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Classical Music CD Reviews: Lang Lang plays Prokofiev and Bartók (Sony Classical), Philadelphia Orchestra plays Stravinsky (Deutsche Grammophon)

November 21, 2013
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So we’ve got a mixed bag. If you get this Lang Lang disc, it should be for the Bartók, but not the Prokofiev: as things stand, the competition there simply blows Lang out of the water.

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Visual Arts Review: “Maus” and More — Art Spiegelman at the Jewish Museum

November 21, 2013
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Art Spiegelman believes that “MAD” magazine was more subversive for his generation of protesters than either marijuana or LSD. It certainly radicalized him.

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Classical Music CD Reviews: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Early Classical Opera

November 20, 2013
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Two discs released by Harmonia Mundi benefit from the dramatic flair of conductor René Jacobs.

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Visual Arts Book Review: Looking at Paintings Beyond the Comfort Zone

November 20, 2013
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Daniel Arasse’s method has been defined by his students as “looking, [taking] pleasure and [being] imprudent.” Any and every detail of a work of art can serve as his starting point.

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Fuse News: Concert/recording Announcement

November 19, 2013
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Last year, Arts Fuse Critic Jonathan Blumhofer was awarded a grant to support a concert of his music performed by the Worcester Chamber Music Society.

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Concert Review: Joshua Bell at Symphony Hall

November 19, 2013
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Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Sam Haywood delivered a highly entertaining and substantive (if too short) Sunday afternoon recital.

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Rock Album Review: Beady Eye — “BE” Good?

November 19, 2013
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At its best, “BE” is an adventurous album, which automatically makes it an improvement over Beady Eye’s 2011 debut.

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Fuse News: Remembrance — Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing

November 18, 2013
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Doris Lessing baffled categories and critics, except for those, like me, who were marked by her and knew her for the bold and extraordinary writer and creature that she was.

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CD Review: Death Grips — Hands On the Modern Moment

November 18, 2013
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Hopefully, Death Grips can keep finding new ways to convey contemporary dissonance, because as it stands now they have produced four of the most important musical works of the 21st Century.

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Film Commentary: A Contrarian View of “12 Years a Slave”

November 17, 2013
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Why haven’t more movies been made about American slavery? Hollywood studio racism is certainly a prime factor; but even for determined anti-racists, there’s also the aesthetic problem of creating a compelling film drama.

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