz’s Sherlock Holmes novel (reviewed here in January 2012) and 'The Massacre of Mankind' – Stephen Baxter’s sequel to ‘The War of the Worlds’ (reviewed here in February 2017). ‘The Affinity Bridge’ is a very stiff-upper-lip, jolly-hockey-sticks tale, and its a ripping yarn.

Govan Craft Cafe 'Colour Workshop' by Impact Arts

14 May 2019

On Tuesday afternoon I was at Elderpark Community Centre in Govan for the Govan Craft Cafe Colour Workshop. The Craft Cafe is a regular free creative programme for people aged 60+, delivered by Impact Arts every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Colour Workshop, part of the 2019 Luminate Festival, had attracted several newcomers as well as many Craft Cafe regulars. When I arrived at the all-day drop-in session there were about 30 people busy exploring colour through a range of visual art techniques. Charlotte Craig and her team were helping the participants to make circular mandalas to experiment with colour mixing. I joined in with a group making a giant mandala in the sunshine outside the Community Centre, wetting a large circular piece of paper with water before sprinkling powdered pigment on it to create a beautiful array of swirling patterns. It was interesting how this group creative activity naturally led to a rich conversation. The companionship and fun that people get from taking part in the Craft cafe was plainly evident.

‘The Museum of Hope in the Dark’ by Forest Fringe

14 May 2019

On Tuesday morning I was at Tramway in Glasgow to see ‘The Museum of Hope in the Dark’ by Forest Fringe, part of the 2019 Luminate Festival. Andy Field’s installation consists of a darkened room with six bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Each of the bulbs flickers on and off, apparently at random, but actually creating messages in Morse code, transcriptions of short texts about Hope by six older women: Lois Weaver, Jo Clifford, Geraldine Baird, Samshad Waheed Ghani, Tasneem Karim and MAC. You are provided with paper, pencils and a guide to Morse code and invited to decipher the messages but I found it impossible to follow any of the quickly pulsing lights, and was too distracted by the other five. Fortunately the full texts are also provided to visitors (in a sealed envelope). They address a range of topics, including depression and discrimination, in prose and poetry, finding hope in the darkest places.

‘Timefield’ by Ian Cameron, Kate Clayton, Frank McElhinney, Annie Peel and Lesley Wilson

13 May 2019

On Monday afternoon I was at the Platform Arts Centre at The Bridge in Easterhouse on the outskirts of Glasgow (where we held the 2014 Epic Awards Ceremony) to see ‘Timefield’ – a cross-art collaborative installation developed by five older artists, as part of the 2019 Luminate Festival. Ian Cameron, Kate Clayton, Frank McElhinney, Annie Peel and Lesley Wilson have created a fascinating, immersive experience about nature and ageing. As you enter the room you are surrounded by large painted wall-hangings and  encompassed by John Wills’ three-dimensional soundscape. Projections of long exposure photographs on two sides of the room display a montage of naked older bodies, showing the impact of time on the body. The soundscape and the projections are each on repeating loops of varying lengths and there is a hypnotic quality to the way they occasionally seem to coincide and reinforce each other. It was also interesting, when you accidentally walk through the beam of one of the projectors, to see your own shadow alongside the projected bodies and reflect on your own ageing – briefly becoming a participant in the piece.

'A Creative Century' by Voluntary Arts Scotland

13 May 2019

On Monday morning I was at Dance Base in Edinburgh to see ‘A Creative Century’ – Voluntary Arts Scotland’s exhibition exploring ten decades of creativity as part of the 2019 Luminate Festival. Kelly Donaldson has curated a fascinating series of portraits of ten Edinburgh residents and their creative pursuits, from a child under ten to a person in their 90s and every decade in-between. The stories are inspiring and Derek Anderson’s photographs are lovely, beautifully composed and showing the joy these people get from their creativity. Placing the exhibition in Dance Base is also very clever: Scotland’s national centre for dance runs hundreds of dance classes every week and huge numbers of people will see the pictures in passing and will undoubtedly be drawn in by the stories. You can see all the portraits and videos online at: https://www.voluntaryarts.org/creative-century 

'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen, adapted by Katherine Rigg

13 May 2019

On Saturday we were at The Place in Bedford to see the Cyphers Theatre Company’s production of ‘Northanger Abbey’ by Jane Austen. Katherine Rigg’s adaptation, directed by Marcus Bazley, is good fun, capturing the tone of Austen’s spoof gothic novel with the right balance between earnestness and mockery. The energetic young cast of five actors very effectively conjure up the genteel society of Bath and the disappointingly modernised Abbey with minimal scenery and props. The show is silly while still managing to find some real Austenian pathos and romance.

