Review

Book Review: “The Western Wind” — A Magisterial Murder Mystery

February 22, 2019
Posted in , ,

The Western Wind turns out to be a beautifully written novel, a serious book of great depth, intention, and craft.

WATCH CLOSELY: “Horror Noire” — A Canonical Documentary

February 20, 2019
Posted in , ,

The film assembles an eclectic and impressive crew of actors, writers, directors and scholars to explore the representation of black characters and culture in (mostly) American horror cinema.

Jazz CD Review: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron — Paying Expert Homage

February 20, 2019
Posted in , , ,

Smartly, Vanessa Ruben has gathered a strong group of collaborators, a number of whom knew Tadd Dameron personally and all of whom knew his music well.

WATCH CLOSELY: “True Detective” — Mysteries of Mind and Soul

February 19, 2019
Posted in , ,

This season of True Detective explores the figure of the cop as a permanently haunted man.

Classical CD Reviews: Paul Lewis Plays Weber and Schubert, Steven Isserlis and Olli Mustonen Serve Shostakovich

February 19, 2019
Posted in , , ,

Two highly recommended recordings by well-known artists performing some rather off-the-beaten-path repertoire.

Classical Concert Review: The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Beethoven

February 19, 2019
Posted in , , ,

Bread-and-butter of the orchestral repertoire though this music may be, there was no complacency to be heard in the orchestra’s playing of it.

Book Review: “Gatsby’s Child” — America’s Old Money, In Decay

February 18, 2019
Posted in , ,

Everything about Schumacher’s story indicates that clichés about the ’50s are so powerful because things really were that way: repressive, poisonous, full of unspoken secrets and blustering ignorance.

Jazz CD Review: Wadada Leo Smith’s “Rosa Parks: Pure Love” — Making History Present

February 18, 2019
Posted in , , ,

Rosa Parks: Pure Love is a serious, substantial, and long work, alternately harsh and calming, one that I am sure should be seen as well as heard.

Film Review: 1932’s “Million Dollar Legs” — Iconoclastic Euphoria

February 17, 2019
Posted in , ,

Does the movie have anything to say about our zeitgeist? Well, the very entertaining cabinet-meeting sequence shows that chamber to be a place of male posturing, humiliation, sado-masochism, duplicity, and, finally, abject sycophancy.

Opera Review: Beyond the “Barber of Seville” — New Recordings of Two First-Rate Forgotten Operas by Rossini

February 17, 2019
Posted in , , , ,

Beethoven reportedly told Rossini to stick to writing comic operas. But new recordings of two of Rossini’s major serious operas bring great pleasure to the listener—and let us hear some splendid young singers.

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives