Month: February 2010

Classical Music Review: Norwegian Student Orchestra

February 27, 2010
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By Caldwell Titcomb The Student Symphony Orchestra of Trondheim, Norway, concluded its U.S. tour at Massachusetts Institute of Technololgy’s (MIT’s) Kresge Auditorium on February 26. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the 70-member orchestra was under the leadership of Gavin David Lee, who has been in his post since 1992. The group’s repertory on this…

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Classical Music Sampler: March 2010

February 27, 2010
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By Caldwell Titcomb March 2: The Contemporary Music Ensemble in residence at Boston University, Alea III, under the direction of Theodore Antoniou, offers a free concert in celebration of the late eminent composer/teacher/conductor Lukas Foss (1922–2009). Works by Foss to be performed are “Echoi,” “For Toru,” “Elegy for Anne Frank,” “For Aaron,” “The Prairie,” and…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: March 2010

February 27, 2010
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Highlights on stage this month include the world premiere of a drama about evolution by a respected local playwright and an intriguing collection of plays and musicals that bring an unusual perspective to topics ranging from love and music to extinction and dehumanization. And the wait is over: a show featuring singing dinosaurs has arrived.…

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Theater Review: Ayckbourn’s Comedy of Desire

February 26, 2010
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Boredom is the root of all evil . . . The influence that it exerts is altogether magical, except that it is not the influence of attraction, but of repulsion. — Søren Kierkegaard, “Either/Or” Private Fears in Public Places by Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by David J. Miller. Set design by Miller. Staged by the Zeitgeist…

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Food Muse: Resplendent Romanesco Rhapsody

February 26, 2010
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It’s not every day you meet a new food, one you’ve never seen or tasted, one you can’t identify. You can never know everything about food. It’s humbling, just when you thought you were getting a handle on things. There’s always a new ingredient from somewhere on the planet. One year Szechuan pepper, another year…

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Visual Arts: The Beauty of Bars of Color within Squares

February 24, 2010
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Sometimes what is initially thought to be awkward will eventually be visually pleasing. —Sol LeWitt, “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art,” 1967 Bars of Color within Squares, a permanent installation in MIT’s Green Center, Cambridge, MA. Finding Bars of Color within Squares. Photo: George Bouret Reviewed by Yumi Araki Hidden between three buildings surrounding Massachusetts Institute of…

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Theater Review: Time To Murder and Create

February 21, 2010
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There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands that lift and drop a question on your plate — From “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S. Eliot, 1917 Not Enough Air by Masha Obolensky. Directed by Melia Bensussen. Set designed by Eric Levenson. Staged…

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Book Review: Digging Mud, Sweat, and Gears

February 16, 2010
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Joe Kurmaskie’s latest book, Mud, Sweat, and Gears, is funny, genuine, and inspiring. And it isn’t just a memoir about the Kurmaskie family’s epic bike trip across Canada one summer; it’s about the mud, sweat, and gears that keep a family together. Mud, Sweat, and Gears: A Rowdy Family Bike Adventure Across Canada on Seven…

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Classical Music Review: Pianist Victor Rosenbaum

February 13, 2010
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Reviewed By Caldwell Titcomb Among the top pianists who live in our area is Victor Rosenbaum (b. 1941). A faculty member of the New England Conservatory since 1967 (and a former chair of its Piano and Chamber Music Departments), he was also president of the Longy School of Music for 16 years (1985-2001). He teaches…

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Book Review: How To Sing in Dark Times — “Brecht at Night”

February 12, 2010
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I am one of the judges for the Best Translated Book Award (fiction division) sponsored by Three Percent. The five finalists will be announced in New York on February 16th. Three Percent honcho Chad Post needed help to meet his goal of posting a commentary on each of the 25 volumes on the BTB’s fiction…

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