‘Placeless’ by Masha & Marjan Vahdat and the Kronos Quartet

10 May 2019

Of the many performances I have seen at the WOMAD Festival over the past fifteen years, one that has stuck in my memory was two sisters from Iran, Masha and Marjan Vahdat, who I saw at the 2014 festival (reviewed here in August 2014). Masha and Marjan Vahdat break Iranian law every time they perform in front of an audience that includes men, but proudly continue to do so around the world. Their haunting voices – usually taking turns to sing solo, only occasionally duetting – are both powerful and melancholic. I was fascinated to discover that they have now recorded an album with the Kronos Quartet – who feature on my favourite world music/string quartet collaboration  on the Malian singer Rokia Traoré’s 2003 album ‘Bowmboi’ (which I have written about here in December 2007 and September 2016). ‘Placeless’ is a collection of songs written by Mahsa Vahdat, with lyrics by the classic poets Rumi and Hafez as well as three contemporary writers. The Kronos Quartet provide an unobtrusive accompaniment to the sisters’ voices. It’s a beautiful, thoughtful, serious collection which blends Western classical music with the Iranian vocals. ‘Placeless’ is part of a bigger Kronos Quartet plan to highlight music from the seven Muslim-majority nations affected by President Trump’s US travel ban. You can see a video of one of the tracks from the album at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK2sHz8Rs5k

'Father of the Bride' by Vampire Weekend

3 May 2019

In February 2008 I wrote here that “my new favourite band is Vampire Weekend”. We’ve both come a long way since then but I’m enjoying listening to the first Vampire Weekend album for six years, ‘Father of the Bride’, which came out this week. It’s a sprawling, varied double album but the mood is mostly cheerful and upbeat. Ezra Koenig continues to combine an eclectic range of influences. ‘This Life’ returns to the jangling sunshine African guitars of ‘Oxford Comma’, ‘Married in a Gold Rush’, featuring Danielle Haim, has a country feel, while Alexis Petridis in The Guardian suggests ‘Sympathy’ is “equal parts flamenco and early Pet Shop Boys”. I hadn’t noticed before how much Koenig owes to Paul Simon but I can now hear that influence in many of the tracks. Try ‘This Life’ at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGNNOZ0948

'The Odyssey' by Mark Hayward

26 April

On Thursday I was at The Place in Bedford to see The Pantaloons performing ‘The Odyssey’, co-written and directed by Mark Hayward. This is my sixth Pantaloons production but the first time I have seen them indoors: they have tended to specialise in summer outdoor shows, such as 'Much Ado About Nothing' and 'Pride and Prejudice' (both reviewed here in August 2015). Their approach is always charmingly silly and ‘The Odyssey’ follows the usual Pantaloons formula. It is written in modern rhyming verse with a multitude of contemporary references and no pretence of a fourth wall. There is much audience participation, competitive improvisation and occasional corpsing and it is a very funny show while somehow managing to actually stick to Homer’s tale. This trailer will give you a flavour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdTLad-AAbU

'Ghosts' by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Mike Poulton

26 April 2019

Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’ is a grim play: the Daily Telegraph review of the first London performance in 1891 called it “a wretched, deplorable, loathsome history”. It’s a tale of incest, betrayal and sexually transmitted infection but Mike Poulton’s new version, which we saw at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Saturday, finds some welcome humour amongst the angst. Lucy Bailey’s Royal & Derngate production is simple and effective, with great acting from Penny Downie as Helen Alving and James Wilby who manages to make Pastor Manders both a scheming manipulator and a bumbling fool. Mike Britton’s set, inspired by the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi, is bold and clear and it was good to see the Royal & Derngate continuing its practice of using a Community Cast of local amateurs alongside the professional leads.

