In the right hands, Shostakovich’s Twelfth can come off as nothing less than an intriguing, lively symphonic essay.
Review
Jazz Albums Review: The ‘Season’ of Newvelle Muri — Adventurous, Sure-Footed, and Strikingly Lyrical
The sound on these discs couldn’t be more clear or precise; the music is low-key, thoughtful, and resolutely melodious.
Opera Album Review: A Grand Opera from Late in Gounod’s Career Gets Its First Recording Ever
Gounod was no mere purveyor of gentle sentiments. This 1881 opera, superbly performed, shows plenty of drama and grit.
Concert Review: Puddles Pity Party — It’s His Party, and He Will Cry If He Wants To
An exhilarating and entertaining evening with Puddles, a most personable and unique clown.
Concert Review: “The Last Waltz 40 Tour” — The Best Approximation Possible
To hear a 13-piece ensemble of this caliber, doing justice to these great songs, was simply hard to beat.
Theater Review: The Sci-Fi of “X” — Revelation Through Disintegration
Part cautionary tale about the fate of the earth, part homage to Samuel Beckett, part theatrical metaphor for dementia, X is a harrowing exploration of the human psyche.
Theater Review: “Come From Away” — A Heartening Tale of Human Connection
Come From Away is more than just a rousing and heart-warming 100 minutes of theatrical entertainment. It’s a poignant reminder, and celebration, of what we’re all capable of as people.
Concert Review: Blue Note Records Celebrates its 80th at Shalin Liu — Almost Something for Everyone, and That’s Cool
All three groups in this Blue Note anniversary concert were distinctly different. One was shaded with a hip hop influence, one proffered organ trio jazz-funk and one, all female, had singing as its focal point.
Opera Review: A Decolonized “Magic Flute” by the Isango Ensemble
What if you took canonical Western works and reimagined them from an African perspective?
Book Review: “Vernon Subutex 1” — Rock and Roll, Drugs, and Sex Among the Over-The-Hill Gang
Virginie Despentes novel reads like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia mashed with Don Quixote and set in contemporary Paris.
