Week 5

This week started with a superb political thriller The Ghost by Roman Polanski, based on the also brilliant Robert Harris' book under the same name. In a nutshell, it's a story about a ghost writer hired to produce memoirs of retired British PM. As the plot proceeds, a political conspiracy unfolds. I liked that the film is close to the book – the plot, the characters and style. Beautifully filmed and it's gripping, even though I knew what was going to happen. It is an intelligent movie and for the voracious news consumer in me it was a feast (the PM is loosely based on Tony Blair and also other characters are reminiscent of British politicians). Olivia Williams was my favourite as the PM's sarcastic wife!

The National Portrait Gallery is hosting a retrospective of American fashion photographer Irving Penn work. His career has spanned for seven decades since 1940s and in this exhibition over 120 portraits of major cultural figures are on display. His work is very distinctive and, to my eye, did not change over the years (nevertheless, it's brilliant). On display here is like a picture Who's Who of the 20th century art world. For those living in Rome, the exhibition is coming there 1st July.

I was lucky enough to see a preview of Women Beware Women by Middleton at the National Theatre. I am not a fan of 17th century drama, but this production was quite good. I particularly liked the costume and set design. They had a live band playing jazzy tunes. So the production is modern, but the play is ancient and there were quite a few gaps in the plot. One moment a character is in love with her husband, in the next scene – she hates him. You are left wondering when and why that happened.

Also this week: saw Lucia, a movie about opera by Don Boyd, and listened to the premier of Jörg Widmann Lied performed by the BBC SO.

Week 4

Canadian storyteller/performer Laurie Anderson filled the Barbican theatre for 5 consecutive nights this week. In the 90 minutes long show Delusion she spoke of her personal life mixing in recent news stories and fairy tales. All that accompanied with a screeching violin. I wanted to be excited about the performance as much as the audience and critics were, but I couldn't help feeling bored. A storyteller should grab your attention and give you either immense pleasure or a wealth of knowledge, but Laurie Anderson provided non of it.

I kept putting off a visit to the French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's instalation in The Curve (in the old good Barbican) due to long queues. Long queues because the installation is actually good or just because it's free? The boast on the poster that it's inspired by youtube hit clip doesn't sound too appealing. And yet it's worth waiting to get in. A flock of zebra finches fly around and from time to time land on electric guitars producing strange sounds. Sometimes they succeed in something rhythmic and even beautiful. The beauty is standing and watching the birds zooming around you and composing this soundscape.

Also this week: looked at the Staffordshire Hoard at the British Museum, (It's the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found and yet every piece is so tiny that a magnifying glass is needed to display them.), listened to the BBC Symphony Orchestra playing Mahler, enjoyed Boom Boom Club cabaret at the Bath House.

Week 3

The high point of the week – a survey of  Ron Arad's work at the Barbican. What has been seen in numerous design blogs and magazines, is recognized in this exhibition. Arad is a genius who creates beautiful steel chairs that look so inviting to sit on and yet you are not allowed to touch. How satisfying is to enter the next room with sofas and shiny tennis tables to try out. Good design not only looks great but also is comfortable.

Sweet Nothings at The Young Vic was a disappointment. The fact that we were sitting next to the sound controller who was typing loudly on his Facebook profile didn't help. The highlight of the play – Micheal Sheen and Ian McKellen spotted in the crowd. Otherwise it was an overacted and rather boring love story between a poor girl and a rich young man.

When King George V first heard Strauss's Elektra performed by the Band of Grenadier Guards in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace in 1910, he sent a note to a bandmaster: ‘His Majesty does not know what the band has just played, but it is never to be played again’. I remembered this story while listening to the world premier of The Earthy Paradise by Ian McQueen performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. I'm always fascinated with the feeling that contemporary classical music gives to the audience. It's so difficult to understand, and nearly impossible to enjoy. But then the time passes and tastes changes and perhaps The Earthy Paradise will be played again just like Elektra is still being performed. Good thing they had some Elgar in the first part.

Also this week: watched Good Bye and Good Luck on DVD, visited Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy and admired  Købke  Copenhagen landscapes at the National Gallery

Week 2

Relationships between men and women as told through dance – that's the main theme of KONTAKTHOF from Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Originally created in 1978 in Germany, now it is performed in Barbican by two casts one with people over 65 and the other teenagers over 14. I saw the teenagers. The performance talks about desire, courtship, relationships. It's full of beautiful steps, unexpected turnouts and humor – and full of abuses (women are as bad as men). Action takes place in a dance hall with 1930s music. It sounds like it should be a feast to the eyes, but we left after the interval. So much filler, pauses, repeats, sexy talking... and all that done by teenagers. It is like an extended school play. I wasn't convinced that the young dancers felt passion, pain, love and joy that relationship brings to life. Critics rave about over 65s performance and so I made the wrong choice to see youngsters.

In my monthly book club we discussed A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood – a wonderful book about a gay man in the 1960s USA. It's a brave book for that period and not only because of open homosexuality, but also of condemnation of politics and American lifestyle. Everyone in the group loved the book and felt sympathetic to the main character – he's lonely and in mourning, but he believes that the future could be bright. Inevitably, comparisons with Tom Ford's movie were drawn. The film is so bleak and shallow, without any positivity and stereotyped characters. It is a beautiful Gucci advert under the same name as the book, but nothing else.

Also this week: watched Kick-Ass, started The Believers by Zoe Heller and listened to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 on Spotify