Mendelssohn: Antigone

Advantages: Timeless theme of resistance to political authority, continuation of Oedipus, great dramatic language
Disadvantages: No real 'tragic hero', not much action

...After unintentionally finding that Aeschylus? Seven Against Thebes formed a logical continuation of Sophocles? Oedipus Rex, I was pleased to discover the latter?s Antigone completed a trilogy of sorts, dealing with the same themes ? the curse of Oedipus and his descendents. Of course, it isn?t a proper trilogy, it?s not even by the same playwright. What?s more, Antigone ? although in the mythological chronology last ? was written prior to Oedipus Rex. That?s the advantage with dealing with well-known mythological themes. It?s like writing about the death of Christ, and then about the nativity. The plays aren?t intended to go together, and it?s no real disadvantage not to have seen/read Oedipus Rex first (specially as most people know the basics), but they do naturally complement each other and will probably be better approached in... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good story
Disadvantages: None for me

...Looking at the cover of this book, which features a large close up photograph of Kate Bush's face one could be forgiven for thinking that this book is a biography of the singer that has often been dubbed "one of Britain's most eccentric pop stars". In fact Waiting For Kate Bush is not a biography at all, although it is packed full of so much personal information about the singer that it does serve as one, in a roundabout way. This is instead a bizarre story of one mans obsession with Ms Bush written by John Mendelssohn and told through the character that he has created in Lesley Herskovits. It is a fictional story that is packed full of facts and provides an unique insight into the life of one of the pop world's most elusive stars. Lesley Herskovits is a fifty something American who is so obsessed with Kate Bush that he has abandoned... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Soothing, with pathos, drama and then a vivacious finale
Disadvantages: Someone should have strangled the lead horn

...I came across this masterpiece in an old record collection and promptly went out and bought a CD which also contained Fingal's cave (another work of art, you can easily envisage the sea and the storms lashing the rocks). The Version I have is Played by the philarmonia orchestra with Yehudi Menuhin playing violin and the late Efrem Kurtz conducting. The piece opens with an allegro molto appasionato that moves the soul with a mixture of pathos and tranquility - this blossoms into mild intensity and sweetness before returning to a more passionate version of the initial theme and a crescendo. I found out that the link between the first and second movements (with a basoon I think) was incorporated to stop the audience applauding between movements - This applause really disrupted the performance in Mendelssohn's eyes and annoyed him... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful