Jazz, in particular, seemed to not merely satisfy Justin Freed’s inner cravings for beauty, but it led him outwards, to others, eventually inspiring some of the key relationships in his life.
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Chiptune Album Review: YMCK’s “Family Innovation” — 8bit Cynicism toward Web 3.0
In its ninth album, YMCK shows that it is becoming self-aware. They are no longer just avatars we are to identify with, but also (satirically) the corporate entity behind them, a corporation preoccupied, like all others, with innovation.
December Short Fuses — Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Film Commentary: A Trio of Terrific Films Turn 50
Our critics salute three memorable films — anti-fascist (Cabaret), anti-capitalist (The Ruling Class), and anti-war (Slaughterhouse-Five) — that turned fifty this year. Perfect viewing for the holidays.
Poetry Review: “One Hundred Visions of War” — Haiku in No Man’s Land
This is a grim and uncomfortable book to read because it forces us to contemplate each small poem separately and then take them all together, a hard but necessary exercise.
Visual Arts Review: Venice Through American Eyes — At the Mystic Seaport Museum
The allure of Venice, as crafted by Venetian artisans, seduced American artists and collectors, who traveled across the world and brought back their prizes to American homes and eventually to museums.
Classical Concert Review: Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson — A Fresh Look at Late Mozart
Víkingur Ólafsson’s bold keyboard presence gave us a composer pressing against the conventions of his time while absorbing everything his ears took in.
Film Review: “Bones and All” – “I’ll Eat You Whole, I Love You So”
With Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino solidifies his place as a filmmaking maverick able to bend genre conventions in ways that express his own painfully beautiful artistic vision.
Classical Album Review: Jakub Hrůša Conducts Works by Hans Rott, Mahler, and Bruckner
Bold and colorful by turns, this disc offers an ideal introduction to Hans Rott, a composer who has slowly surfaced from the dark corners of history.
Arts Commentary/Interview: The Climate Crisis and Theater — A Playwright’s Perspective
Do we feel the environment breakdown in our gut? Will people looking back see art that conveyed the existential threat of the emergency?