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Meta
Category Archives: Politics
Art Canada Institute presents Kent Monkman
The title of the lecture was “Art Canada Institute presents: The Making of a Masterpiece– Kent Monkman.” Monkman is an enormous star, famous far beyond the immediate milieu of art dealers and galleries. But I have no real idea who … Continue reading
Ecology of Being –Duo Concertante
In childhood I heard musicians and performers protesting the Vietnam War or advocating as part of the Civil Rights Movement. Ever since I’ve admired activist artists. Music, film, satire, humour, painting, can all be powerful voices advocating change, moving emotions, … Continue reading
ARC Ensemble –Dmitri Klebanov Chamber Works
Exile doesn’t just occur when you’re distant from your homeland. What about artists ignored or silenced inside their country? I never thought of it that way before reading Simon Wynberg’s excellent essay in the liner notes to ARC Ensemble’s new … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Politics, Reviews, University life
Tagged anti-Semitism, ARC Ensemble, Bernard Herrmann, Dmitri Klebanov, Dmitri Shostakovich, Erika Raum, exile, Gustav Mahler, Kevin Ahfat, Marie Bérard, North by Northwest, Royal Conservatory of Music, Simon Wynberg, Steven Dann, Thomas Wiebe
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Nixon in China, 2021
The Metropolitan Opera feed of free streaming performances celebrate American composers the week of July 4th Independence Day. I was especially excited to get another look at John Adams’s Nixon in China, that we saw both via a production by … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Politics, Reviews
Tagged Alice Goodman, Canadian Opera Company, Carolyn Maule, Chou En-lai, James Maddalena, Janis Kelly, John Adams, Karl Marx, Kathleen Kim, Mao Tse-tung, Metropolitan Opera High Definition Broadcast, Nixon in China, Peter Sellars, Richard Paul Fink, Robert Brubaker, Russell Braun
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The Mission in 2021
It’s been a month of reflection for Canadians following the discovery of the remains of 215 children buried on the grounds of the Kamloops residential school, another discovery near Brandon residential school, and the possibility of more to come. The … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Spirituality & Religion, University life
Tagged Christianity, Ennio Morricone, Going Home Star, Gone With the Wind, Indigenous Genocide, Jesuit, Kent Monkman, Max Steiner, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Roland Joffe, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The Mission, The Scream, Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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Hermione Lee: Tom Stoppard A Life
I’m humbled reading Hermione Lee’s biography of Tom Stoppard. I was exalted by Alex Ross’s colossal Wagnerism study because I’m a typical grandiose Wagnerian, thinking I know something about the topic. Its 784 pages flew by, the book flattering my … Continue reading
Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews, University life
Tagged Alex Ross, Empire of the Sun, Hermione Lee, JG Ballard, Rosenkrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard, Tom Stoppard A Life, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
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American Idol and popularity
Do you ever watch American Idol? I’d say it’s the best reality tv that you can find, unless you prefer one of the other performance shows where people sing or dance. There are really two parts to it. At the … Continue reading
Mr Smith wasn’t Born Yesterday
TV programming sometimes brings us serendipitous discoveries. TCM’s Good Friday offering was Mr Smith Goes to Washington. This morning we watched Born Yesterday. I never noticed how many similarities there are between the two films. An innocent recently come to … Continue reading
Irresistible
I’m not sure I understand the title, but it’s a perfect description all the same. I sat through Jon Stewart’s new film Irresistible tonight, sometimes moaning sometimes laughing but unable to tear myself away. So whatever it means, the title … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Politics, Reviews
Tagged Chris Cooper, Daily Show, Despicable Me, Gru, Irresistible, Jon Stewart, Rose Byrne, Steve Carell
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Zappa
2020 ended with a pair of Z’s that could just as easily be seen as the start of 2021. After Fareed Zakaria’s book, it’s Zappa, a documentary released late in 2020. Where Fareed is analyzing historical trends with an eye … Continue reading
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