A monthly selection of forthcoming events recommended by The Spectator's

regular critics

OPERA

Peileas et Melisande, Royal Albert Hall (589 8212), 7 August. John Eliot Gardiner conducts a semi- staged performance at the Proms with Diana Montague, Francois Le Roux and Jose Van Dam, the cast of the famous Lyon production seen at Edinburgh in 1985.

Otello, Teatro Communale, from 16 August. Pesaro Festival opens with Pier Luigi Pizzi's new production of Rossini's opera; June Anderson, Rockwell Blake and Chris Merritt head the cast, and the conductor is Sir John Pritchard.

Greek, Leith Theatre, from 25 August. UK premiere of Mark- Antony Turnage's new opera, based on Steven Berkoffs play and first seen at this year's Munich Biennale; Sian Edwards conducts.

Rodney Mines

CINEMA

Vincent (PG) Renoir. A film biography of Van Gogh, based on his letters to his brother Theo; fiction and documentary techniques are married by director Paul Cox to recreate the painter's Inner and outer world.

King of The Children(15), ICA. An ambitious film from Chen Kaige, one of China's remarkable 'Fifth Generation' of film-makers; during the Cultural Revolution, a young man sent to the countryside for 're-education' rebels against the prom ands machine.

Death of a Salesman(PG). Camden Plaza. Dustin Hoffmann plays the salesman, in an adaptation of Arthur Miller's play by the director of Swann in Love.

Through the month the NFT have a 23-film Walter Matthau

retrospective. Hilary Mantel

THEATRE

The Three Sisters , RSC Barbican. John Barton directs this promising- sounding revival of Chekov's great play. The RSC are playing it on the main stage. A strong cast includes Harriet Walter. Opens 9 August. Previews from 4 August.

The Admirable Crichton, Theatre Royal Haymarket. This star- studded revival of J.M. Barrie's 1902 comedy arrives in the West End after successful provincial tour. Rex Harrison plays the part of Lord Loam, Edward Fox plays the butler who takes over on the desert island. Opens 8 August. Previews from 3 August.

Mrs Klein, Cottesloe. New play by Nicholas Wright about the death, in 1934, of a leading psychoanalyst and its effect on three women in his life. Cast includes Zoe Wanamaker. Peter Gill directs. Opens 10 August. Previews from 5 August. Christopher Edwards

EXHIBITIONS

War: A Cycle of Etchings by Otto Dix, Goethe Institute, 50 Princes Gate, SW7, till 13 August. An unfading reminder of the brutalities of the First World

Detail from 'Lens is bombed', 1924, by Otto Dix, at the Goethe Institute.

Alfred and Winifred Turner, Ashmolean, Oxford. The work of two brilliant sculptors, father and daughter. Overlooked for decades but now rightly revived.

Ralph Brown: Sculpture & Drawings, Leeds City Art Gallery. 60th birthday tribute to distinguished Leeds-born sculptor. Rory McEwen 1932-1982, The Botanical Paintings, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from 13 August. Superb show of works by the late, multi-talented artist.

Dutch and Belgian Paintings from Cheltenham Art Gallery, Brighton Museum. Works from collection of Baron de Ferrieres by such as Dou, Metsu, Steen etc. Giles Auty

CRAFTS

Richard Batterham: New Work, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Dyfed. 6 August-10 September. One of the greatest studio potters in the Leach tradition. The Centre also has an exceptional permanent collection.

London Amsterdam: New Art Objects from Britain and Holland, Crafts Council Gallery, 12 Waterloo Place. 13 July-18 September. A mixture of the beautiful and the banal.

Out of Clay: creations in clay by Artists, Potters and Sculptors. Manchester City Art Gallery, Princess Street, Manchester. 23 July-11 September. Material based exhibition — bricks, Chinese tomb figures, Leach, Picasso.

Making It! British Applied and Decorative Arts, Sculpture Court, College of Art, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh. 14 August-3 September. The applied arts in an architectural context chosen by Ann Hartree. Tanya Harrod

MUSIC

Proms. Amongst the foreign orchestras visiting in August are: The Lyon Opera Orchestra (Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande, 7 August; Ravel and Berlioz, 8 August) under John Eliot Gardiner; the Australian Youth Orchestra (13) under Sir Charles Mackerras; the New York Philharmonic (23) under Zubin Mehta, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (30 for Beethoven's Seventh, 31 for Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov and Strauss) under Kurt Masur.

The South Bank Summerscope has several themes including an early music series which finishes on 7 August, planned by Philip Pickett; 'Schubert and Britten' (18-27 August), arranged by Jeffrey Tate, who himself plays or conducts most of these evenings, and 'Summerscope Folk' (22-28 August) directed by Jim Lloyd.

The Barbican Centre's annual summer festival 'Summer in the City' (until 7 August) is planned and directed by the King's Singers in celebration of their twentieth anniversary. They themselves appear on 7 August with the English Chamber Orchestra under Carl Davis, performing a work specially written for the occasion by Mr Davies and William Rushton, entitled 'The Ascent of Everest'.

Peter Phillips

POP MUSIC

Pink Floyd, Wembley Stadium, 5, 6 August. Binoculars time once again, as the resuscitated Seventies supergroup bring their massively popular show to the wastes of north west London. By all accounts, a spectacular not to be missed.

Prince, (touring). Unlucky enough to coincide with Jacko's visit, Prince has been surprisingly overshadowed by the whitened one, critical adoration notwithstanding. Bad timing, but a good performer. Marcus Berkmann

GARDENS

It is 68 years since the Royal Horticultural Society last staged a full 'Westminster' show outside London, which makes its migration to the Glasgow Garden Festival for three days from 5-7 August something of an occasion. Among the nurseries lured northwards to make up the display, are the hardy and half-hardy plant specialists, Hopleys, and the alpine nursery, lngwersens. Sutton Seeds will be exhibiting 80 vegetable varieties something they have not done in London for many years. Admission to the Festival is £5.00, £2.50 for children, but entry to the flower show Glass Pavilion is free.

Ursula Buchan