'Mary Queen of Scots' by Josie Rourke

26 April 2019

Last Friday we made a first visit to the new Curzon Cinema at Milton Keynes Gallery to see Josie Rourke’s film ‘Mary Queen of Scots’. Although the film plays fast and loose with history, as a study of the characters of the two Queens – Mary and Elizabeth I – it’s a gripping drama. Saoirse Ronan is stunning as Mary and dominates the film, but Margot Robbie makes Elizabeth surprisingly sympathetic. There’s also a great supporting cast, including Martin Compston from ‘Line of Duty’ deploying his natural Scottish accent for a change and David Tennant playing John Knox behind a beard that deserves its own Oscar!

'As You Like It' by William Shakespeare

18 April 2019

I first saw ‘As You Like It’ on our first visit to the old Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1992 when it was Samantha Bond as Rosalind who took the stage alone at the end of the play to say “It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue”. I’ve seen it many times since and really enjoyed Kimberley Sykes’ new Royal Shakespeare Company production which we saw this Wednesday at the Odeon in Milton Keynes, broadcast live from the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre. ‘As You Like It’ has some great comic scenes and is always fun, though there are parts of the play that often seem to drag. But it is a rare Shakespeare play to have such a dominant female lead and Lucy Phelps was fantastic as Rosalind. Her manic nervous energy in the Ganymede scenes was brilliantly done with an amazing rapid fire delivery of the lines. Sophie Stanton, who is wonderful in the current RSC production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (reviewed here in March 2019), played a female Jacques with a twinkle and a smirk that relieved the melancholy. David Ajao showed loveable vulnerability as a childlike Orlando, Sophie Khan Levy was a very funny Celia and Emily Johnstone gave a great comic turn as Le Beau. I have fond memories of a 1996 production of ‘As You Like It’ at Nottingham Playhouse in which Shaun Prendergast played Touchstone (the Fool) as Eric Morecambe – so it was fascinating this week to see Sandy Grierson’s Touchstone clearly channelling Billy Connolly.

'All About Eve' by Joseph L Makiewica, adapted by Ivo van Hove

12 April 2019

I’ve never seen the classic 1950 film ‘All About Eve’ so I came completely fresh to Ivo van Hove’s new stage adaptation, which we saw at the Odeon in Milton Keynes in a live screening from the Noel Coward Theatre in London on Thursday. Ivo van Hove is a fascinatingly innovative theatre director: I really enjoyed his production of 'A View From The Bridge' by Arthur Miller (reviewed here in April 2015). His version of ‘All About Eve’ draws on Joseph L Mankiewicz’s film but also on the play on which it was based – ‘ The Wisdom of Eve’ by Mary Orr. The story of an ageing star actress and the young fan who aspires to replace her mostly takes place backstage, in dressing rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Jan Versweyveld’s set cleverly takes the audience into the theatre’s hidden nooks and crannies, using live video projection to give us access to the most intimate spaces. But in a play about actors, this inventive visual approach rightly feels secondary to the acting, with Gillian Anderson and Lily James giving brilliant performances as Margo and Eve. Gillian Anderson’s world-weary cynical drawl delivery is hilarious and Lily James manages to switch Eve’s mood on a sixpence. I loved the way the height of the two characters’ heels gradually shift, scene by scene, to reflect the growing or diminishing strength of their positions – with Eve appearing to grow taller as Margo literally shrinks. The script is incredibly witty and the plot twists were very satisfying. The original music by PJ Harvey captured the ominous mood of the story but felt a little too intrusive at times. Monica Dolan gave a wonderful performance as Karen Richards – for which she has just won the Olivier Award for best supporting actress.

‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton

5 April 2019

‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ is a remarkable debut novel by Stuart Turton. It has the appearance of an old fashioned remote country house murder mystery but our narrator appears to be reliving the day of the murder, each time inhabiting the body of a different member of the household. It’s like taking part in the same murder mystery role-play game over and over again, always wondering whether this time you might be the murderer. This high-concept device is ingenious, allowing narrator and reader to gradually piece together the jigsaw puzzle plot. It also becomes incredibly complicated but Turton kindly finds an occasional excuse to recap what we know so far. The book (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jot Davies) is also beautifully written. It is packed with wonderfully quotable similes that perfectly evoke the person being described in an economy of words. I look forward to seeing what Stuart Turton writes next.

