By Dennis D. Rooney The Steinway Gallery Boca Raton’s performance space, located at the rear of the showroom floor, was filled to capacity March 20 for a recital by Russian artist Zlata Chochieva, sponsored by Piano Lovers of South Florida. Chochieva, a 32-year-old native Muscovite, studied with, notably, Mikhail Pletnev, and is a 2012 alumna of the Moscow State … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2017
RSNO, brilliant Benedetti make for exceptional night of music
Founded in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra in Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra added the word “National” in 1951 and in 1977, when Queen Elizabeth II became its patron, the word “Royal” took precedence as its prefix. Over the years great conductors have led the orchestra: Sir John Barbirolli, Walter Susskind and George Szell to name three. Its principal … [Read more...]
MCB closes season with lively, elegant Program 4
Miami City Ballet finished its season at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts with Program Four — an upbeat and lively show — that presented two Balanchine works and a Paul Taylor work from its repertory. But it was the first work, Divertimento No. 15, performed with elegant and confident finesse, that was the true jewel of the evening. The 1956 work that George … [Read more...]
‘Something Rotten!’ an amusing antidote to Bardolatry
You think Antonio Salieri had trouble competing with that wunderkind composer Mozart in Amadeus? That was nothing compared with the woes of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two Elizabethan playwrights stymied by the skill and acclaim of rock star wordsmith William Shakespeare in the cleverly comic musical, Something Rotten!, at the Broward Center through April 2. Imagine the chutzpah … [Read more...]
Tao’s new concerto a triumph at Atlantic Classical
World premieres are special occasions, and I was privileged to hear young Conrad Tao’s thrilling new piano concerto with the composer at the keyboard on March 8 at the Eissey Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens, for a concert with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra. Winner of orchestra’s Rappaport Prize for Music Composition, Tao, 22, dazzled the audience with his pianistic … [Read more...]
‘Personal Shopper’: An unsettling search for (a) spirit
Since the dawn of cinema, movies have been trying to visualize and elucidate the paranormal: This is a vampire, a demon, a ghost, a loved one visiting from the Other Side. This is how they act, this is what they want and — most importantly for audiences seeking closure — this is how they can be defeated/assuaged/comforted. Olivier Assayas’ polarizing Cannes sensation … [Read more...]
Reimagined ‘Phantom’ at Kravis will win you over, actor Craig says
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, now in its 30th year on Broadway — by far the longest-running show in Broadway history — has an estimated worldwide box office of over $5.6 billion, making it the most financially successful entertainment event ever. In case you have never seen it before — there must be someone who hasn’t, right? — or if you never miss an … [Read more...]
For actress Lewis, it’s her turn to play Mama Rose
She has appeared on Broadway in revivals of Chicago and Damn Yankees, and can be heard in countless animated films from Finding Dory to TV’s Rugrats. But for audiences at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Vicki Lewis is the big-voiced, pint-sized actress who takes on such unlikely starring roles as matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! and crabby orphanage matron Miss … [Read more...]
FGO’s ‘Before Night Falls’ an important work, strongly cast
The life of Cuba after the Revolution of 1959 has been the subject of endless amounts of prose and heated arguments, but it also makes a good subject for an opera. In May 2010, the Cuban-American composer Jorge Martín saw his opera on this subject, Before Night Falls, take the stage for the first time at the Fort Worth Opera in Texas. On Saturday night, he was on hand again … [Read more...]
Boca Raton debuts its own Jewish film festival, and it’s already a hit
There is good news and bad news for fans of Jewish-themed films. The good news: There is a new film festival in the county, the Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, which opens today, runs for eight days and shows 27 movies from around the world. The bad news: All seats for all screenings are already sold, going to patrons, sponsors and passholders before single tickets ever had … [Read more...]