The Marbles: a new doc about an old controversy

To return, or not to return, that is the question… More than half a century ago, as a teenage classicist at Northampton Grammar School, I recall (if memory still serves) being taught not only that the ‘Elgin Marbles’ were extraordinary sculptures that I should go and see at the British Museum should I get the … Continue reading The Marbles: a new doc about an old controversy

Winds from the East: five fine new musical delights

Many years ago – in the late 1980s or early 90s – my friend Tony Benn (no, not the politician, but a painter with good taste in music) marked my birthday by giving me a then recently released album entitled Arbos. It was my first encounter with the music of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, … Continue reading Winds from the East: five fine new musical delights