STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
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Towards working class opera
BEN LUNN argues that opera has long been an arena of radical ideas and music and shouldn't be an art form lost to the wealthy
(L) A scene from Alan Bush's opera Joe Hill, Deutsche Staatsoper, Berlin, September 1970; (R) Opera singers perform during a protest calling for more funding for the performing arts in Parliament Square, London, Oct 30, 2020
[Courtesy of the Alan Bush Trust]
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
JAN WOOLF relishes an extensive history of our long relationship to trees in Britain that underlines the current emergency
DIANE WATT argues that while evidence of sex is not there, a 16th‑century lesbian poet could be Scotland’s answer to Gentleman Jack
READERS will be aware of my deep frustration and anger at how the Arts Council of England – and many corners of the cultural sector – have failed the arts in the name of “anti-elitism.”
The new Let’s Create strategy from the Arts Council shows they are continuing to indulge in this closed-minded vision. Catherine Bennett from the Observer wrote a good breakdown of the immediate issues and lack of vision on display, and I’d recommend readers look at it, even if it means having to stomach the Guardian. In my opinion, we need to go further: to think as a class as we consider why we must fight for opera.
All art forms suffer elitism. Classical music, and opera specifically, have similar issues that we also see in poetry, the theatre, or art galleries. But we must never fall into the trap of considering that an art form itself is inherently elitist.
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