Classical Music
Some very healthy early music canaries
Helen Charlston & Toby Carr; Siglo de Oro (LFBM, St John’s, Smith Sq)
Henryk Mikolai Gorecki: Piano pieces (Accord)
A furious, unfiltered revelation of the experimental heart of a familiar composer
The Sea! The Sea!
Southbank Sinfonia Baroque at St John’s Smith Square
Pomp and circumstance
A Venetian Coronation, The Gabrieli Consort, St John’s Smith Square
Musical scores
Great passages of play evoke great music
Allan Pettersson: Barefoot songs (BIS)
Sweden scorned the composer who could have been its greatest
Before and after gould
Bach’s Goldberg Variations have a rich history that far transcend its modern association with Glenn Gould
The sound of love
Robert Schumann expresses the intense passion and despair of true love better than any other composer
Sibelius: 7 symphonies and Tapiola (Decca)
A fresh, ambitious and daring approach to the familiar Finn
Sounds and sweet airs
Classical music is flourishing in Britain — though if you listened to our cultural elite you’d never know it
Keystones of Britain’s history
Far too many young people are woefully ignorant of the splendour and meaning of our rich ecclesiastical architecture
Parents are being hypocritical about smartphones
Yes, kids use their phones too much, but what about adults?
Britain should stand up to Mauritius
The British Government must make it clear that it will not allow a foreign country to threaten British citizens
Religious freedom is back on the agenda
The International Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill, currently before parliament, is an important step for securing Britain’s role in promoting religious liberty
Britain is still safe for Jews
It may be far from perfect — but where would be safer?
Ireland has become an exporter of gender ideology
An architect of Irish trans policy has been elected Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe
Left and right hooks
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak exchanged sloppy blows as Lee Anderson found a warm welcome in the stands
Resistance is futile
Acceptance can be an act of protest. Not a submissive, passive surrender.
The meaningless models of “public health”
Another brick in the “public health” fortress of unreality
NatCon lives on
The conference has gone ahead in Brussels despite protests and police action
Dream teens
Promise is no guarantee of a long career
