The Critics

Grim up north

Two new Nordic dramas reveal a darker side to Scandi paradise

Grope springs eternal

Rupert Goold’s Spring Awakening was too woke to be stirring

Unfinished? Don’t start!

A new project to restore Beethoven’s incomplete symphony borders on pathological necromancy

True diversity

Acting ability should matter more than “lived experience”

Strange brew

The joy of letting unexpected, accidental music in

Double trouble in chaotic Comedy

Great times to be had in Canterbury despite occasionally clunky comedy and some scandalously overpriced wine

Awful states

Two political thrillers reveal the intimate cruelties of life under dictatorship

I’m a Classic FM convert

Ignore the snobs, trip the light (music) fantastic and bask in the shameless joy of Classic FM

The Courtauld: a collection unmasked

The gallery has long been famous for its impressionist collection, but the reopening sheds light on other works of art

Into the mystic

Contemporary debates over the “suitability” of many operas leaves us with only English productions