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Reviewed By Caldwell Titcomb The noted pianist Ursula Oppens is no stranger to the standard repertory, but she has for decades been an ardent champion of new music for her instrument. Indeed, she has commissioned and premiered works by 15 or 20 composers. In Harvard’s Blodgett Distinguished Artists Series, she gave an April 1 recital…
Read MoreBy Justin Marble April 4–5, Kurosawa at the Brattle: Every theater in town is screening Kurosawa at some point this month, but my recommendation is for the Brattle on the 4th and 5th for one reason: “Red Beard.” Most everybody has at least heard of Kurosawa films like “Yojimbo,” “Throne of Blood,” “Kagemusha,” and “Ran,”…
Read MoreBy Harvey Blume The major problem with these treatments of Timothy Leary and Daniel Ellsberg is that they portray their main characters as if there was no possible resonance between them, as if they came from different eras. The Harvard Psychedelic Club, by Don Lattin, HarperOne, 256 pages, $24.99. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel…
Read MoreReviewed By Caldwell Titcomb Yo-Yo Ma is the greatest living cellist. Now 54, he has been playing the cello for 50 years amassing a huge number of awards and other honors along the way. The Celebrity Series coaxed him home from his world-wide touring for a sold-out Symphony Hall recital on March 26 with British…
Read MoreBy Bill Marx Critic Debra Cash’s excellent writings on dance can be found on The Arts Fuse. She has new book of poetry out, timed perfectly for the upcoming Jewish holiday. The lyrics in the volume Who Knows One are “based on stories, language, and associations connected to the Passover Haggadah.” Those who have admired…
Read MoreDespite some poignant moments, “Greenberg” ends up as a half-cooked film about half-cooked people. Reviewed By Justin Marble In perhaps the most revealing scene in Noah Baumbach’s latest film, “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character stands in the middle of a party, alone, as the director’s camera slowly moves in on him from above. The partygoers…
Read MoreI am not sure that men at present think more profoundly than half a century ago, but beyond question they think with more rapidity, with more skill, with more tact, with more method and less of excrescence in the thought. Besides all this, they have a vast increase in the thinking material; they have more…
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Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2025