Preview
December classical music offerings range from a recital by 20-year-old Haochen Zhang, who won last year’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, to The MIT Chamber Music Society presentation of a free, two-piano concert, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project taking on, without charge, an evening of music by three women composers. By Caldwell Titcomb. December…
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The encroachment of winter weather meets its match in a month of Latin music mastery.
Read MoreBoston’s pop music scene in November has an international flair. Multiple groups from the UK who specialize in folk and electropop join bands from Spain and Ireland in coming to Boston this fall. While the picks for this month all have roots abroad, these acts make the Fall months of Boston that much more inviting.…
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A couple of inspired collaborations, plus music from Colombia and Turkey, can all be heard in the first part of November. (We’ll have more events in our Coming Attractions in for late November.)
Read MoreHoliday season is kicking in, which means it becomes harder to find theater that doesn’t set out to warm your heart and melt your mind. Though a Santaland Diary or two remains, the vogue for cynical Xmas shows has run its course. Still, all is not lost when you can still find such extraordinary family…
Read MoreAmong the classical possibilities this month, the Discovery Ensemble tackles Stravinsky’s perky, neo-classical “Dumbarton Oaks Concerto,” The Spectrum Singers offers a rare chance to hear the Mass, Op. 130 by the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen, and Boston Musica Viva serves up two world premieres: Bernard Hoffer’s Piano Trio (“Cosmic”), and Chris Arrell’s “Convergence.” By Caldwell…
Read MoreBy Justin Marble. Waiting for Superman. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. At Coolidge Corner Theatre and Kendall Square Cinema through October. The new documentary from Davis Guggenheim, who previously directed An Inconvenient Truth, focuses on the slipping standards and gaping flaws in the American education system. Many have noted that test scores in America are well…
Read MoreOctober brings in epics from the classics (Shakespeare and Dickens), ghost stories from the classics (Poe, Henry James), a tragicomedy from a classic (O’Neill), and a comedy from a classic (Ben Jonson). Annie Baker, Ethan Coen, and the Rude Mechanicals provide some welcome respite from the tried-and-true. Given the state of the economy and the…
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By J. R. Carroll. The festivals are winding down, but in the performance spaces of New England, the fall season is already in high gear. And, on several occasions, the phrase “take a bow” will have a double meaning. On Friday, October 1, the Acton Jazz Cafe has a nice double bill to start off…
Read MoreBy Caldwell Titcomb. October 2: The Longwood Symphony Orchestra opens its 28th season, the sixth under conductor Jonathan McPhee, with a program of Sibelius and Delius. Award-winning Zina Schiff will be soloist in the demanding Sibelius Violin Concerto. Also on the program are Sibelius’s “Karelia Suite” and Delius’ lovely “Walk to the Paradise Garden.” At…
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Visual Arts Commentary: John Singer Sargent — A Particular Sort of Loner