Category Archives: Cultural Matters

Ordeal by Fire

Posted on December 8, 2016 by leslie

Ordeal by Fire  Il Trovatore, music by Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Richard Farnes, Director David Bösch, Royal Opera House, 4th December 2016, first revival of David Bösch’s 2015/2016 production, reviewed by Leslie Jones In our review of the 2015/16 production … Continue reading →

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Abducted by Love

Posted on November 28, 2016 by leslie

Abducted by Love MANON LESCAUT, opera in 4 acts, musical score composed by Giacomo Puccini, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, The Royal Opera House, 22 November 2016. First revival of Jonathan Kent’s 2014 production. Reviewed by Leslie Jones Manon Lescaut, … Continue reading →

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Burnt by the Sun

Posted on November 3, 2016 by leslie

Burnt by the Sun Bill Hartley is on planet propaganda Russian cinema brings to mind heroic Soviet era films such as Battleship Potemkin, imbued with socialist realism and designed to get the official seal of approval and inspire the masses. Such … Continue reading →

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Cyberpunk

Posted on October 14, 2016 by leslie

Cyberpunk Mark Wegierski visits a dark future The term “dark future” is a synonym for dystopia. It refers to any work where the hypothesized future of mankind is bleak. Typical “dark futures” are shown in the cyberpunk subgenre of science … Continue reading →

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Paul and Jeremy

Posted on September 28, 2016 by leslie

Paul and Jeremy Bill Hartley enters darkest England These days British television is full of what are called ‘Reality’ shows. One such programme is Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away. A new series has just started. The programme follows the … Continue reading →

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Cosmetology in Poland

Posted on September 22, 2016 by leslie

Cosmetology in Poland Mark Wegierski reminisces about a happier time in East-Central Europe Poland is a country where the fashion sense and interest in cosmetology of many women is perhaps the third-highest in Europe (after France and Italy). Already during … Continue reading →

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ENDNOTES, 4th September 2016

Posted on September 9, 2016 by leslie

ENDNOTES, 4th September 2016 The Proms: Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, performing Boulez and Mahler Each year at the Proms, certain performances stand out and provide the landmarks of the season. Last year, the Sibelius cycle embodied the … Continue reading →

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Fifty Years of Star Trek

Posted on September 9, 2016 by leslie

Fifty Years of Star Trek Mark Wegierski analyses a cultural vector and Hollywood cash cow Star Trek, conceived by Gene Roddenberry, officially premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, with the very psychologically appealing core of half-human/half-Vulcan science officer Spock … Continue reading →

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Der Ring des Nibelungen

Posted on September 7, 2016 by leslie

Der Ring des Nibelungen Bayreuth Festival, Germany, August 2016. Director Frank Castorf, conducted by Marek Janowski, reviewed by Tony Cooper Berlin-based, avant-garde theatre director Frank Castorf arrived on the Green Hill in 2013, making his Bayreuth début with the Ring … Continue reading →

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Der fliegende Holländer

Posted on August 23, 2016 by leslie

Der fliegende Holländer Der fliegende Holländer, Bayreuth Festival, Germany, August 2016. Director Jan Philipp Gloger, conducted by Axel Kober, reviewed by Tony Cooper Wagner’s first mature opera written in 1841, Der fliegende Holländer, was directed with great flair and imagination by the … Continue reading →

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