Category Archives: Cultural Matters

Egypt’s Geniza Texts

Posted on November 16, 2017 by leslie

Egypt’s Geniza Texts Darrell Sutton considers an incomparable collection  Discoveries are sometimes made by accident, as archaeologists can readily attest. Hidden passageways can lead to welcome treasures of real historical value. This happened in the case of Howard Carter (1874-1939) … Continue reading →

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Kirk Douglas

Posted on November 7, 2017 by leslie

Kirk Douglas BILL HARTLEY salutes a Hollywood hero Very few stars from the great days of Hollywood are still with us. One who is and who has entered his eleventh decade is Kirk Douglas, who on December 9th celebrates his … Continue reading →

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Mourning Sickness

Posted on November 3, 2017 by leslie

Mourning Sickness  Lucia di Lammermoor; tragic opera in three acts, music composed by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, directed by Katie Mitchell, conductor Michele Mariotti, Royal Opera, 30th October … Continue reading →

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Rape Seed

Posted on October 16, 2017 by leslie

Rape Seed Les Vêpres Siciliennes; Grand Opera in five acts, music composed by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Eugène Scribe & Charles Duveyrier, sung in French with English surtitles, directed by Stefan Herheim, conducted by Maurizio Benini, Royal Opera, 12th October 2017, reviewed … Continue reading →

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Epistle to the Romans, part 1

Posted on October 10, 2017 by leslie

Epistle to the Romans, part 1 A new translation by Darrell Sutton of Paul’s timeless text Introduction October 31, 1517 was a fateful day in early-modern German history. For it was on that date that Martin Luther (1483-1546) published his … Continue reading →

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Slave Morality

Posted on October 2, 2017 by leslie

Slave Morality Aida, opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson, directed by Phelim McDermott, ENO, 28th September 2017, in collaboration with the theatre company Improbable, reviewed by LESLIE JONES Interviewed by the … Continue reading →

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Parsifal, Reloaded

Posted on August 30, 2017 by leslie

Parsifal, Reloaded Parsifal, Bayreuth Festival, Germany, 21st August 2017, director Uwe Eric Laufenberg, conducted by Hartmut Haenchen, reviewed by Tony Cooper Parsifal, Wagner’s farewell to the world, was completed in January 1882 and was first seen in that year. This … Continue reading →

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Contention City

Posted on August 27, 2017 by leslie

Contention City Bill Hartley, in a mythic landscape In Tombstone, none of the locals knew precisely where Contention City was. They’d all heard of it but even the otherwise helpful ladies at the information office were at a loss. In … Continue reading →

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The Reluctant Saint

Posted on August 25, 2017 by leslie

The Reluctant Saint  Film directed by Edward Dmytrk, reviewed by Thomas O Meehan  A few days ago watching Turner Classic Movies I caught the film The Reluctant Saint (1962). It was strikingly like the religious films of my youth in its poor … Continue reading →

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Bearer of the Flame

Posted on August 21, 2017 by leslie

Bearer of the Flame Ernest Hemingway: A Biography, Mary V Dearborn, Knopf, 738 pp., $35; Ernest Hemingway: A New Life, James M Hutchisson, Pennsylvania State University Press, 292 pp., $37.95. Reviewed by STODDARD MARTIN PART ONE 1961 saw two great … Continue reading →

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