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CD Reviews: Isabelle Faust plays Bartók; Wolfgang Rihm’s Symphonie “Nähe fern”; Tokyo String Quartet plays Dvorak and Smetana; Thea Musgrave’s Chamber Works for Oboe (Harmonia Mundi)

May 29, 2013
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A round-up review of new releases from Harmonia Mundi — an invigorating crop of albums.

Film Commentary: “The Hobbit” in Print and in Film — A Quick Guide on How to Put the “Faux” in Folklore

May 28, 2013
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Director Peter Jackson in his film adaptation of The Hobbit abandons the intimate scale of the original wonder tale and mistakenly blows it up into mythic proportions.

Theater Review: The Music and Dance of “In the Heights” — Pure Energy

May 28, 2013
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Like the great immigrant musicals, “In the Heights” touches on the tension between old and new cultures and generations, finding home, families and their expectations.

Book Review: “The Woman of Porto Pim” — Riding on a Brilliant Train of Associations

May 28, 2013
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Antonio Tabucchi’s “travel book” transcends conventional literary forms: his stories occupy an attractive space between fiction and non-fiction, poetry, biography, short story and journalistic travel piece.

Poetry Review: Nobel Prizewinner Vicente Aleixandre—The Poetics of Kissing

May 27, 2013
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This translation of “Poems of Consummation” is important for several reasons, one of which is that the 1977 Nobel prizewinner—despite the award—has long been insufficiently preeminent in our Anglo-American view of twentieth-century Spanish poetry.

Film Review: “What Maisie Knew” — Henry James’ Dark Screwball Comedy

May 27, 2013
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The astute filmmakers, Scott McGehee and David Siegel, seem not at all intimidated by Henry James’s formidable prose.

Jazz Review: Arrival day — The Allan Chase Septet Does Right by Sun Ra

May 24, 2013
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The music Allan Chase’s septet presented at the Lily Pad on Wednesday night made a cogent argument for Sun Ra’s place among the great jazz composers.

Film Review: “Frances Ha” — An Indie Classic That Celebrates Resilience

May 24, 2013
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Like some of the best New Wave films of the ’60s, “Frances Ha” brims with the giddy optimism of youth.

Fuse Rock Review: Palma Violets: “180” and Live at Brighton Music Hall — They Make Really Great Noise

May 24, 2013
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Palma Violets are the greatest live band I’ve ever seen. I’m not backing down from that.

Rock Review: Vampire Weekend — “Modern Vampires of the City” and Live at Agganis Arena

May 23, 2013
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Vampire Weekend may hail from New York City, but with their boat shoes, button downs, and lyrics like, “Irish and proud, baby, naturally/But you got the luck of a Kennedy,” Massachusetts is their true spiritual home.

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