Hannah James and Toby Kuhn

5 April 2019

On Saturday we were at the Bristol Folk House to see the young English folk singer, accordionist and clog dancer Hannah James, performing with the French ‘cellist Toby Kuhn. This newly formed duo played an interestingly varied range of songs and tunes, creating beautiful gentle acoustic music. Hannah James is an excellent singer and a very accomplished performer. She is a member of the English folk vocal harmony trio Lady Maisery and several duos as well as performing solo. Her own compositions are great examples of modern folk music, responding to contemporary events such as the 2018 Florida school shootings. She is also an enthusiastic champion for the art of ‘percussive dance’, using her clogs (and occasionally her bare feet) to provide intricate and complex rhythmic accompaniment. (This reminded me of the wonderful Tilly and the Wall (reviewed here in March 2007)). See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZhTFvLKbI

Moya Brennan

5 April 2019

Last Wednesday we visited the beautiful manor house and grounds at Rhosygilwen in Pembrokeshire where a stunning modern glass-walled barn acts as a unique music venue. As the sun set across the wooded valley below, we watched the ‘First Lady of Celtic Music’, Moya Brennan, and her band perform a mixture of tracks from her solo albums, traditional Irish folk tunes and some very familiar Clannad numbers. Clannad was the Brennan family band and it was lovely to see Moya Brennan now playing alongside her daughter and son. It was also great to see two Irish harps on stage with Moya Brennan duetting with harpist Cormac de Barra – her collaborator on the series of ‘Voices & Harps’ albums.

Pembrokeshire

5 April 2019

We had a wonderful week in Pembrokeshire, with glorious weather throughout. We walked sections of the Coast Path every day, along spectacular cliffs overlooking peaceful turquoise seas. I particularly enjoyed the walk around Strumble Head where I actually managed to see a seal. We re-visited St David’s and Narberth and explored Fishguard and Newport. North Pembrokeshire has similar scenery to Cornwall but is much quieter – one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. You can see a few of my photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Pembrokeshire2019

'The Taming of The Shrew' by William Shakespeare

20 March 2019

On Tuesday we were at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to see Justin Audibert’s new RSC production of ‘The Taming of The Shrew’. This misogynistic play is particularly difficult to carry off: previously the most successful version I had seen was the Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour open air production, directed by Joe Murphy (reviewed here in July 2013), which showed the relationships in a new light by having all the parts played by women. Justin Audibert has created something even more interesting by reversing the gender of every character, setting the pay in a matriarchal society where Baptista Minola wants to marry off her sons to the highest bidder. Her older son, still called ‘Katherine’ (played by Joseph Arkley), is the sharp-tongued shrew who meets his match in the swaggering Petruchia (Claire Price) – determined to woo a rich husband. It’s a very funny production: the gender reversal allows us to enjoy the comedy of the play without it being quite so uncomfortable. Hannah Clark’s amazing costumes give the women enormous dresses that dominate each scene, emphasising their power in this society and allowing them (literally in one case!) to glide across the stage. There are brilliant comic performances from Sophie Stanton as Gremia, Laura Elsworthy as Trania and Amy Trigg as Biondella. I felt we didn’t see enough of Joseph Arkley’s Katherine in the early part of the play: we needed more evidence of his shrewishness before he is tamed. But this is clearly Petruchia’s play and Claire Price is wonderful – a bird’s nest of red hair, a wicked grin and a physical dominance of the stage (and of Katherine) creating a fascinating and compelling character.

