Commentary

Music Feature: 20 Moments That Made Us Glad Live Music Returned in 2022

December 30, 2022
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Still, for all the gloom and doom, there’s no question that a bountiful amount of live music was finally on offer throughout the year as musicians and presenters continued to defy the odds.

Arts Feature: Recommended Books, 2022

December 27, 2022
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An eclectic round-up of the favorite books of the year from our critics.

Visual Arts Commentary: Mid-Century Modern Furniture — Elegant Simplicity and Timeless Aesthetic Style

December 26, 2022
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The allure of clean lines, gentle curves, and organic shapes.

Arts Commentary: The Enduring Dream of a White Christmas

December 23, 2022
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The holiday is celebrated in every part of the world, but only a small portion of those places actually have snow then. So why this enduring notion of a white Christmas?

Book Review: “Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life” — Less Intriguing But Even More Mysterious

December 19, 2022
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As befits an official biography, Silver and Greenwald approach their subject with decorum and respect: they neither hide nor emphasize potentially controversial elements, carefully outlining the sources of money in Isabella’s family and the old Boston Brahmin fortune of her devoted husband.

Music Feature: The Best Jazz Albums of 2022

December 19, 2022
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The magazine’s jazz critics look back over the past year and highlight their favorite albums.

Book Review: “The Value of a Whale” — Green Capitalism and the Limits of Market-Based Solutions

December 18, 2022
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In this valuable book, Adrienne Buller assesses the efficacy of leading market-based efforts to address climate change and nature loss and contends that they have largely failed.

Arts Commentary: It’s Not Funny — “Saturday Night Live” and the Mark Twain Prize

December 16, 2022
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Adam Sandler receiving a Mark Twain Prize is one more SNL achievement that defies understanding.

Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2022

December 16, 2022
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Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year. And there is plenty of disagreement.

Classical Music Commentary: Top Classical Performances and Recordings of 2022

December 15, 2022
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What a great year 2022 was for classical music recordings: the canon, new music, neglected music – all of it was well-represented and from all comers.

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