Books
Ashes & Stones, Allyson Shaw, Sceptre, £18.99, published Thursday
Subtitled “A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness”, Allyson Shaw’s new book is a tour around the country and trek into a turbulent past of witch trials and executions. Shaw visits modern memorials, roadside shrines and standing stones from Banff to Bo’ness as she tells the story of one of Scotland’s more shameful legacies.
Music
Viennese Gala, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, tonight
Last chance to catch this seasonal celebration of the music of Johann Strauss et al. Conductor David Niemann leads the RSNO and tenor Jamie MacDougall through a programme of polkas and waltzes including such Viennese favourites as the overture to Die Fledermaus, The Blue Danube and the Thunder and Lightning Polka. Don’t blame us if you emerge with a hankering for coffee and Sacher-Torte cake.
CLR Theory, The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, Friday
Part of Celtic Connections, this show marks the album launch of Glasgow duo CLR Theory’s debut album Waves. Gill Higgins and Hannah Jarrett-Scott, main image, offer up strings, synths and gorgeous harmonies and songs that are full of atmosphere. The result is wholly original. Support comes from The Herald Magazine favourite Jill Lorean, below. Should be quite a night. Oh, and once the gig’s over you should still have time to make it over to the Glee Club for the Celtic Connections Festival Club at 11pm.
Talk
Callum Strong: The Panjshir River, Afghanistan, Craigmonie Hotel, Inverness, Monday, Dewars Centre, Perth, Tuesday, University of Stirling, Wednesday.
Nearly 90 miles north of Kabul, the Panjshir valley had never seen kayakers before Callum Strong and his compatriots arrived there in 2016. In this Royal Scottish Geographical Society talk, Strong relives his attempt to navigate the length of the Panjshir river, through one of the most stunning yet potentially hostile landscapes in the world. And he tells of the hospitality he found there. For more details visit rsgs.org
Film
Koyaanisqatsi, DCA, Dundee, Wednesday
To tie in with V&A Dundee’s current Plastic: Remaking Our World exhibition, there is a special screening of Godfrey Reggio’s classic 1983 documentary about the relationship between humans, nature and technology at the DCA. Famous for its use of time-lapse photography and Philip Glass’s stunning score, this is a great opportunity to see it the way it should be seen, on the big screen.
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