Review

Classical CD Reviews: Uri Caine’s “The Passion of Octavius Catto,” Bernard Hoffer Chamber Music, and Igor Levit’s “Encounter”

December 11, 2020
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Uri Caine’s score about the life and murder of a 19th-century civil rights icon is direct and potent; touching documentation of Richard Pittman’s advocacy for the inventive composer Bernard Hoffer and a demonstration of the sheer musical excellence of Boston Musica Viva; Igor Levit’s keyboard playing is dynamic, precisely articulated, vividly felt, and beautifully voiced.

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Television/Theater Review: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” — Listening to the Lessons of the Blues

December 10, 2020
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a stellar artistic accomplishment, a blazingly powerful dramatic experience.

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Film Review: Last Call for Lost Souls — “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”

December 10, 2020
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This innovative “documentary” is a major accomplishment: it merits a much broader viewing than it is likely to attract (this one has “sleeper” and “cult classic” written all over it).

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Pop Review: Jean Dawson’s “Pixel Bath” — Awash in Riches

December 9, 2020
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Jean Dawson’s Pixel Bath is one of the most exciting releases I’ve heard this year.

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Poetry Review: Paul Celan — The Anguish of Writing in a “Damaged” Tongue

December 9, 2020
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Poet Paul Celan has come to embody in person and in print the agonies of a half century of European culture.

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Film Review: “Another Round” — Not Drowning but Waving

December 8, 2020
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The excellent cast and realistic tone make Another Round oddly accessible, despite its rather outrageous, anti-social premise.

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Book Review: The Books of András Koerner — Acts of Wondrous Remembrance

December 7, 2020
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Writer András Koerner has dedicated himself, lovingly and brilliantly, to assiduously reconstruct the lives of ordinary Jews in Hungary before the Shoah.

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Book Review: “From Left to Right” — The Story of Holocaust Historian Lucy S. Dawidowicz

December 7, 2020
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This biography of Lucy S. Dawidowicz performs the invaluable function of gathering relevant documents and drafting a narrative that rescues a fascinating historian from oblivion. But it does not add much to the history of the New York intellectuals.

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Children’s Book Review: Expanding Your Child’s Universe

December 6, 2020
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A delightful translation of AntonTon (Antuntun in the original Croatian), a story about a “unique guy who does everything his own way“; whether you’re a classical music aficionado or novice, Carnival of the Animals would make a good introduction to the genre to share with children and grandchildren.

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Television Review: “Selena: The Series” — Determined to Be “Nice”

December 5, 2020
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The series’ inspirational message comes at a good time in our crisis-ridden country, but its focus on reassurance isn’t very dramatically compelling.

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