DAVID YEARSLEY is fascinated by the account of four composers who transformed their experiences of the second world war and the Holocaust into deeply moving works of art
THIS year Rembrandt van Rijn is being feted throughout the Netherlands and throughout Europe in exhibitions marking the 350th anniversary of his death in 1669.
They celebrate not only his painting but also the ascendency of Dutch naval and trading power in the 17th century, with Amsterdam becoming the world’s largest port and Holland the empire that succeeded the Spanish and Portuguese.
Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt became the most prominent — and one of the best paid — portrait painters of the Dutch merchant class that powered this empire.
KATAYOUN SHAHANDEH surveys Iran’s cultural heritage and explains what has been damaged and what could be lost
NICK MATTHEWS recalls how the ideals of socialism and the holding of goods in common have an older provenance than you might think
MIKE QUILLE applauds an excellent example of cultural democracy: making artworks which are a relevant, integral part of working-class lives