'Changeable Heart' by Ruth Notman and Sam Kelly

15 March 2019

Long-time readers may remember my enthusiasm for the young Nottingham folk singer Ruth Notman, who was one of my favourite discoveries of 2008 (reviewed here in February 2008, April 2009, August 2009 and January 2010). Ruth took a break from music over the past few years to study to be a doctor but I’m delighted to be listening to her new album of duets with Sam Kelly, ‘Changeable Heart’, which is released today. It’s a mix of traditional songs and some original compositions by Notman and Kelly – a gentle, thoughtful, acoustic collection, beautifully sung by both singers. The album is produced by Irish folk singer, banjo player and guitarist Damien O'Kane (whose own excellent album ‘Areas of High Traffic’ I reviewed here in February 2016). There’s lots to enjoy about ‘Changeable Heart’ but it’s particularly lovely to hear Ruth Notman’s distinctively beautiful quivering voice again after a gap of several years. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hSzZQBGyUs

'Abigail's Party' by Mike Leigh

8 March 2018

On Thursday we were at the Derngate in Northampton to see Sarah Esdaile’s revival of ‘Abigail’s Party’. Mike Leigh’s 1977 play – and particularly the television version with Alison Steadman and the rest of the original stage cast – is so familiar I could have chanted along with much of the dialogue. It formed the template for the comedies of social embarrassment that are now such a familiar part of British culture – such as ‘The Office’, ‘The Thick of It’ and Alan Partridge. This production was excellently cast with Jodie Prenger making Beverley simultaneously monstrous, hilarious and sympathetic and perfectly capturing those nasal Essex vowels. And Rose Keegan was wonderful as Sue, the middle class neighbour (and mother of Abigail) who feels increasingly like a hostage, albeit an incredibly polite prisoner. On the 40th anniversary of ‘Abigail’s Party’, in February 2017, Mike Leigh wrote a great piece for The Guardian, reflecting on the origins of the play, which explains how the TV version replaced Elvis with Tom Jones, and José Feliciano with Demis Roussos. See: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/feb/24/mike-leigh-abigails-party-40

'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro, adapted by Barney Norris

6 March 2019

On Tuesday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see a new dramatisation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel ‘The Remains of the Day’ - a Royal & Derngate joint production with Out of Joint, in association with Oxford Playhouse. Stephen Boxer gave a brilliant performance as Stevens, a constant presence, never leaving the stage. He perfectly maintained the butler’s stiff-upper-lip stoicism – the mask that never drops – whilst also managing to convey the simmering volcano of emotions that can never be expressed. Niamh Cusack was great as Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, determined to show she can match Stevens’ attention to detail but achingly frustrated by her inability to break through his over-formality. Adaptor Barney Norris finds a way of telling the story that is faithful to the book (and James Ivory’s 1993 film) but is distinctly theatrical, with Stevens’ post-war visit to the West Country sharing the stage with his memories of the pre-war Darlington House. It is a tribute to Christopher Haydon’s direction and Stephen Boxer’s performance that Stevens switches seamlessly between conversations with characters in the two time frames while the distinction is always perfectly clear to the audience. Lily Arnold’s wonderful set simply and effectively evokes the grand but decaying Darlington Hall, with incredibly realistic projected rain streaming down the windows and an enormous mirror at the back of the stage revealing unguarded reflections of characters trying to remain in the background. ‘The Remains of the Day’ examines the mid-twentieth century shifts in politics, class, gender and national identity – showing the refusal to acknowledge the end of an era. It’s an incredibly powerful, subtle and sad story and this stage version captures all its nuances brilliantly: one of the best things we have seen in the theatre for ages.

Dziļi Violets

28 February 2019

My new favourite band is not Deep Purple. Dziļi Violets – Latvian for Deep Purple (literally deep violets) – is a band created for the Latvian satirical TV show ‘Midnight Show Seven’. They recently released a tongue-in-cheek offering to be Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Tautasdziesma’ (“Dance: I don’t know how to dance”) – and I love the first comment posted on the YouTube page for the song which says “Europe is the place were a latvian guy is wearing a scottish kilt while singing french and i think that's beautiful." But when they move away from spoof songs Dziļi Violets are a pretty cool band. Their song which first attracted my attention was ‘Sprīdītis’ which has a modern take on old-fashioned swing in a similar way to Caravan Palace (reviewed here in July 2009), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNx6odHk-Jo And I love the cheery upbeat ‘Dullais Dauka’ featuring Elza Rozentale whistling, rapping and singing like a Latvian Caro Emerald (reviewed here in April 2017), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9Sf7zLx3A I look forward to the first full album from Dziļi Violets.

