At Wales Arts Review we believe critical writing should be worth reading for its own sake. With that in mind, here is a small selection of the best reviews of 2017, and a small display of the quality critical writing our writers produce.
Best Reviews of 2017:
Exhibition
John Elwyn: A Quiet Sincerity by Karen Westendorf.
Opera
Semele by Cath Barton
A co-production between Mid Wales Opera and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in association with the Academy of Ancient Music
Poetry
Psalmody by Maria Apichella by Carla Manfredino
Carla Manfredino reviews Psalmody by Maria Apichella, a thoughtful and refreshing collection illustrating the often trivial aspects of love and religion.
Dance
Profundis/Green House by Gary Raymond
Exhibition
The Glenys Cour Retrospective by Anne Price-Owen
Glenys Cour, The Colour of Saying: an artist and her world, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, 10 December 2016 – (5) extended to 12 February 2017.
Novel
The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer by Carolyn Percy
Carolyn Percy reviews The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer, a mysterious journey of self-discovery with a unique dual timeline narrative.
Photography
Diffusion Festival by Gary Raymond
Revolution is the theme as Gary Raymond explores the opening night of Cardiff’s International Festival of Photography.
Exhibition
People Have the Power by Craig Austin
In People Power: Fighting for Peace, the Imperial War Museum London presents the UK’s first major exhibition to explore the evolution of the anti-war movement from the First World War to the present day. Craig Austin presents a very personal response to the exhibition, drawing parallels between the source material and today’s political and cultural mood.
Festival
Focus by Sophie McKeand
Theatre
Boho by Georgie Bolwell
Books
Writing Motherhood: A Creative Anthology by Helen Calcutt
Digital
Land of Legends by Emma Schofield
Books
Dat’s Love by Leonora Britto by Mustafa Hameed
Mustafa Hameed reviews Leonora Brito’s Dat’s Love, a collection of short stories exploring race, identity and love.
Opera
Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky at the WNO by Nigel Jarrett
Nigel Jarrett is at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff for a Welsh National Opera performance of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Musorgsky’s Khovanshchina.
Exhibition
Soft Mutations by Nicky Arscott by Helen Pendry
Television
Dylan ar Faith: Thomas Picton by Adam Somerset
