Fatima Clarke 
Esteemed Company Joining the ranks of luminaries such as Alfred Hitchcock, David Attenborough, and Ridley Scott, Japanese composer Yoko Shimomura has been awarded the prestigious Bafta fellowship, a distinction marking the pinnacle of recognition by the academy. Shimomura is notably one of the mere 17 women and four Japanese individuals ever honored with this fellowship. … Read more
Exploring the Depths of Death Stranding 2 What does Death Stranding 2 aim to communicate? Throughout your journey in this sequel to Hideo Kojima’s entrancing series, which doubles as a deliberately paced cargo management game, you’ll often find yourself contemplating this question. The expansive, supernatural landscapes of Mexico and Australia provide ample space for reflection … Read more
In 2009, Milla Jovovich and director Paul WS Anderson tied the knot. The couple first met during the production of the 2002 film Resident Evil, a cinematic adaptation of the popular Japanese video game series that had been a staple on the PlayStation since the 90s. The film, featuring Jovovich as the lead and directed … Read more
Last September, Klaus Mäkelä led the Orchestre de Paris in a memorable rendition of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique at the BBC Proms. Although the performance created a buzz, the same vibrancy wasn’t entirely captured in a later recording session in Paris. View image in fullscreenBerlioz and Ravel, Album artwork. Photograph: Decca The orchestra showcased exceptional talent, … Read more
A Lavish Stage Set for Drama A grand rococo couch takes center stage, surrounded by masterpieces from Picasso to Velázquez, and impressionist works, all under a banner celebrating the “boss’s” birthday. The scene fills with guests emerging from a continuously buzzing elevator, adorned in vibrant, Disney princess-like gowns, towering hairstyles, sharp three-piece suits, and classic … Read more
Delving into the essence of Alfred is a complex task: to musicians of my era, he embodied consistent excellence and a humor that was both insightful and distinctive. My first encounter with his music was in Liverpool, where I was captivated by his rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 22, K482, at just 14 years … Read more
A Fresh Take on Mahler’s Fourth Symphony Just a decade after Gustav Mahler’s death, in 1921, his Fourth Symphony was creatively adapted for a chamber group by Erwin Stein, a student and collaborator of Arnold Schoenberg. This adaptation was performed in Vienna at a gathering of the Society for Private Musical Performances, an event known … Read more
Perhaps it’s the sweltering heat or something else, but the audience is unusually quiet as Dua Lipa begins her first major stadium concert. The screens display slow-motion footage of ocean waves, accompanied by droning sounds reminiscent of a sound bath, casting a hypnotic spell over the crowd in north-west London. When Lipa appears, poised and … Read more
A Long-Awaited Dream Fulfilled on Stage “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was 12,” Brandi Carlile expressed as she took the stage, her accomplishment feeling like a shared victory with everyone present. Within the first few songs at Royal Albert Hall, she had already drawn her audience of 5,000 into a collective sing-along. … Read more
Few have the distinction of restarting a symphony orchestra during a performance. Yet, that’s exactly what happened at the Southbank Centre when Little Simz, amid the triumphant blare of the opening horns in “Gorilla,” decided to restart the track as if spinning a set in a lively nightclub. With the support of the predominantly Black … Read more
