Opera
Art does not exist to improve society
We should resist the cultural reductionism of the modern “creative industries”
Missing the point
Why opera needs fictional dead women
Why do we persist with Opera?
Dependent on state subsidies, artistically ossified and only a few go to see it
Content warning
On triggering opera and Arts Council England
High-octane despair
Das Rheingold, Royal Opera House
Bad-boy opera
Tosca, Grand Opera House, Belfast
The cat in a hat
A colourful glimpse into a dramatic feast of sex and death
Why it’s time to drop Don Giovanni
Mariame Clément’s new production of Don Giovanni falls prey to modern mores.
An effortful opera
A fun but difficult production of Il Trovatore
Starmer’s tax will hurt children
It is not just a tax, it is cruel theft
Feminist rehab for mean girl Mahler
You’d have thought the Head Muse of old Vienna had enough on her plate
Into the setting sun…
Next summer, head west to Pembrokeshire
Subscribe to save the BBC
A radical new solution to the problem of the BBC’s outmoded licence fee that could ensure more high-quality programming
The Democratic Party deserves Donald Trump
Its arrogance and complacency have been exposed
Two cheers for Trump on free speech
The President-elect cannot just protect speech that he likes
Can we save our parish churches?
It will take cultural as well as institutional change
The state Will Hutton is in
Dissecting a spiteful attack on British farmers
Where are the calls for blasphemy laws coming from?
We should consider the voters as well as the politicians
“Trope” is not a synonym of “lie”
You cannot dismiss an argument by calling it a trope
Pandæmonium
Better to reign in hell than serve in government