'Already Ready Already' by Galactic

22 February 2019

I can tell you exactly when I first discovered the New Orleans funk band, Galactic: it was the attention-grabbing use of their powerful song ‘You Don’t Know’ (Featuring Glen David Andrews And The Rebirth Brass Band) in an episode of the third season of ‘Fargo’ (reviewed here in October 2017). This week I’ve been enjoying the new album by Galactic, ‘Already Ready Already’. Featuring a range of guest vocalists, its an eclectic set from a band that is always hard to categorise. There’s jazz, funk, R&B, rock, brass band, blues, hip hop, electronic and more squashed into eight tracks. I particularly like punk cabaret artist Boyfriend’s quirky speed-rap on ‘Dance At My Funeral’. Galactic are difficult to describe but undeniably cool. If you don’t know them I would recommend starting by listening to ‘You Don’t Know’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxNFYbCDkrY

'Living on the Volcano' by Michael Calvin

15 February 2019

Michael Calvin is a very accomplished sports writer who has been named Sports Writer of the Year and Sports Reporter of the Year (twice). He was Chief Sports Writer at the Independent on Sunday until 2016 and in recent years he has won the Times Sports Book of the Year prize twice and has received much acclaim for ghostwriting the autobiographies of the rugby player Gareth Thomas and the footballer Joey Barton. He also happens to be one of my neighbours, living a few doors down from us. I’ve just finished reading Mick’s book ‘Living on the Volcano: The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager’, which was shortlisted for the 2015 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. It’s a collection of interviews with managers working across the Premier League and the English Football League, including Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez, Alan Pardew, Sean Dyche, Karl Robinson and Eddie Howe. Given the precarious nature of the football manager’s job, the book now feels like a snapshot of 2014 as hardly any of the managers Mick talks to are still at the same clubs now. It’s a fascinating examination of the transition from player to manager. I was particularly struck by the wide range of incredibly thorough approaches taken by most of the managers who have meticulously studied statistics, foreign coaching styles, other sports or completely different industries to give them an insight on how to build the best team for their club. It seems cruel that, given this determined attention to detail, the fate of most managers seems to be decided on luck and the mood of players, fans and owners: these days football clubs rarely manage to take a long-term approach. Mick is good at getting behind the pantomime villain image of many football managers and showing the genuine, sympathetic human beings struggling against impossible odds. While it is true that most sacked managers will have reaped huge financial rewards, when you consider the ridiculous levels of scrutiny and stress involved you do wonder why anyone would want to be a football manager.

'The Mousetrap' by Agatha Christie

6 February 2019

Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ has been running in the West End in London since 1952 so I have spent my whole life avoiding spoilers before finally seeing the play at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Monday. The longevity of ‘The Mousetrap’ is particularly amazing as I can’t imagine many people wanting to see it more than once: it is not knowing who dunnit that is the appeal. Nevertheless Gareth Armstrong’s touring production is great fun and very well acted. The plot is darker and more believable than I had expected and I wasn’t alone in wanting to finally see it for myself: the Royal Theatre was packed and we all left the theatre promising not to spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

5 February 2019

On Saturday I played in the third concert of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s 125th anniversary season. Our programme focussed on the year in which the orchestra was founded, 1893, featuring one piece written in 1893 and one by a composer who was born that year. Arthur Benjamin is best remembered for ‘Jamaican Rumba’ but his ‘Romantic Fantasy’, premiered in 1938, is a much more complex, serious piece. It is a remarkable double concerto for violin and viola, for which we were joined on Saturday by Stephen Bryant, Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Benjamin Roskams (who played Bruch's 'Scottish Fantasy' in a Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert reviewed here in June 2015). Most of us had not heard the ‘Romantic Fantasy’ before but NSO conductor, John Gibbons, knows it well, having conducted one of its few recordings (with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for Dutton Epoch). It’s a lovely piece which really grew on me as I got to grips with it. The two fiendishly-difficult solo parts intertwine to sound at times like a single player. Stephen and Benjamin’s synchronicity was amazing, particularly in the cadenzas. We finished the concert with a much more familiar piece,  Antonín Dvořák’s ‘Symphony No 9: From the New World’, composed in 1893. The NSO has played the ‘New World Symphony’ 20 times over the past 125 years and I think Saturday’s performance was really impressive. Jayne Henderson had the scary challenge of having to play one of the most famous tunes in orchestral music – the cor anglais solo in the slow movement – and she delivered a perfect performance which was the highlight of the symphony. There were also beautiful solos from most of her woodwind colleagues, including Sarah Mourant (oboe), Graham Tear and Helen Taylor (flute) and Naomi Muller (clarinet). And the brass section was in magnificent form, particularly in the finale. It was a lovely concert.

