'Willows' by Pekka Kuusisto, Sam Amidon and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra

27 February 2026

Regular readers will know of my long-standing enthusiasm for all things Finnish, so I was immediately intrigued by the new album 'Willows' featuring the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and the brilliant Finnish violinist and conductor, Pekka Kuusisto. This is, in part, a poignant reflection on grief and loss following the death of Pekka’s brother Jaakko in 2022. Ellen Reid’s 'Desiderium', a visceral howl for solo violin, is dedicated to him and is a deeply moving experience. The centrepiece of the album is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 'The Lark Ascending'. When the Northampton Symphony Orchestra performed this delicate English work in 2013 (reviewed here in November 2013), I was struck by its aching poignancy. Kuusisto’s interpretation is fascinating: he describes his approach not as “deleting notes” but as “deleting ketchup”. By stripping away the lush romanticism often associated with the piece, he reveals its essential roots in the English folk tradition. The album also features Caroline Shaw’s 'Plan & Elevation', an orchestral version of her 2015 string quartet that maps out Washington DC’s Dumbarton Oaks estate. To close, Sam Amidon (who impressed me at the WOMAD Festival, reviewed her in August 2022) adds vocals, guitar, and banjo to six traditional American folk songs arranged by Nico Muhly. 'Willows' is a beautiful, compelling collection that blends classical and folk traditions. 

'The Rose Field' by Philip Pullman

18 February 2026

It's now more than 30 years since the publication of 'Northern Lights', Philip Pullman's first novel recounting the story of Lyra Silvertongue. We followed Lyra and her companions through the three novels of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, and now with 'The Rose Field' (which I've just finished reading as an unabridged audiobook, narrated by Michael Sheen), Pullman's second Lyra trilogy 'The Book of Dust' is complete. Following on directly from 'The Secret Commonwealth' (reviewed here in December 2019), 'The Rose Field' picks up Lyra's journey east across Europe in search of the Red Building and a doorway to another world. Where 'The Secret Commonwealth' felt like a Cold War spy thriller, 'The Rose Field' returns to more fantastical themes, introducing flying gryphons and other mythical creatures. I found it satisfying how many references there were back to the original three novels, bringing the story full circle. But I could have done with more recap of the events from 'The Secret Commonwealth'. There's so much in this final novel that the plot gets quite confusing at times. The characters, however, - particularly Lyra and Malcolm and their daemons, and the wonderful Abdel Ionides - are beautifully drawn, sympathetic and entertaining. And the audio book is worth listening to purely to hear how much fun Michael Sheen is having performing the dramatic events of Lyra's final chapters. If this is the last we see of Lyra, it's been an amazing 30-year journey. And I've enjoyed it all the way. 

'Hamlet' by Aneil Karia

12 February 2026

On Tuesday we were at Cineworld in Milton Keynes to see Aneil Karia's new film of 'Hamlet'. Set in contemporary London around a wealthy British Indian family, it's a clever take on Shakespeare's play - rooting it in the real world with very believable contemporary characters, but still using the Shakespearean text (albeit with much of the original play omitted and the cast thinned down to a few principal protagonists). Riz Ahmed is excellent as the Prince, a very realistic performance with him whispering his soliloquies as if genuinely speaking to himself. It's an interesting contrast with Robert Hastie's National Theatre 'Hamlet' that we saw recently (reviewed here in January 2026). Although we saw that production on screen at the cinema, it was clearly a theatrical production, and Hiran Abeysekera's Hamlet frequently broke the fourth wall to engage the audience directly. Here Riz Ahmed resists any temptation to look at the camera, very focused on his inner turmoil. And the close-up handheld camera shots show every twitch of his facial muscles revealing his thinking and agony. The rest of the cast are also very strong with Art Malik's Claudius the most Shakespearean sounding. Sheeba Chaddha as Gertrude, Timothy Spall as Polonius, Joe Alwyn as Laertes, and Morfydd Clark as Ophelia (who also takes some of the absent Horatio's lines) are all excellent. Cutting the play to focus on the main story and to compress the action into a suitable length for a film, writer Michael Lesslie has removed all the comic relief leaving this a very grim, dark version of 'Hamlet'. But it's a brutally realistic, thrilling tragedy. The scene in which Polonius is killed is viscerally shocking. This is a clever, gripping, dark, contemporary take on 'Hamlet'. 

'A' Chailleach' by Kim Carnie

5 February 2026

I've been really enjoying the 'A' Chailleach', the new album by the young Scottish Gaelic singer Kim Carnie. She calls it "a concept record rooted in female folklore, spell work and hidden histories". Lom Carnie was awarded Gaelic Singer of the Year 2021 and this is her second solo album, following her 2022 debut 'And So We Gather'. Her gentle, catchy Gaelic folk/pop reminded me a lot of the music of Julie Fowlis (reviewed here in February 2006, April 2007 and May 2014), who features as a guest on one track here. I was particularly interested to hear of her cross-cultural collaborations with West African musicians and there is a track on this album featuring the Senegalese musician Sekou Keita (on kora and vocals). These are beautiful new songs by Kim Carnie, but rooted in the Gaelic folk tradition.