Music
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Leonard Bernstein: New York City Opera
A Not So Quiet Place
By: - Nov 02nd, 2010A vibrant, new production of Leonard Bernstein's opera, A Quiet Place, has been mounted by the inventive New York City Opera. Written over decades, its subject matter, which once made people uncomfortable, now seems current, if disturbing. What goes on in people's bedrooms is often a subject in opera, but stories seldom arise from a composer's personal experience. Bernstein bravely faced his demons in this piece, and created a work of art in which the wide-ranging musical styles propel a matching staged drama. The City Opera's production is compelling.
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Filianoti, Antonenko, and Grigolo at the Metropolitan Opera
Tenor Treats and Tricks
By: - Oct 29th, 2010We have been treated to three unusually talented tenors in New York in the past weeks: Giuseppe Filianoti in Tales of Hoffmann, Aleksandrs Antonenko in Boris Gudonov, and Roberto Alagna in Cavalleria Rusticana and La Navarraise at Carnegie Hall. Billed higher than any of these, however, is the Met's new tenor phenom, Vittorio Grigolo, who has been heralded in the past in West Side Story, and marks the beginning on his own career singing with his voice-a-like, Luciano Pavarroti. Opera is made to be overdone, but in the case of Grigolo, the Met has hit a new high mark.
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The Opera Orchestra of New York Returns to Carnegie Hall
Debutant(e)s Abdrazakov, Alagna, Garanca and Guleghina
By: - Oct 27th, 2010The Opera Orchestra of New York put on two operas, Cavalleria Rustincana and La Navarraise, in a splendid double bill at Carnegie Hall. Many of the world's A list singers were represented. Roberto Alagna had ample opportunity to be a bad boy in two operas about jealousy. His solid, exciting performance bodes well for Don Carlo.
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Beethoven’s Fidelio by Opera Boston
Season Opens at Cutler Majestic Theatre
By: - Oct 23rd, 2010Recently art critic David Bonetti left St. Louis and his position as a critic at the Post Dispatch. He accepts a new challenge by offering to cover opera in Boston for Berkshire Fine Arts. We welcome David with this typically witty and insightful review of the new season for Boston Opera and its production of Beethoven's Fidelio.
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Boris Godunov: Met Live In HD
Stunning New Production
By: - Oct 20th, 2010We watched the dress rehearsal for the HD broadcast of Boris Godunov at the Metropolitan Opera House on Monday. Rene Pape is a great Boris, the tenor "the world has been waiting for" sang Dimitri, the chorus, magnificent throughout. A treat awaits theater goers. In the Berkshires the opera will be screened, on October 23, at the Mahaiwe, in Great Barrington, Beacon Cinema, in Pittsfield, and at the Clark Art Institute, in Williamstown.
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Young People's Chorus at Le Poisson Rouge
Kronos Quartet Welcomes VIsitors
By: - Oct 17th, 2010A trip to Le Poisson Rouge is sure to provide great music, new to the ear, but easy to hear and listen to. A wide range of performers and composers are presented here. One of the lynchpins of the place is the Kronos Quartet, which hardly sounds like its been around for thirty years -- except for the skill of its members. We visited recently to hear the Kronos and young visitors from one of New York's premier choruses.
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Boris Godunov October 23
Met Live in HD Continues
By: - Oct 15th, 2010The Met Live in HD series continues with Boris Godunov on Saturday, October 23 at noon. It will be shown in the Berkshires at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Beacon Cinema, in Pittsfield, and at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. The new production opened with rave reviews on October 11.
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The Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall
James Bagwell, Stephanie Blythe, Erin Morley and Eric Owens Provide Heavy Duty Support
By: - Oct 14th, 2010Difficult Brahms' pieces, the Alto Rhapsody and the German Requiem, were beautifully performed by the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall. A chorus formed 69 years ago by Robert Shaw, seemed as fresh as tomorrow in these performances, immeasurably enhanced by soloists Stephanie Blythe, Erin Morley and Eric Owens.
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Tom Paxton at the Center for the Arts Natick
Still Rambles with Joy
By: - Oct 05th, 2010"Tom 's songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. Like the songs of Woody Guthrie, they're becoming part of America." ---Pete Seeger
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Das Rheingold Newly-Minted at the Metropolitan Opera
Live in HD October 9th
By: - Oct 05th, 2010For all the chatter about the ersatz Circque de Soleil sets now on display in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Das Rheingold, it was more the ear than eyes that were pleased but this production The set's challenges may be overcome in the HD and may also be addressed by the Met as they tweak Wagner for the 21st century. The opera will be presented LIve in HD at a theatre near you on October 9. In the Berkshires it will be view at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Beacon Theatre in Pittsfield, and the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown.
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Christine Lavin at Natick Center for the Arts
Combining Standards and New Material
By: - Sep 20th, 2010The laughter was constant as Christine once again paraded her misadventures, inner dramas and unique perspectives in verse and song before us. Enthusiastic applause greeted her at The Natick Center for the Arts as she walked on stage. From start to finish, the audience was in synch with Christine’s numbers, mostly chestnuts with a few new topical offerings.
