Culture
Scottish Opera celebrates the music of German composer Richard Strauss
Scottish Opera will be celebrating the music of Richard Strauss this month with concerts in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Following the success of the Scottish premiere of Daphne in 2023, the concert will feature some of the finest music Strauss ever wrote. The German composer’s early 20th-century output shows the heights of his harmonic and dramatic…
Read MoreA day at Aberdeen’s crime writing festival Granite Noir
Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s literary festival, has wrapped up after another successful year bringing crime and creativity to the Granite City. Grant Dickie spent a day at the Music Hall events to find out just what was on offer. Literature at Lunchtime with C.J. Cooke I have been a fan of C.J. Cooke’s writing for…
Read MorePortrait of Queen Elizabeth II against stunning Balmoral landscape to go on display
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II standing against the dramatic Highlands landscape of Balmoral is among dozens of images of the royal family going on display in Edinburgh. Royal Portraits: A Century Of Photography will run from 28 February until 7 September at The King’s Gallery in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, having previously being exhibited…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Lisa Ballantyne: ‘I am anticipating Margaret Atwood’s memoir, as I young writer I found great solace in her non-fiction’
Scottish writer Lisa Ballantyne on how she always tries to finish a book, the author who has inspired her and what’s she is reading now. The first book I remember reading: Before I even went to school, I remember ‘pretending’ to read Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne. Reading was definitely something I aspired…
Read MoreArt Review: Murray Robertson at Glasgow Print Studio
Lisa Simonis heads to Glasgow Print Studio to see the latest work from printmaker Murray Robertson. Entering Murray Robertson’s latest exhibition feels like stepping into a living, breathing, human-sized world atlas. His impressive cartography and exceptional eye for detail makes Robertson’s work feel lived-in. But at the same time, it feels futuristic, like an archaeological post-apocalyptic…
Read More119-year-old message in a bottle discovered behind crown decoration at Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre
A 119-year-old message in a bottle has been discovered behind an ornate crown decoration at Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre. Theatre photographer and historian Mike Hume was on scaffolding 40ft above the stage when he put his hand in a gap inside the plaster crown at the centre of the theatre proscenium arch and found the century-old…
Read MoreArtworks from Yester House collected by BBC Antiques Roadshow expert go under the hammer
Artworks from the historic 18th century Yester House in East Lothian collected by BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Hugo Morley-Fletcher are going under the hammer. The work comes from descendants of the Hay family (later the Marquesses of Tweedale), who owned the house from the 15th century until the late 1960s Hugo, who died in 2022,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Lynne McEwan: ‘Reading outside your comfort zone can definitely pay big dividends’
Scottish author Lynne McEwan on the classic novel she never finished, why crime fiction is a great way to experience other cultures, and the book she is reading now. The first book I remember reading: Once Upon a Time, a beautiful hardback book of fairy tales with some terrifying illustrations. It was translated into…
Read MorePhotographers in Aberdeen capture ‘the light in the dark’
Photographers in Aberdeen have been capturing ‘the light in the dark’ with this stunning exhibition. Sixty amateur photographers submitted more than 150 entries to the Light in the Dark competition which aimed to capture moments of joy in Aberdeen. A selection of the winning photographs are now on display in the Aberdeen Arts Centre foyer.…
Read MoreReview: Murder on the Orient Express, Granite Noir
Murder on the Orient Express lands in Aberdeen, kicking off crime-writing festival Granite Noir. Agatha Christie’s tale, Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig, is the first of a jam-packed programme of events celebrating the art of writing and storytelling in Aberdeen. Follow Hercule Poirot as he boards the…
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