'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes, adapted by James Fenton

31 January 2019

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare: they died within a few days of each other in 1616. So it was fascinating to see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘Don Quixote’, adapted by James Fenton, at the Garrick Theatre in London last Saturday. When I read ‘The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha’ (reviewed here in January 2012) I realised what a debt more recent comic creations, particularly double-acts, owe to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. In this stage adaptation David Threlfall and the comedian Rufus Hound create a believably warm relationship between these two deluded simpletons. The show is great fun though, as with the novel, laughs at the expense of what is effectively mental illness feel a bit uncomfortable at times. The most ground-breaking aspect of Cervantes’ book, however, is the meta-fiction of Volume 2 where the characters start to encounter people who have read Volume 1. The stage version tried to incorporate this narrative complexity, with actors carrying copies of the book and Rufus Hound breaking the fourth wall to banter with the audience. But I felt it missed the impact the book has when you start to wonder who is writing the story – which really messes with your head! Nevertheless Angus Jackson’s production is incredibly enjoyable and made me fall in love with Cervantes’ characters all over again.

'Our Lady of Kibeho' by Katori Hall

25 January 2019

In 1981 at a Catholic college in Kibeho in the mountains of Rwanda, three girls apparently experienced a visitation from the Virgin Mary. Katori Hall’s remarkable new play ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’, which we saw at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Tuesday, uses this incident as a way to explore the conditions that led eventually to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Some people believe the Virgin Mary appeared to warn of the approaching tragedy but the play leaves us to make up our own minds about whether the events at Kibeho were a religious miracle, mass hallucination or something else. Katori Hall is more interested in showing the growing divisions between Hutu and Tutsi that would have catastrophic outcomes. The UK premiere of ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’ is a triumph for the Royal & Derngate and its Director James Dacre, receiving glowing reviews from several national newspapers, including a five star review from Michael Billington in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/17/our-lady-of-kibeho-review-royal-and-derngate-northampton-katori-hall-rwanda It’s a beautiful production, full of charm and mystery, with an underlying ominousness. The excellent cast includes a Community Ensemble of local amateur actors and features stunning performances by Ery Nzaramba as the Headteacher and Gabrielle Brooks, Yasmin Mwanza and Pepter Lunkuse as the three girls. Orlando Gough’s music features some gorgeous a capella singing and Jonathan Fensom’s set manages to match the contradictory sunny but storm-laden feel of the play.

'Middle England' by Jonathan Coe

25 January 2019

The EU referendum of June 2016 and the subsequent years of Brexit negotiations have felt like a seismic shock to many people in the UK – something that could not have been foreseen. In his new novel, ‘Middle England’ – which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Rory Kinnear – Jonathan Coe paints a picture of England and the English from 2010 to late 2018 which does a great job of showing how inevitable the referendum result was. This third book featuring the characters from Coe’s 2001 novel 'The Rotters' Club' and its sequel 'The Closed Circle' (2004) shows the growing resentment of large swathes of Middle England to immigration, political correctness, austerity and more, alongside the naive obliviousness of those in their own liberal bubble. By the time the story reaches 2016 it is very clear which way each of the main characters is going to vote. The Rotters Club trilogy has now followed the lives of a group of schoolfriends from Birmingham, their families and friends from the late 1970s to 2018. It sets their stories against real-world political events in a similar way to Frederic Raphael’s ‘The Glittering Prizes’ trilogy and Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole books. Where Jonathan Coe’s hilarious critique of Thatcher’s Britain ‘What a Carve Up’ and its sequel focussing on Cameron's Coalition Government, ‘Number 11’ (reviewed here in January 2016), formed a glorious farce, the Rotters Club novels all have a more melancholic feel. ‘Middle England’ is a very funny comic novel with many laugh-out-loud moments but it also has a pervasive air of sadness. Jonathan Coe was already one of my favourite contemporary authors but this time it felt like he was writing specially for me as ‘Middle England’ includes lengthy descriptions of the 2010 general election, a Baltic cruise and the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. It’s incredibly enjoyable and deeply though-provoking.

