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Reviews
The Bold Sounds of the Cleveland Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 08 June 2022 16:20
- Written by Jack Angstreich
Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst & Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. Photo by Chris Lee
At Carnegie Hall on the evening of Wednesday, June 1st, I had the privilege to attend an excellent concert featuring the superb musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra under the magisterial direction of Franz Welser-Möst, one of the finest contemporary conductors.
The program opened with an admirable performance of the Carnegie Hall premiere of the Simfonia No. 4, “Strands,” by African-American composer, George Walker, a modernist piece notable for its impressive orchestration. The outstanding virtuoso, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, then entered the stage for a sterling rendition of the early modern Polish composer Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2, his penultimate work. The program annotator, Hugh Macdonald, describes “a new austerity” in the composer’s music after World War I as contrasted with the luxuriance of his earlier work, adding that, “His model was Béla Bartók, whose fascination with folklore chimed with Szymanowski’s strong sense of Polish identity.” Macdonald’s description of the composition is worth quoting:
Both [of Szymanowski’s] violin concertos are in one continuous movement, and the Second is in two parts, divided by the cadenza. The first part makes persistent use of a theme that circles closely around itself, gently lyrical, with two broad passages for the orchestra alone. The second part, after the cadenza, introduces the folk element and a strong suggestion of peasant dance.
Yet Szymanowski’s natural tendency toward rapturous lyricism is never far from view. Striking too is his fondness for the extreme range of orchestral sound, from the highest to the lowest.
It should be added that there is nonetheless at times still a certain lushness in the deployment of the strings here and there are lively, melodic passages in the first part. Here too, the orchestral scoring is masterful. The music reached its apotheosis in the ebullient, closing section. The artists received a standing ovation.
The highlight of the evening, however, was the second half of the concert, a brilliant account of Franz Schubert’s magnificent Symphony No. 9, the “Great”—indeed this may have been the most rewarding performance of this incomparable work that I have yet heard in a concert hall. The extraordinaryAndanteintroduction to the first movement is followed by the enchanting, often uncannily Mendelssohnian Allegro—it evokes especially the “Italian” Symphony. There is an intensity of emotion here that often both recalls the mature music of Ludwig van Beethoven—the composer’s idol—whoseethosis a strong presence throughout the work, but also forecasts the expressive Romanticism of Robert Schumann or Johannes Brahms. The movement built to a thrilling conclusion.
The slow movement also seems to remarkably and brilliantly ventriloquize Beethoven for much of its length while the ensuing, cheerful Scherzo has some premonitory moments, even as its Trio section is the epitome of classicism. And, despite its exuberant triumphalism, the entrancing finale is not without its mysterious depths. The artists earned much deserved, enthusiastic applause.
I look forward to the return of these exquisite musicians to a local stage.
June '22 Digital Week I
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 01 June 2022 19:47
- Written by Kevin Filipski
In-Theater/Streaming Releases of the Week
A Chiara
(Neon)
In Jonas Carpignano’s insightful and unpredictable character study, Swamy Rotolo is marvelous as a teenager separated from her family and put in foster care after she gets a little too nosy looking into her father’s disappearance in the Mafia-run Calabria area of Italy.
Carpignano has a subtle and sympathetic touch, which extends from the illuminating use of sound to the persuasive and expressive performance of Rotolo, one of many nonprofessionals (including several of her family members) that the director has cast to give his exploration of a girl’s coming of age the authenticity and clarity it needs.
(VMI Releasing)
This routine action flick follows Jimmy, a meek bystander who ends up driving Natasha, who was behind the counter of a convenience store he happened to be in when it was being robbed—she blasted both robbers and is now running from her ex-fiancé and all the firepower his shady rich father can muster.
Although there are no surprises in its 90 minutes, there’s one reason to watch Shane Stanley’s derivative “lovers on the lam” drama: Danielle C. Ryan, who makes the split-personality heroine Nat/Tasha into someone worthy of a better movie. She’s charming, amusing and even credible in a credulous role.
Fanny—The Right to Rock
(Crave)
I thought I knew my classic rock, but the band Fanny—an all-female hard-rock group that released albums and toured in the early ‘70s to great acclaim but relative popular indifference—was one I knew nothing about, so happily, Bobbi Jo Hart’s documentary sets things right by chronicling the women’s long-ago career, their comeback and how those in the know (David Bowie, for one) hyped their greatness years later.
