Music
After January’s brief hibernation, the pop music coming attractions column is back for the month of February to deliver what you crave: music, sweet music. (Cue dancing in the street.) Wait . . . what’s that you say? The streets are covered in snow? No problem: there are plenty of places to dance indoors while…
Read MoreBob Blumenthal has spent almost his entire listening life as an admirer of Rollins and an appreciator of his music, and he is a prose stylist of great elegance and precision. There is hardly anyone alive more qualified to write this kind of career-spanning appreciation. Saxophone Colossus: a Portrait of Sonny Rollins Text by Bob…
Read MoreThe 51st Newport Folk Festival ended on Sunday with 35 acts over 3 days. When all is said and done, you could argue that this is no longer a festival about folk music, but two of the elder statesman that appeared this year—Richie Havens and Levon Helm (of The Band fame)—served as an inspiring bridge…
Read MoreBy Thomas Samph This month’s music is all about catchy, sing-along, pop music. There are girl groups, guy groups, throwbacks, and teenage YouTube celebrities coming to Boston in May. With summer right around the corner and the heat returning to Boston, these shows will help to celebrate the changing seasons. May 3, Gold Motel at…
Read MoreDer Zwerg (The Dwarf) by Alexander Zemlinsky. Libretto by George Klaren, based on Oscar Wilde’s “The Birthday of the Infanta.” Staged by OperaHub at the Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA, through March 13. Free Reviewed by Helen Epstein For a truly worthwhile evening of music drama—free admission no less—get yourselves to the Boston…
Read MoreBy Caldwell Titcomb Back for a return visit to Symphony Hall on April 22 was the National Philharmonic of Russia (NPR), founded in 2003 and not to be confused with the 19-year-old Russian National Orchestra. On the podium for this Celebrity Series event was violin virtuoso Vladimir Spivakov, who will turn 65 in September and…
Read MoreBy Caldwell Titcomb Murray Perahia is the greatest living pianist – and you can take that to the bank. In 1974 I went to Boston’s Jordan Hall to hear a recital by the famous British tenor Peter Pears (1910-86), who would be knighted four years later. At the end of the concert it was clear…
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