John Shand | Music & Other Spheres Posts

February 1, 2017 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Hayes Theatre, January 31 8/10   It creeps up on you like a cancer. Perhaps the blithe, swirling decadence contributes in its way, helping make the conditions ripe, as a failing immune system does. When Herr Ludwig’s vividly red swastika armband first appears it has the shock-value of an open…

January 31, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

City Recital Hall, January 19 8.5/10 Here was a genuinely audacious piece of festival programming. Canadian composer Nicole Lizee leaves you wondering whether you have just witnessed pop culture being turned into high art, or vice versa. The answer, of course, is that the line has been obliterated. Also a…

January 28, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Concert Hall, January 17 7.5/10 The 1967 referendum was merely a start, but it remains loaded with symbolism. Now, as its fiftieth anniversary approaches and the mood for further change – even a treaty – is in the air, this performance exuded a healthy optimism as it celebrated in song…