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The Met Opera HDs at Lincoln Center
Third Season of Live in HD
By: - Sep 20th, 2010To celebrate the new Metropolitan Opera season, the Met broadcast free for anyone who could get a seat, 10 performances from season's past. They were some enchanted evenings under the stars and in front of the opera house. The HDs have become an important part of the Met's program to generate new audience. The new season will start soon at The Clark in Williamstown., Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield, and the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington.
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Emily Dickinson in Words & Song
Cantilena Chamber Choir Oct. 10
By: - Sep 13th, 2010The Cantilena Chamber Choir will present a concert, “Emily Dickinson in Words & Song" on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 5 p.m. The performance at Trinity Church will feature music by Aaron Copland: “Emily Dickinson Songs†and Eliot Carter: “Musicians Wrestle Everywhere,†“Heart Not So Heavy. Also on the program is Samuel Barber’s "Let Down the Bars O Death," and Alice Parker’s Emily Dickinson songs and music by Libby Larsen.
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Pops Tickets on Sale
Holiday Schedule Now Available
By: - Sep 10th, 2010Tickets will go on sale for the Boston Pops Holiday Series on Monday, September 13. Continuing one of Boston’s most beloved traditions, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops open the 2010 series on Wednesday, December 8, and the 37 concert series will run until Sunday, December 26. Holiday Pops tickets, ranging in price from $27-$125, depending on date and time, will go on sale at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 13, online at bostonpops.org.
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Basie Band Swings at Tanglewood
Eddie Daniels and Bob James in Broadway Boogie
By: - Sep 06th, 2010Day two of the annual Tanglewood Jazz Festival. A change in the weather brought out a great crowd on the lawn for the afternoon concert. It headlined the Count Basie Orchestra with Eddie Daniels and Bob James featuring their Broadway Boogie. This closes the season in Lenox.
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Kurt Elling at Tanglewood
Headlining Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival
By: - Sep 05th, 2010Grammy winner, and arguably the greatest jazz singer on the planet, Kurt Elling headlined the Saturday evening performance of the two day, Labor Day weekend Tanglewood Jazz Festival. There were sets by emerging artists, Brandon Wright and Kelley Johnson during dining sets in the Jazz Cafe. The packed Ozawa Hall enjoyed the afternoon live broadcast by John Pizzarelli and his clan.
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Crosby Stills and Nash at Tanglewood
The Dinosaurs Tour
By: - Sep 02nd, 2010When not collecting social security, or hanging out at the senior center shooting pool Crosby, Stills and Nash are out on tour. They brought their dino rock to Tanglwood last night to a sedate, not sedated, audience. Nice way to end a summer in the Shed.
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The Center For the Arts in Natick
September Schedule
By: - Sep 01st, 2010Concerts begin with Boston favorite Catie Curtis, Christine Lavin, Larry Carlton, and The Matt Haimovitz Trio
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Met Live in HD at the Clark
Also at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington
By: - Aug 30th, 2010In addition to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, in Great Barrington, the enormously popular Met Live in HD series of broadcasts has now been expanded to the Northern Berkshire Audience. The series, which is sure to sell out, as it has at the Mahaiwe for the past two seasons, will start on October 9 with Wagner's Das Rheingold.
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Garrick Ohlsson Delivers Pitch-Perfect Performance
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Kurt Masur Conducts Final BSO Tanglewood Concert
Beethnoven's Ninth Always Delievers
By: - Aug 30th, 2010There's nothing like listening to Beethoven's Ninth at Tanglewood. Kurt Masur ended BSO season at Tanglewood. Indeed an Ode to Joy.
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Ute Lemper Last Tango in Berlin
Multivalent Global Cabaret at the Colonial
By: - Aug 28th, 2010The remarkable singer, cabaret artist, actress, and painter, Ute Lemper, utterly captivated the audience last night at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. It was a rich and diverse global excursion as she performed in five languages; English, her native German, Spanish, French and even Yiddish. The material spanned Brecht/ Weil and Jacques Brel to lyrics by the beat poet Charles Bukowski. Out there.
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2010 Tanglewood Jazz Festival
Annual Event September 4 and 5
By: - Aug 24th, 2010As the summer season of 2010 winds down it is time yet again to swing in the Wood. The a nnual Tanglewood Jazz Festival returns to Lenox for he last hurrah of summer on September 4 and 5. Get a groove on before heading back to school and work.
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Dawn Upshaw at Tanglewood
A Little Night Music? Thanks but No Thanks
By: - Aug 21st, 2010Dawn Upshaw did her best, but still couldn't save the schmaltzy sherdherdesses. Descriptions of people engaging in such bucolic activities populate the “Songs of the Auvergne,†a selection of songs written by Joseph Canteloube and performed Friday night by Dawn Upshaw and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood
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Callithumpian Consort at ICA/Boston
The Sinking of the Titanic
By: - Aug 21st, 2010ICA/Boston Callithumpian Consort performs British composer Gavin Bryars's The Sinking of the Titanic. Audiences become passengers in a metaphor for our Post Crash Era.
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