topic-specific vocabulary

The arts
1 Look at the extracts from newspaper reviews, and decide w h a t is being talked about in each one.
Choose yo u r answers from the box.

Fine / Visual arts

abstract art a landscape photography a portrait a sculpture
a still life

Literature
an autobiography a biography a collection of short stories drama
a novel poetry

Performing arts
a ballet a concert a film a modern dance piece a musical
an opera a play

1. M im i Latouche is g e ttin g a little to o old fo r this kind o f th in g , and as I w atched her pirouette
across the stage in a tu tu tw o sizes to o small, she rem inded me not so m uch of a swan as a rather
ungainly cro w ........................................

2. T h e scenery w as w o n d e rfu l. T h e costumes w e re marvellous. T h e cast w ere incredible. I wish I could

say the same a bo u t the script. Th e p la yw rig h t should be shot.......................................

3. In his n e w book on Ernest H em ingw ay, acclaimed w rite r Michael Norris has b ro u g h t the great
m an to life in a w a y n o b o d y else co u ld .......................................

4. M o ve over M ichelangelo! You have a rival. V itto rio M anelleto's m arble pieces e m b o d y the hum an
form in a w a y th a t has not been achieved in over 500 years.......................................

5. I had to study the picture fo r almost tw o m inutes before I realised w h o it was. It was none other
than o u r Q u ee n . I d o u b t she w o u ld have been am used.......................................

6. Th e re are no great tenors in Britain. T h a t is until now . Brian Clack's perform ance in La Traviatta
sent shudders d o w n m y spine. W h a t a m an! W h a t a voice! W h a t a size! ...................................

7. H erbert von Erding has been conducting n o w fo r almost 40 years, and his final appearance
yesterday was greeted w ith a standing ovation from both musicians and mem bers of the audience.

8. Stone A n g e l is an hilarious tale a bo u t the fall and rise of an opera singer. I picked it up and d id n 't
p u t it d o w n until I had finished. A fantastic b o o k ........................................

9. Dylan Tho m as show ed rem arkable eloquence, and this latest com pilation of some of his finest
prose w ill surely be a bestseller. ...................................

10. Bruschetta's studies of dead animals m igh t not be to everyone's taste, b ut it is impossible to deny
his skill in representing inanim ate objects like these on canvas.......................................

11. He usually w orks in black and w h ite , and in m y opinion that's the m edium he should stick to. His
colour shots are to o static and are heavily over-filtered, the strong lighting washes o u t any
subtlety, and m uch of it is o u t of focus.......................................

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topic-specific vocabulary The arts
12. Shot entirely on location in Iran, this is perhaps the director's finest hour. A stunning setting, fine
perform ances fro m the leads, and a cast of thousands of extras m ake this a tru ly visual feast.

13. T h e p aintin g shows a lot o f red circles and triangles inside squares flo ating in the sky above a
y e llo w sea, and is titled 'Contractual O b lig a tio n M e tam orph osis'.........................................

14. 'D a w n V ie w of Lo n d o n ' takes in the w h o le of the city as seen fro m the to p of Parliam ent Hill,
a lth o ugh the artist has rem oved some of the less attractive buildings from the fo re groun d .

2 The w ords in bold in these sentences are either w ron g, or the w ron g w o rd form has been used.
Change them so that they are correct.

1. Tonight's perform o f Romeo and Juliet begins at 7.30. performance

2. Cam ford University Press havejust released a collection of Shakespeare's w orkings...................................

3. A n e w lim ited editor of the CD 'H ere w e g o !' by rock g ro u p Glass Weasel contains a D V D of their
latest tour. ...................................

4. His last book received some excellent revues in the papers........................................

5. Tate M o d e rn is currently run nin g an exhibit of Tracey Emin's early w o rk ........................................

6. Th e British National O pera says th a t it is delighted w ith the governm ent's promise of a £500,000
granting......................................

7. Tickets have already sold o u t fo r the first day's show ing of To m Cartmill's paintings at the National
A rt Galley.....................................

8. Ernest H e m in g w a y was one of the tw e n tie th century's most fam ous novels.....................................

9. French impressionism, w hich included M oney, M a n e t and Degas, had a p ro fo u n d influence on

n in e te e nth -ce ntu ry a rt........................................

10. A pp are ntly, O ld h a ve n Press are g o in g to publication a collection of short stories w ritte n by
schoolchildren........................................

11.1 loved the film's atmosphere music and use of visual m etaphor. ...................................

12. I've always had an a rty eye, and th in k I w o u ld m ake a g o o d fashion photo grap he r. ...................................

13. I hate reality shows, talent shows and similar television program m es tha t form the bulk of today's
popularity cu ltu re ........................................

14. Orson W elles' film Citizen Kane was m ade over 70 years ago, but remains a cinema masterpiece.

15. A n d re Breton is w id e ly regarded as the fo u n d e r of the surreal art m o ve m e n t........................................

16. T h e college runs a varied p ro g ra m m e of cultured activities w hich are open to o rdin ary members
of the public........................................

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 topic-specific vocabulary
The arts
3 Complete this extract from a radio programme w ith the w ords or phrases from Exercises 1 and 2.
In some cases, more than one answer is possible, and you will need to change some of the w o rd
forms.

Hello, and w elcom e to today's edition of 'B u t is it A rt? '

N ow , I d o n 't usually enjoy 1.............................................................- all those pirouettes and pas de deux's
and dying swans usually send me to sleep, b ut last night's 2 ............................................................. of Sleeping
Beauty at N ureyev Hall had me on the edge of my seat. A n d I'm not the only one: rave
3 in th e national press praised the excellent cho reography and the
incredible stage set. It's on again to n ig h t, b ut you'll have to m ove fast if you w a n t a ticket!

Th e current 4 ............................................................. of M onetto's paintings at the W he atle y A rt

5............................................................. has been a disappointm ent. Th e pictures themselves are excellent,
especially the great artist's 6.............................................................of film stars, and of course his stunning
7............................................................. of a vase of daffodils, but the lighting inside the room was terrible.
I w o u ld have th o u g h t that, having received a govern m en t 8 ............................................................. of almost
£100,000, the W heatley Arts Council could have invested it in some goo d lights.

Fans of the great tw e n tie th -ce n tu ry 9 .............................................................. G eorge O rw ell w ill be

d elighted to hear th a t Swansong Press are goin g to release a collection of his greatest
10............................................................ w hich w ill o f course include A nim al Farm and Nineteen Eighty
Four. Also included are some rare short stories w hich w e re n ot 11..............................................................
until after his death. Look o u t for the book, w hich will be in the shops from the end of the m onth.

O n the subject of books, a n e w 12............................................................. of the life of conductor

Charles W orsenm ost is due to be released in January. W orsenm ost conducted his last
13............................................................. in 1998 after a long and eventful career. This is highly recom m ended
for anyone w h o is rem otely interested in classical music.

Have you ever w an ted to be an 14.............................................................singer? W ell, now's your chance!

Th e National Music Com pany are looking fo r tenors and sopranos to audition fo r a new production
o f M ozart's Marriage o f Figaro. If yo u 're interested, w e'll give you the n um b er to call at the end of
the program m e.

Potential Michelangelos and Henry Moores can try the ir hand at 15.............................................................
this w eekend. Th e Gleneagles M useum is holding a series of workshops w hich will give you the
chance to chip aw ay at a lum p of stone to produce a piece of three-dim ensional art. There's no need
to book - just tu rn up at the d oor on Saturday at nine o'clock.

A n d n o w here's tha t n um b er I promised y o u ....

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