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Classical CD Reviews: Uri Caine’s “The Passion of Octavius Catto,” Bernard Hoffer Chamber Music, and Igor Levit’s “Encounter”

December 11, 2020
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Uri Caine’s score about the life and murder of a 19th-century civil rights icon is direct and potent; touching documentation of Richard Pittman’s advocacy for the inventive composer Bernard Hoffer and a demonstration of the sheer musical excellence of Boston Musica Viva; Igor Levit’s keyboard playing is dynamic, precisely articulated, vividly felt, and beautifully voiced.

Arts Feature: Best Opera and Vocal (Recordings, Performances, and a Book), 2020

December 10, 2020
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This strange year became, for this opera lover, a chance to explore new—or even world-premiere—recordings of little-known repertory. When musical life returns to semi-normal, perhaps we can be treated to live performances of some of these amazing works.

Arts Feature: Best TV Shows of 2020

December 10, 2020
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We were driven indoors and told to stay there, so we turned to our screens for entertainment.

Television/Theater Review: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” — Listening to the Lessons of the Blues

December 10, 2020
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a stellar artistic accomplishment, a blazingly powerful dramatic experience.

Film Review: Last Call for Lost Souls — “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”

December 10, 2020
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This innovative “documentary” is a major accomplishment: it merits a much broader viewing than it is likely to attract (this one has “sleeper” and “cult classic” written all over it).

Pop Review: Jean Dawson’s “Pixel Bath” — Awash in Riches

December 9, 2020
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Jean Dawson’s Pixel Bath is one of the most exciting releases I’ve heard this year.

Poetry Review: Paul Celan — The Anguish of Writing in a “Damaged” Tongue

December 9, 2020
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Poet Paul Celan has come to embody in person and in print the agonies of a half century of European culture.

Film Review: “Another Round” — Not Drowning but Waving

December 8, 2020
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The excellent cast and realistic tone make Another Round oddly accessible, despite its rather outrageous, anti-social premise.

Blues Album Review: John Hurlbut and Jorma Kaukonen’s “The River Flows”

December 8, 2020
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These tunes are not just good to listen to, but also serve a purpose by sending a message, whether it be to raise a voice in protest or entice reflection.

Book Review: The Books of András Koerner — Acts of Wondrous Remembrance

December 7, 2020
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Writer András Koerner has dedicated himself, lovingly and brilliantly, to assiduously reconstruct the lives of ordinary Jews in Hungary before the Shoah.

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