Review

Book Review: “Woe from Wit” — A Great Russian Drama, Newly Translated

April 17, 2020
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One of the masterpieces of Russian drama is done justice in a English version that successfully captures much of the wit and fluency of the original.

Television Review: Growing Up “Insecure” — Season 4

April 16, 2020
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In its 4th season, Insecure remains a hilarious look at the lives of black millennials growing up in Los Angeles.

Classical CD Reviews: Wagner’s “Die Walküre,” Johann Strauss’s “Blindekuh,” and Mendelssohn’s “Die erste Walpurgisnacht”

April 16, 2020
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The two best things about Simon Rattle’s new recording of Die Walküre are, well, Rattle, himself, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; a strongly played and majestically sung performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s unfairly neglected Die erste Walpurgisnacht.

Classical CD Reviews: Offenbach Fantastique!, Mascagni’s “Cavalleria rusticana,”and Rossini Project vol. 2

April 15, 2020
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More proof that Offenbach’s is a remarkable body of work; a serviceable, but not particularly notable, Cavalleria rusticana; another installment in the Rossini Project, brilliantly curated, stirringly played and sung, and beautifully recorded.

Book Review: “Like Flies from Afar” — A Very Twisted Odyssey

April 14, 2020
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This is hard-hitting neo-noir parable whose dark humor delights as it strikes at the corrupt heart of business as usual in Argentina.

Classical CD Reviews: Thomas Adès’s Orchestral Works, Aaron Copland’s Symphony no. 3, and Leonard Bernstein’s “Songfest”

April 14, 2020
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A terrific release showcases the Boston Symphony Orchestra and composer Thomas Adès. Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony deliver a radiantly honest recording of Aaron Copland’s Symphony 3.

Television Review: Marc Maron’s “End Times Fun” — Getting Creative About Extinction

April 13, 2020
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One thing that gives Marc Maron’s comedy a certain punch is that he is an equal-opportunity crank.

WATCH CLOSELY: “Killing Eve” Season 3 — Still Suspenseful, But More Muddled

April 12, 2020
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Killing Eve is as exciting and compelling as ever. But its narrative structure is becoming somewhat fractured and increasingly odd.

Book Review: “The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris” — The Mystery of Art and Love

April 8, 2020
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Marc Petitjean seamlessly moves from describing intimate scenes to discussing Frida Kahlo’s art and its significance.

Television Review: Netflix’s “The English Game” — The Sport of Class Warfare

April 7, 2020
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For those averse to sports, The English Game is focused more on attitudes and mores of the time than on the game itself.

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