Review
For those seeking adventure away from cookie-cutter arena rock, Phish still fit the bill.
“Room on the Sea” is impressively crafted and written, but its lack of bite, drive, and action left me restless.
Still, even with its flaws, this short book is an important contribution to literature by and about atomic bomb survivors because it underlines their indispensable value as witnesses.
Pianist Bertrand Chamayou demonstrates just how mercurial and influential Ravel could be; composer-pianist Stephen Hough’s Piano Concerto casts a Ravel-like spell.
As always, the festival supplied some revelations, plus films from countries now prominent in the news.
The whole band demonstrated an expressive variety of mark-making, as visual artists like to say: lines and squiggles and blotches, graceful or rude.
Pianist Stewart Goodyear livens up a tried-and-true program with works new and unfamiliar; the husband-and-wife team of Lukas Geniušas and Anna Geniushene survey piano music written on these shores, starting in 1932.
The skillful Mark Elder leads a fine cast, including the superb Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas.
Films about relationships are often the best offerings in the Provincetown Film Festival, and several of the narrative films at this year’s go-around were about seeking connection.
Happily, these clean, bright Craft reissues make some invaluable music glisten.
Music Commentary: Brian Wilson’s Legacy Thrives — 2026 Reissues Reviewed