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Concert Review: Yeol Eum Son at Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA

March 9, 2012
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Ms. Son’s performance of Debussy’s Preludes nos. 3 – 8, while mostly note-perfect, was marked by a tentativeness that kept any of them from really blossoming.

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Book Commentary: Hooked on Phonics? — A Brief Reply to Gary Lutz’s “The Sentence is a Lonely Place”

March 9, 2012
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While sound is certainly important, and language in the proper hands has its own music, syllabic harmonies need not be trumpeted as though they were the foundation of good prose.

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Music Feature: Follow the Lieder — Discovering Lazar Weiner’s Yiddish Art Song

March 8, 2012
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When the Boston Jewish Music Festival presented a special afternoon of Lazar Weiner’s Yiddish Art Songs, it became clear that it’s time for a reappraisal that will bring these small, intense gems back into broader musical circulation.

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Book Review and Interview: “The Lost History of 1914” — Almost the War That Wasn’t

March 8, 2012
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In his exploration of history, Jack Beatty suggests that World War I, as we know it, was an improbable event.

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Music Commentary: The Problem of the Jazz Piano Concerto – Side A

March 7, 2012
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When the jazz composer is the soloist, which is usually the case, he or she ironically revives one of the most venerable traditions in classical music.

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Book Review: So You Say You Want a Revolution? “Democratic Enlightenment”

March 6, 2012
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Jonathan I. Israel has written a monumental three-volume history of the Enlightenment, approximately 2500 pages long, not including three lengthy bibliographies. His erudition is fabulous; his range is dizzying.

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Book Review: Celebrating “The Flowers of War”

March 5, 2012
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A strange mix of characters who all have complicated pasts gives rise to a novel that blossoms — exactly as a flower does — into a complex drama that includes several points of view and a wide range of emotions.

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Coming Attractions in Underground Music: March 2012

March 4, 2012
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March brings a solid lineup of experimental music, including electronic and indie rock shows. The indisputable highlight of the month is Steve Reich at MIT.

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Coming Attractions in Film: March 2012

March 4, 2012
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What’s coming up now in this small gap between the Awards shows and the Film Festival Season? Lots! This month is a cornucopia of adventurous off-the-radar films. March features several great director’s series, Hong Kong, German, and Czech premieres, women directors, local directors, and a range of documentaries on music that you probably never heard of.

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Theater Review: NTLive’s “Comedy of Errors” — Lots of Muddle, But Magic As Well

March 3, 2012
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As this is his only work which Shakespeare himself titles ‘comedy,’ a company may feel an obligation to elicit laughter. Ironically, this duty can become burdensome.

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