Culture
The Piedmontese job
Enjoying the silky and lean Italian Fassona beef in Turin and Kensington
Muzzled in Moscow
Drawing on the author’s experiences, the book’s effect is akin to having a long pub chat with a knowledgeable journo
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Violin sonatas (Naxos)
Ten minutes of Villa-Lobos and you’re ready for carnival
The perils of artivism
No space for art: how the ICA has been using public generosity to promote political activism
Pick of the bunch
Garden flowers are for posies
Laughing laureate of Western decline
Michel Houellebecq’s prescient, mocking critiques of our debased modern world
Richard Donner: an underrated director
Suggestions that Donner was a director-for-hire rather than a true auteur are harsh and inaccurate
After the goldrush
Hannah Betts finds a way to live with her pet hate — denim jeans
Quaffing the cup that cheers
Readers should savour this book, as you might one of the delectable bottles that compose the enticing strophe of the book’s narrative
Tragic hero of Drury Lane
This meticulous account gives Frederick Chatterton a deserved and belated spotlight