Month: March 2011
One of the most interesting concerts of the season occurs on April 5th at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston, MA. The wonderful mezzo soprano D’Anna Fortunato will perform, with a stellar group of musicians, vocal chamber music of the twentieth century in honor of Gunther Schuller’s 85th birthday.
Read MoreThe action, violence, and skimpy outfits are so omnipresent in Sucker Punch that the film not only stands out as a lush demonstration of what’s possible with CGI and modern filmmaking but could be seen as an example of “action porn.” Sucker Punch. Directed by Zack Snyder. The cast includes Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena…
Read MoreOnce he managed to get his recalcitrant instrument in tune, guitarist John Williams played each piece with great mastery. One might not remember the names of the composers or even what each composition sounded like, but no one will forget the sheet beauty of his guitar playing
Read MoreThe world of tenors has expanded exponentially, it would seem, since the days when Luciano Pavoratti and Placido Domingo dominated the big tenor roles and the attention of the media and opera-loving public. Domingo, astonishingly, is still singing brilliantly, conducting, and running an opera company, but recently there have been a good half dozen excellent youngish tenors singing at the Met, including the fabulously gifted lyric tenor Matthew Polenzani.
Read MoreYes, the confusion of my ideas on the subject of death was such that I sometimes wondered, believe me or not, if it wasn’t a state of being even worse than life. –- Samuel Beckett, “Molloy” Fragments. Texts by Samuel Beckett (Rough for Theatre 1, Rockaby, Act Without Words II, Come and Go, and Neither).…
Read MoreIn this compelling stage version of “Frankenstein,” urgency of revenge pushes forward, murder upon murder. Creature and Doctor merge in immorality. Both are playing God in their command of life and death. Sharing roles is the meaning of this theatrical experience. This is their message and their show.
Read MoreI asked Davis Robinson, artistic director of the Beau Jest Moving Theatre, to share his thoughts on the 100th anniversary (March 26th) of the birth of playwright Tennessee Williams.
Read MoreDirector and woman as I am, I would love to see A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, even The Rose Tattoo, cast with all men. Then I would push some courageous director to attempt to prove on stage that Williams’s final plays are not the work of a declining talent, but…
Read MoreIn the best of all possible worlds, Duncan Heining’s biography will be the cornerstone of the edifice that time will erect to the memory of George Russell and his gift to music. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. In some ways, because of the vagaries of the book business, it’s up…
Read More
Arts Commentary: What Do We Talk about When We Talk about Cultural Dialogue
An exchange about what meaningful online conversation about the arts and humanities entails. What kind of cultural dialogue would best serve the purpose of the Mass Cultural Council? To focus on the creativity of artists? Or to encourage critical thinking?
Read More