Category Archives: Concert

romeo and juliet, & mahler’s 8th symphony

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Houyhnhnm

romeo and juliet (south woodford odeon, live-streamed from stratford (the other one) like the rory kinnear macbeth, the dead rise and walk – and not just the scripted banquo; this romeo and juliet has first the slain mercutio and tybalt, … Continue reading →

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the town hall affair & the turn of the screw

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Houyhnhnm

the town hall affair a live dramatic reconstruction of a real, filmed, public debate in early-seventies new york between writer and critic norman mailer and representatives of ‘women’s lib.’ notably germaine greer

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macbeth (streamed from the olivier to picturehouse central, may 10th) & the lene lovich band (at the lexington, islington, may 20th)

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Houyhnhnm

macbeth live-streaming is in many ways so much better than #beingthere: better view, cheaper, and a filmed interview with the director before curtain-up; which helped me notice the feel – ‘britain in a few years, after a civil war’ – … Continue reading →

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luisa miller & ordeal of innocence

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Houyhnhnm

luisa miller (live from the met, south woodford odeon) even my dad hadn’t heard of this opera by verdi; and the english surname of its heroine certainly feels unusual in this italian-language melodrama with a count and a guy called … Continue reading →

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così fan tutte and a portrait of the artist as a young man

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Houyhnhnm

così fan tutte (live from the met at the odeon south woodford) as with tosca, i was surprised, and pleased, at the level of dark, serious stuff, but this time more so, as superficially it’s a comedy spying on their … Continue reading →

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Aussie Pink Floyd

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

What’s going on when I’m playing music I’ve known all my life – playing it either in my head or in iTunes? It’s something quite different from when I’m listening to something new; it’s a kind of comfort, a predictable … Continue reading →

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“Minotaur” by Harrison Birtwhistle

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

Managed to see this revival – £13 ticket up high on the side – but enjoyed it much more than the first time: I was spellbound more or less from start to finish, by both the music and the spectacle … Continue reading →

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Wendy Shutler, Ivor Game and Ben Richardson at the Poetry Café

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

A randomly-chosen and wonderful evening, a mixture of poems and songs. Wendy Shutler’s poems were perfect for readings like this: clearly written and delivered, funny, personal (mainly auto- or pseudoauto-biographical), with many a clever and/or poignant twist. Ivor Game’s songs … Continue reading →

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