‘The Tragedy of King Richard The Second’ by WIlliam Shakespeare

18 January 2019

On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the NTLive screening of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of King Richard The Second’, live from the Almeida Theatre in London. We last saw ‘Richard II’ at the Barbican, with David Tennant in the title role (reviewed here in December 2013). Joe Hill-Gibbins’ production, starring Simon Russell Beale, is a much less conventional version of the play. Set in a windowless, door-less box, with just eight actors who can never escape from the stage, it has a deliberately claustrophic feel. There are no elaborate costumes and no props, other than a range of different kinds of gloves and buckets of blood, water and soil which lurk menacingly against the back wall until called into action. This plain setting allows you to concentrate on the acting, which is excellent. Simon Russell Beale, who we last saw as Prospero in Greg Doran’s RSC production of ‘The Tempest’ (reviewed here in November 2016), is a mesmerising performer and it was great to be able to see his performance in close-up on the big screen. The projector in our cinema seemed to be incorrectly adjusted, meaning we often couldn’t see the tops of the actors’ heads, but this only served to enhance the intense, claustrophic mood of the production. ‘Richard II’ is an odd play but I was particularly struck by the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. There are some lovely poetic speeches and it was poignant to be listening to Joseph Mydell’s John of Gaunt reciting ‘This Sceptred Isle’ while elsewhere MPs were voting on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. But I wasn’t totally convinced by the Almeida production: having such a small cast of actors playing multiple parts, without any differentiation of costume, proved quite confusing. Even knowing the play, I found it difficult to follow. There was some great acting and it was fascinating to see the stripped-down approach but I’m not sure it fully worked.

'The Favourite' by Yorgos Lanthimos

9 January 2019

On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to see Yorgos Lanthimos’ film ‘The Favourite’, starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne. It’s a dark, quirky, historical drama with some graphic violence, sex and bad language. I’m not sure I would describe it as a comedy, though there are some very funny moments. Yorgos Lanthimos creates a stylish but realistic vision of life within the royal palace in the early 18th century. His repeated use of a distorted wide-angle lens has a voyeuristic feel as we intrude on the domestic life of the Queen and her ladies in waiting. It’s great to see a film with three (fairly evenly shared) leading parts for women, with most of the men depicted as buffoons. Olivia Colman and Emma Stone both have incredibly expressive faces, often shown in extreme close-up so you can almost see the thoughts moving behind their eyes – while Rachel Weisz maintains an un-moving deadpan throughout most of the film. The screenplay, by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, cleverly shifts the audience’s sympathies between the warring characters as the story progresses. It’s an odd film which will not be to everyone’s taste but Olivia Colman is superb and I enjoyed reading up afterwards about a period of British history that was previously a blind-spot for me.

'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens

4 January 2019

“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.” I was familiar with the words of Thomas Gradgrind which open ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens but was surprised how little of the rest of the novel I knew. ‘Hard Times’ focuses on the social and industrial conditions in Coketown – a northern mill town, clearly modeled on Manchester. There is a weighty helping of Dickens’ witty prose, sometimes bordering on whimsy, but the plot emerges only very gradually, with the importance of several key events only revealed much later in hindsight. ‘Hard Times’ has a surprisingly small cast of principal characters – though they are beautifully drawn. Dickens works hard to convey the local dialect in print, making some of the book quite difficult to read. But his social campaigning messages are clear and entertainingly delivered. If you haven’t read any Dickens I wouldn’t start with ‘Hard Times’ but it was interesting to discover this tale for the first time.