An impressively original release from violinist Lara St. John and pianist Matt Herskowitz; a tremendous Ligeti performance from the Jupiter String Quartet; Justin Badgerow releases a finely curated and played survey of mostly 20th-century solo piano music from Brazil.
Review
Pop Album Review: Arca’s “KiCk i” — Enjoyable Transgression
Arca’s first solo foray into pop music is as infectious as it is strange.
Film Review: “Denise Ho – Becoming the Song” — The Struggle of an Artist and Activist in Hong Kong
Becoming the Song charts Denise Ho’s political awakening, her transformation from Cantopop icon to human rights activist amidst the backdrop of an increasingly turbulent Hong Kong.
Children’s Book Review: “Antiracist Baby” — Bold, But Flawed
To the extent that Antiracist Baby helps to define and explain antiracism succinctly, it may be useful for older kids and grown-ups.
Classical CD Review: “Janáček: Solo Piano,” Schumann & Mendelssohn Chamber Music, Philip Glass Piano Works
Pianist Thomas Adès proves himself a sympathetic champion of Czech composer Leoš Janáček; it’s not often that a Schumann-Mendelssohn album focuses on the music of Clara and Fanny (rather than Robert and Felix); Jenny Lin’s performances of piano pieces by Philip Glass don’t lack for style or technical command.
Classical CD Reviews: Beach & Elgar Piano Quintets, Mark Abel’s “The Cave of Wondrous Voice,” and Ibragimova plays Shostakovich
It took more than a century, but Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet has finally got the recording it deserves; it would be hard to beat the all-star line-up featured in The Cave of Wondrous Voice; and ready for some flawless Shostakovich?
Album Review: Deerhoof and Wadada Leo Smith — Electrical Soul Music
That this assemblage works so well is a tribute to the big ears and hearts — and collective intelligence — of all the players here.
Film Review: “Babyteeth” — To Come of Age Is Bittersweet
Babyteeth is a lovely film, an unusually mature coming-of-age story that juggles restraint and abandon with astonishing ease.
Music Review: Heavy Metal Round-up — Lamb of God, Cro-Mags, and Living Gate
A superior new Lamb of God disc was not entirely unexpected; an excellent new Cro-Mags record, well, I didn’t see that coming.
Book Reconsideration: “A Confederacy of Dunces” — Still an American Comic Masterpiece?
A reassessment on the 40th anniversary of A Confederacy of Dunces, a novel that many consider one of the funniest ever written by an American.