Götterdämmerung at Paris Opera pales in comparison to the protests happening outside [Fri, 09 Oct 11:11]Students packed the Place de la Bastille in the hours before curtain up — nothing that followed in the dying spasms of Calixto Bieito’s new Ring was as dramatic
The Royal Ballet School celebrates its centenary with a 12-course banquet [Fri, 09 Oct 09:32]World premieres and rarities made for a sparky tribute to Ninette de Valois’s star-making institution
FT Weekend Quiz: Jack and the Beanstalk, Walter Hartright and a Bolshevik slogan [Fri, 09 Oct 08:00]Our ‘Round on the Links’ quiz tests your ability to draw connections. Thinking caps on!
The best books of the week [Fri, 09 Oct 07:50]From quantum science to Elif Shafak’s story of Flaubert’s women, Michael Lewis on Doge to German militarisation. Plus: Sherry Turkle’s warning on AI companions, Philip Hensher’s survey of the novel — and James Lovegrove’s pick of sci-fi
This Cursed Beautiful Land — Evan Gershkovich on being Putin’s human bargaining chip [Fri, 09 Oct 07:00]The American journalist’s prison memoir provides a rare glimpse into a brutal and secretive system with encounters that are both moving and compelling
Baselitz’s anti-heroic ‘Heroes’ burst into life at Thaddaeus Ropac [Fri, 09 Oct 07:00]The late artist’s final planned exhibition reunites the exhilarating, devastating paintings of one of his greatest series
‘La dolce vita’ 2.0: Rome is luring homebuyers with a revamp [Fri, 09 Oct 07:00]The Eternal City’s antiquity was its blessing and its curse: beautiful but tourist-clogged and stuck in the past. But with billions in investment, foreign residents are flocking and the new-builds to cater to them are rising fast. Can it compete with London and Milan?
Reconfigured Rent gives it even more soaring emotion [Fri, 09 Oct 07:00]Jonathan Larson’s beloved play gets a superbly delivered revival at London’s Tom Stoppard Theatre
Radical new rugs to buy now [Fri, 09 Oct 06:00]Makers are going back to their roots. The results are revolutionary
25 gilty pleasures to shop [Fri, 09 Oct 06:00]Dresses, homewares and accessories with the golden touch
Meet the modern-day Woodlanders [Fri, 09 Oct 04:55]A trip to Thomas Hardy’s Wessex – and the crafts he loved
Royal Copenhagen porcelain – now with a punk edge [Fri, 09 Oct 04:30]The 250-year-old Danish maker has enlisted an ex-Burberry designer to create more noise around the crown-appointed house
An antiques lover’s guide to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue [Fri, 09 Oct 04:30]Interior designer James Thurstan Waterworth picks where to haggle in the Provençal town
The unlikely gourmet hub on Ireland’s wild west coast [Fri, 09 Oct 00:00]Amid rugged landscapes in West Cork, a cluster of villages nurtures a thriving gastronomic scene. A new hotel and food trail are helping hungry travellers explore