Articles
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"Late Renoir' at the Art Museum (3rd review)
An aging man's vigor: Renoir's sensual freedom in paint
The older Renoir became, it seems, the more voluptuous and freely painted were his women. It wasn't only the subject matter of a naked woman that telegraphed unbridled sensuality; the loosely stroked way Renoir applied paint also connoted licentiousness and unacceptable pleasures. The Art Museum's current show is a tribute to an aging man's vigor, and also to the perspicacity of Renoir's biggest fan: Albert Barnes.
Articles
8 minute read
Why piano students cry
The agony and ecstasy of the amateur pianist
Somewhere in the world, a student cries at a piano lesson every 21 seconds. Why all this anguish? I believe that the emotional power of the classical piano literature itself is a powerful contributing factor. I speak from agonizing personal experience.
"Matisse: 1913-1917' at MOMA in New York
War among artists, and artists at war
Returning to Paris from his inspiring visit to Morocco in 1913, Matisse had to confront the new challenges of Cubism as well as the impending dangers of a terrible war. In so doing he created some of his most compelling, most beautiful, and most defining works.
Articles
4 minute read
Electronic books vs. ink on paper
New adventures in reading: My first e-book experiment
Can a plastic rectangle produce the same habit-forming bliss as several hundred pages bound between two hard covers? My first experiment with e-books suggests that what really matters is The Word, not how it's conveyed.
Articles
5 minute read
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My evening with Miles Davis (memoir)
‘Guess who I'm snorting coke with?' Miles Davis, up (too) close
When Miles Davis walked into our San Francisco jazz club, I was operating the food concession. Unfortunately for me, food was the last thing the great jazz trumpeter wanted that night.
Articles
6 minute read
"La Cage Aux Folles' on Broadway
The film was so much better
The current Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles won the 2010 Tony for best revival of a musical. So why was I constantly checking my watch through two hours and 40 minutes of this heavy-handed extravaganza?
Articles
3 minute read
Shakespeare vs. New York's Jews (2nd comment)
Jews 1, Shakespeare 0
I waited 18 hours to see The Merchant of Venice in New York's Central Park. Al Pacino's signature lion's roar was well worth the wait. But director Daniel Sullivan, by dumbing down the script and softening its anti-Semitism, subverted Shakespeare's clear intention.
Articles
5 minute read
BalletX Summer program at the Wilma (2nd review)
On a mission to redefine ballet
Choreographers can please a crowd in one of two ways: Give the audience something everyone can relate to, or seduce them with a work that's irresistible. The two tremendous world premieres in BalletX's recent Summer Series provided one of each.
Articles
3 minute read
Natalie Merchant on tour at the Merriam
Professor Merchant lets her hair down
In her latest song cycle, singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant interprets the words of others through a dizzyingly diverse collection of musical influences, ranging from traditional folk and bluegrass to klezmer, Celtic, classical, jazz and, even a little rock 'n roll.
Articles
3 minute read
BalletX Summer program at the Wilma (1st review)
It's all about movement
BalletX celebrated its fifth anniversary with a program demonstrating just how sophisticated this small troupe of ten has become within a short time period. It was especially good to see Matthew Neenan back to being his movement funky self again.
Articles
3 minute read