Opera
Original sin
Robert Thicknesse on the woes of modern, British opera
He’s not the Messiah!
Robert Thicknesse ruminates on The Life and Death of Alexander Litvinenko
Odes to joy
Robert Thicknesse on Rossini’s extraordinary de-cluttering of the musical atmosphere
Losing the plot
Robert Thicknesse reveals how in searching for meaning, opera adaptations are becoming more obscure
Moving beyond the text
La Clemenza di Tito, Geneva
Shock of the new
People are terrified of modernity’s great gift: the sudden freedom to make appalling noise, says Robert Thicknesse
Cheer leaders
Opera unswervingly believes in the potential for a divine spark in humans, says Robert Thicknesse
Do not go gently
Opera has treated the subject of cancelling the pleasures of others in some depth
How about some vistas of beauty?
Covent Garden’s first post-lockdown offering is in a long, grim tradition
Sex tips from Semele
Opera was the tinder of Renaissance Venice, says Robert Thicknesse
Lutfur Rahman and the future of localism
A new and dangerous kind of local politics is emerging in Britain
How to lose an empire
The rise and fall of the Sassoon family, whose yearning for social acceptance brought titles at the cost of success
The truth is out there
Henry Staunton is dismissed as dangerously “erratic” by the powers that be, but he may just be telling the truth, no matter how weird
Representation gets raunchy
We have to stop the patronising pandering to communities in the name of “representation”
Let’s change the cultural meaning of the penis
Our genitals do not entitle us to anything
The fixtures that forged a nation
Even if you loathed sport, you could enjoy this book — which is why it can both delight and frustrate
The Church of England is practicing a secular religion
Equality, diversity and inclusion can be prioritised over religious faith
Legal laughs
Legal “humour” is seldom more than mildly amusing
Gorgeous George returns
George Galloway was delighted to be back — but was anyone delighted to see him?
The Boy who never grew old
Eric Ravilious’s ethereal watercolours chime with today’s sensibilities
Budgets are overrated
Taxation and spending make little difference while Britain is unable to build
