Tom Birchenough
Articles By Tom Birchenough
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It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.
It followed some...
St Matthew Passion, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Whelan, St Patr...
When you’ve already come as close as possible to perfection in the greatest masterpiece, why risk a repeat performance with a difference? Because...
Thanks for Having Me, Riverside Studios review - snappily pe...
Keelan Kember’s play Thanks for Having Me may look like a vehicle for Kedar Williams-Stirling (Sex Education, Red Pitch...
Kraggerud, Irish Chamber Orchestra, RIAM Dublin review - sto...
A lot hung upon the delivery last night of Henning Kraggerud, whom I last witnessed leading performances of Strauss’s Metamorphosen and...
theartsdesk on Vinyl: Record Store Day Special 2025
Record Store Day 2025 is tomorrow (Saturday 12th April 2025)! At theartsdesk on Vinyl we’ve been sent a selection of exclusive...
Sad Book, Hackney Empire review - What we feel, what we show...
Who goes to the theatre to feel sad? That is, knowing full well that they won’t be going home with a skip in their step. Many people, it would...
Small, Hallé, Wong, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - re...
Kahchun Wong returned to the symphony with which he made his first big impression conducting the Hallé – and made a big impression with it again...
The Amateur review - revenge of the nerd
In a world of macho super-achievers like Jack Reacher and Ethan Hunt, maybe it’s time to hear it for the nerdy guys. The Amateur (based...
Holy Cow review - perfectly pitched coming-of-age tale in ru...
Director Louise Courvoisier has put herself firmly on the film map with this story of young Totone and his little sister, carving out a...
Album: Joe Lovano - Homage
Tenor titan Joe Lovano is thrilled by how Homage has turned out. He actually told me so himself in person a few weeks ago, and his new...