Music
For fans, this backstage concert documentary is obviously a gift. For others, it will serve as a testament to the power of a woman whose life’s work has made real world impact.
Vivaldi put this opera together using, in part, arias associated with two famous singers: the “Moorish” (i.e., half-African) Vittorio Tesi and the castrato Farinelli.
Descriptions of Anna Webber’s music might make it seem intimidating. It is not — her compositions are stirring, amusing, and delightful, particularly in the shell games they play with variety and coherence.
For local music enthusiasts of all stripes, the hometown label was a point of pride; for musicians and fans the world over, Rounder was the go-to source for music you couldn’t readily find elsewhere.
To hear this performance properly. you must do a bit more work than you might do ordinarily . . . but great art deserves such work.
This disc stands comfortably in the company of Beethoven and Bartók performances by the Emerson, Tákacs, Alban Berg, and Juilliard Quartets.
In her new album, Juliana Hatfield’s concerns are comeuppance, self-abasement, and the depravity of those who revel in the power to make decisions that can adversely affect others.
A pair of documentaries about the most popular guitar-driven instrumental bands of all time.
“Then, as now, my focus was on the songs. As long as you can keep your focus on the art that you’re doing, the larger thing it can serve – selling records or whatever – that’ll happen on its own.”
Prickly and polemical tunes are surrounded by some of the most enjoyable music Van Morrison has made in years.
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