Guillermo Figueroa directed the largest bicentenary celebration in the United States of the work of Hector Berlioz back in 2003 when he was director of the New Mexico Symphony. Saturday night, he brought his regard for his favorite composer to a concert by his current charges, the Lynn Philharmonia Orchestra, which he led in an all-French program at the Wold Center for the … [Read more...]
Impressive new dances at Reach/O Dance ‘Heat Wave’
It’s a pity that the annual dance intensive summer show produced by the Reach and O Dance companies only had one performance Saturday night, because this collection of modern, jazz and ballet moves showcased intriguing choreography and some standout individual dancers that more people should have been able to see. The show, called Heat Wave, and which contained a touching … [Read more...]
Armory exhibit an impressive look at local black artists
Collaboration: African Diaspora, which concluded at the Armory Art Center on Nov. 9, was an intoxicating blend of art from a diverse group of talented black artists. Self-described as a Harlem Renaissance-style exhibit, the show featured paintings and drawings, sculpture, crafts and jewelry from more than 20 artists and was co-curated by the husband-and-wife team of Anthony … [Read more...]
Slow Burn troupe impressive in slight, silly ‘Xanadu’
A certain reverence is called for when adapting an admired film into a stage musical. No such respect is required, however, when the original movie is cheesiness personified, like, say, 1980’s pop-rock mortal-and-muse love story, Xanadu. So five years ago, playwright Douglas Carter Beane, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, and lots of comic attitude ― snap! ― transformed … [Read more...]
‘Houdini’: Impressive sleight-of-hand, but drama’s slight, too
The magic of theater and magic as theater are at the core of an entertaining, if insubstantial, biodrama, Death and Harry Houdini, created and performed by Chicago’s House Theatre, currently at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. Houdini, the renowned illusionist and escape artist of the early 20th century, became obsessed with the spirit world in the hope of pulling off his … [Read more...]
Chanticleer impressive in program of old, new love songs
By now, the 12-man vocal band known as Chanticleer has sung and recorded pieces in almost every imaginable genre, a long way from the Renaissance group its founder had in mind back in the late 1970s. But Chanticleer has managed in its career of nearly 35 years and multiple personnel changes to bring the same kind of polish and quality to everything they do, and that makes … [Read more...]
French pianist Vincent original, impressive in Delray recital
Playing the music of Franz Liszt, who was born in this month 200 years ago, usually gives a pianist free rein to indulge his inner keyboard wild man. And yet Guillaume Vincent, who was born only 20 years ago Sunday, brought to his reading of Liszt’s epic B minor Sonata qualities such as introspection, deliberateness and mystery, casting this showpiece in an unfamiliar but … [Read more...]