Joseph Lange’s 1783 unfinished portrait of his brother-in-law, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. By Greg Stepanich One of the more tantalizing aspects of the career of Mozart is his work in sacred music, and that’s primarily because it feels somewhat unfulfilled. There is much great music in the Coronation Mass and even in the epistle sonatas, and choral ensembles … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 16-21
Network of Stoppages, by Leora Klaymer Stewart.Art: In time for Earth Day, the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens is opening an exhibit of works compiled from “recycled, reused and found objects.”Executive Director Cynthia Palmieri selected artists who would be willing to consider the site’s unique location and its natural materials as well as the limitation that a historic home … [Read more...]
Opera review: Second cast of PBO’s ‘Carmen’ features auspicious debuts
Madgalena Wór and Rafael Dávila in Carmen.(Photo by Alissa Dragun) By Rex Hearn I’ve seen Georges Bizet’s Carmen many times, but the second cast of the recent Palm Beach Opera production offered even a veteran operagoer fresh delights. Chief among them Saturday night was the Polish-born mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór, who made a magnificent debut with this company, with her … [Read more...]
Opera review: PBO’s ‘Carmen’ alive to characters’ humanity, theatrical savvy
Viktoria Vizin as Carmen at Palm Beach Opera.(Photo by Alissa Dragun) By Greg Stepanich It’s tough to bring something new to a work as well-known as Carmen, but the current Palm Beach Opera production of Georges Bizet’s classic, if not groundbreaking, fills out the opera’s promise with just plain good theater. On Friday night, a stellar lead and a strong supporting cast, … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 9-13
From left: Steven Strait, Dominik García-Lorido,Andy Garcia, Julianna Marguliesand Ezra Miller in City Island. Film: Fresh from the Miami International Film Festival comes City Island, an amiable look at a dysfunctional Bronx family, each of whom is harboring a secret. Cuban-born, South Florida-raised Andy Garcia gets a rare opportunity to flex his comic muscles as the prison … [Read more...]
Music feature: FAU concert to feature works by ‘Piano Puzzler’ maestro Adolphe
Bruce Adolphe.By Greg StepanichWhen Bruce Adolphe is in the middle of writing a batch of Piano Puzzlers for American Public Media’s Performance Today, he’s always listening for ideas.One came along while the composer and his daughter Katja were watching a Fred Astaire film in which the song-and-dance legend was performing Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek. Suddenly, Adolphe … [Read more...]
Opera feature: Ever-vital ‘Carmen’ to close PB Opera season
Georges Bizet (1838-1875).By Greg StepanichThe young Frenchman Jean-Luc Tingaud is the associate conductor at the venerable Opéra-Comique in Paris, the same theater (though not the same building) where the opera Carmen premiered in March of 1875.Three months later, Carmen’s composer, Georges Bizet, died of runaway strep throat at the tragically young age of 36. Tingaud says the … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 3-7
Dennis Creaghan and John Leonard Thompson in American Buffalo.Theater: This weekend is your last opportunity to see Palm Beach Dramaworks’ impressive production of David Mamet’s early scam drama, American Buffalo, the tale of three Chicago bumblers who plan to break in and steal a valuable coin collection. Director William Hayes and his cast harness the fragmented rhythms of … [Read more...]
Music review: Early Brahms sparkles under young pianist’s fingers
Pianist Ran Jia. By Greg Stepanich The piano sonatas of Johannes Brahms are all early, thickly scored, finger-busting works, and while they receive respect from the performers who study them, rare is the pianist who brings them along on recital. The young Chinese pianist Ran Jia was an exception to that rule last Wednesday at Stage West in the Duncan Theatre, ending her … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 26-31
Pianist Ingrid Fliter.Music: The Cleveland Orchestra wraps up its third and final week of residency in Miami with two performances by the fine Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter, who will perform the Chopin Concerto No. 2 (in F minor, Op. 21) with conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. Also on the program is the Romeo and Juliet suite from Prokofiev’s ballet score. 8 p.m. tonight and … [Read more...]