Matthew Shepard (1976-1998). If ever there were a time when a work of art coincides with current events, that time will be Friday, when sections of a new opera with an anti-bullying theme have their premiere as the air is still thick with the sorrow of the Orlando shootings. Not in My Town, an opera based on the 1998 torture and murder of gay Wyoming college student Matthew … [Read more...]
The View From Home 38: New releases and notable screenings, May 15 to June 9
Not since A Clockwork Orange has Beethoven’s music been imbued with as much primal sexual urgency as in The Kreutzer Sonata (Zeitgeist, $19.93), a present-day transplant of a controversial 19th-century novella by Tolstoy. In the performance montage scenes of the titular sonata, the violin and piano play off each another like generous lovers. The players penetrate one another … [Read more...]
A day of art overdose: Scenes from Art Basel, 2011
One day is too much and a week isn’t enough. After a full day and night (until 2 a.m.) of seeing Art Basel Miami, one installation and too much walking, one comes to realize that there is so much art, so many shows, galleries, lectures, that even a week would not be enough. Satellite, gallery shows and events are spread throughout the metropolitan area, and parties at hotels, … [Read more...]