Leith on life
Attention spans are growing
Tag: Culture
Butcher boy
Knowledge, not strength, is the secret to skilful dismemberment
Whisky
Ageing by wood
Dr Pangloss
Let’s carnival
Widescreen
In Mexican cinema, a single kiss, or an act of oral sex, can express a vast social gulf. The Mexicans are penetrating Hollywood with an aesthetic of class division
Musical notes
Riccardo Chailly is sick and tired of young conductors and singers, but his move to the Leipzig Opera and Gewandhaus Orchestra is a welcome one
Under the radar
Low-frequency listings
Musical notes
An intriguing programme at the QEH highlights the transformative effect of Hungarian folk music on Bela Bartók—and vice versa
Smallscreen
Stephen Poliakoff became one of the great television dramatists by keeping faith with a certain idea of the past, even as it was made redundant by Thatcherism
France profonde
The English invasion of France continues, but where we once wanted holiday homes, now we seek work. It does not make us popular with the natives
Under the radar
Low-frequency listings
Widescreen
Hollywood's sole screenwriting auteur
Cultural tourist
Notes from the arts world
Bard by the Beeb
Just two Shakespeare plays in five years on BBC television. That makes 100 hours of EastEnders for every hour of Shakespeare
Who calls the tune?
Too many opera directors display contempt for audiences and composers in their eccentric adaptations. We need more powerful intendants
Not for the masses
Opera should stop trying to make itself accessible and accept that it is an inherently difficult and elitist art form
The bookseller
Writers used to be condescending about travelling salesmen, but they have long since joined the club.