Cellist SuJin Lee. Boca Raton Symphonia (Sunday, Jan. 23, St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton)The eminent American composer and educator Gunther Schuller was joined by a very young cellist Jan. 23 in a concert by the Boca Raton Symphonia that was one of the most polished this group has offered in some time.From the tightness of the Cosi fan Tutte overture that … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 28-30
Bust of an Angel (c. 1304), by Giotto di Bondone.(Courtesy The Reverenda Fabbrica of St. Peter, Vatican City State)Art: As it did a few years back, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art is host this weekend to a major show of Catholic artwork, this one called Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art. Fort Lauderdale is one of only three cities … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 14-16
Panel of St. Edmund, early 16th century, English.Art: This is the last weekend to catch Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture From the Victoria and Albert Museum, showing through Sunday at the Society of the Four Arts.This national touring collection of 60 alabaster panels and sculpture from the 15th and 16th centuries is the … [Read more...]
Music feature: Pianist Graffman offers left-hand music at Lynn
Gary Graffman.(Photo by Christian Steiner)By Greg StepanichSitting down at the Steinway on the stage of the Wold Center, Gary Graffman demonstrates how he tests pianos for the Curtis Institute, which has asked its former director to help choose a new batch of 20 for the Philadelphia arts school.Graffman’s test piece is a slow solo passage from the middle of … [Read more...]
Music review: Splendid Shostakovich as Enso Quartet plays Flagler
The Enso String Quartet: Richard Belcher, Melissa Reardon, John Marcus and Maureen Nelson. By Greg StepanichOne of the joys of seeing small concerts that are part of a good music series is that you get to hear not just the venerable players but the rising stars.Surely Tuesday night’s performance at Palm Beach’s Flagler Museum by the Enso String Quartet was a case of … [Read more...]
Music feature: Violinist Ehnes, Toronto SO launch tour of Florida
Violinist James Ehnes.By Greg StepanichThe promoters of this week’s Toronto Symphony concerts might not have noticed it, but the program and its presenters make up something of an international accord between the two big federal republics of North America.So says James Ehnes, a violinist from Manitoba and a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Dec. 31, 2010-Jan. 2, 2011
Jacquy Pfeiffer in Kings of Pastry.Film: We know, we know, one of your New Year’s resolutions is to lose some weight, and viewing the high-calorie baked goods in the tasty new documentary Kings of Pastry is not going to help matters. Still, treat yourself to this affectionate confection by co-directors D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (The War Room, Moon … [Read more...]
Music reviews: Fine new music for cello; PB Symphony charms; Delray Quartet advances
Justin Dello Joio.Carter Brey and Christopher O’Riley (Dec. 19, Kravis Center)World premieres are always special, but they don’t always suggest that they will make a lasting impact on the culture.But composer Justin Dello Joio’s Due per Due, which was given its debut by cellist Carter Brey and pianist Christopher O’Riley, is a worthy new work that … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Dec. 24-26
Colin Firth in The King’s Speech. Film: With meticulous attention to period details and an engrossing history-based story that humanizes the struggle of a British king like no movie before it, The King’s Speech is great, albeit old-fashioned, filmmaking. Colin Firth stars as Bertie, a/k/a Prince Albert (Colin Firth), who unexpectedly becomes King George VI … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Dec. 17-19
Mark Wahlberg (back to camera), Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in The Fighter. Film: There have been plenty of fact-based boxing movies and most get trapped on the ropes with sports clichés. But David O. Russell’s The Fighter is as much about “Irish” Micky Ward’s wildly dysfunctional family as it is about the fight game. Mark Wahlberg plays Ward well enough … [Read more...]