Mozart Piano Concerto at Austin Symphony
A gem from 1785 was featured by the Austin Symphony Orchestra this weekend. Mozart performed his 22nd piano concerto in Vienna that year. As he wrote to his father, “Concertos…
Centennial of Britain’s First Labour Government
In 2024, Sir Keir Starmer became the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As leader of the Labour party, he swept to power with 412 seats in Parliament. As…
Spying for Russia in the Cold War: A Grubby Scheme
Photo: British PM Harold Wilson in 1975 Back in the 1980s, PM Margaret Thatcher was obsessed with Russian spying. The so-called Spycatcher Affair became THE cause célèbre in England, and…
Naples 1925: A Critical Year for Philosophy
Image: Mt. Vesuvius, near Naples This unusual book prompted a lengthy essay in The New Yorker magazine on Nov. 25, 2024. It was written by the editor of Granta, Thomas…
Tickets on sale for Alchemy Theatre’s Grand Hotel, The Musical
Run, don’t walk, to grab your tickets for The Alchemy Theatre’s Grand Hotel, The Musical to be performed in the intimate space at The Whisenhunt at ZACH Theatre from May…
British Economics: 1800-1914
This book examines in detail the so-called “Laissez-Faire Experiment” that dominated British government economic policy during the long nineteenth century: 1800 to 1914. Author W. Walker Hanlon (associate professor of…
The British Constitution: A Child of Conflict
Image above: the Magna Carta My headline for this book review derives from chapter 17 in volume 1, written by Robert Crowcroft (Univ. of Edinburgh). It is one of 42…
Debut of the Roustabout Theatre Company
There is a new theatre outlet in Austin! Roustabout Theatre Company has kicked off its inaugural season with Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company, which premiered 55 years ago on Broadway. To…
Austin Symphony & Chorus: Carmina Burana
Carl Orff’s most famous composition, Carmina Burana, is a complex piece of music that defies any ordinary review. Our great Austin Symphony Orchestra performed the entire hour-long piece at their…
Bob & Jean: A Love Story
A romance story set in WW II, currently playing at the Zach Theatre in Austin, does not bear any resemblance to the job the lead male character chose for his…