The Sacramento-based band’s energetic tunes are showcased in vintage video and audio clips; there’s also new material the latest incarnation has put together as well as a healthy dose of archival and new interviews that provide an intimate glimpse at a band more rock fans should know about.
(Film Movement)
Romanian director Bogdan George Apetri’s blistering drama tells two related stories: first, we follow a novice nun who leaves the safety of her convent to go to the hospital but who is sexually assaulted by her cab driver; in the second, a police investigator attempts to solve the case.
Aperti’s drama might seem too much of a good thing as it follows the no-nonsense, real-time blueprint of other Romanian imports, but the subtle direction, authentic atmosphere and casually shocking visuals make this one of the most original films in recent memory.
(Film Desk)
Michael Roemer’s barely-seen 1984 melodrama stars Brooke Adams—a woefully underused actress known for her memorable supporting roles in 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Days of Heaven—as a woman returning to her hometown to escape her own personal problems but who finds herself immersed in those of her family’s neighbors, particularly an estranged couple (Trish Van Devere, Jon De Vries) and their young daughter (Ari Meyers).
Diffuse and extremely rough around the edges. Roemer’s film is nearly amateurish at times, but the strength of the acting—mainly van Devere and Adams, who gives a searing portrayal—makes this worth a look.
The Police Around the World—Restored and Expanded
(Mercury)
One of the holy grails for Police fans, this film documenting the group’s first world tour in 1979 and 1980 has finally been restored and upgraded to hi-def. Of the various release formats, I have the Blu-ray/CD version, so the documentary itself looks terrific and showcases the band at its most energetic onstage and off, a couple of years before Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland became the world’s biggest band—bonus Blu-ray performances comprise four complete songs not included in the film, while the CD has live performances of 12 songs from the tour.
“Expanded” is a misnomer, however—the performance of “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” has been excised from the film, probably because Sting is embarrassed that he threatened a zealous French fan.
Row 19
(Go Well USA)
Russian director Alexander Babaev’s horror movie is pretty ruthless to its heroine, the lone survivor of an airplane crash as a child who now brings her own young daughter onboard with her for a flight that may or may not be a replay of that fateful one from 20 years ago.
It’s a scant 78 minutes, so there’s no fat, but in this case the leanness of the narrative doesn’t really help: there’s no reason this intelligent, independent and capable woman (especially as played by Svetlana Ivanova) should get on this plane in this weather with all the obvious warning signs; she does so only so Babaev can provide a painfully blatant twist ending. There’s a sharp hi-def transfer.
Concert Review—Sandra Bernhard at City Winery, NYC
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- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 31 May 2022 14:36
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Sandra Bernhard
May 24, 2022
City Winery, New York City
citywinery.com
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| Sandra Bernhard at City Winery |
Since I first saw Sandra Bernhard, in 1984 at Buffalo's old Tralfamadore Café (now the Tralf Music Hall), she has used her sardonic wit and pop savvy to comment knowingly and hilariously on our deadened celebrity culture. Her concert last week at City Winery in Manhattan proved that, nearly four decades later, Bernhard has lost none of her unique insights into what is wrong with…well, everything.
Of course, Bernhard is a terrific singer as well, always choosing the perfect songs that both underscore her humor and work well musically. Her City Winery opener, “Make Your Own Kind of Music”—a minor hit for Mama Cass in 1969—stated Bernhard’s case from the start as an original and always honest performer.
Bernhard doesn’t tell jokes, of course, but colorful anecdotes of the absurdities that permeate her life—and, by extension, ours. The pandemic hit the resident of the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan quite hard (as anyone who listens to her weekly Sirius show, Sandyland, can attest), so listening to her describing life during lockdown is both painful and bracingly funny.
For those of us who were in attendance at her comeback show last August (also at City Winery), some of these COVID tales were familiar, but she always adds the kind of telling details that mark her genius as a storyteller.
For 90 minutes, Bernhard alternated her perfectly pitched stories with a selection of tunes performed with her crack band, led by pianist and music director Mitch Kaplan, from the Stone Poneys’ “Different Drum” and Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” and Rod Stewart’s “Mandolin Wind.”
In between were her priceless observations, like recounting this Chelsea rooftop conversation: “I’m writing the definitive biography of Chopin”—“Sean Penn? I love Sean Penn!”
In this fraught moment in our history, after the Buffalo and Texas massacres and with the Supreme Court about to return women to the pre-Roe vs. Wade dark ages, Bernard ended her show with her soulful take on Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.”
It was interspersed with musings about the direction of our country that she witnessed on a recent drive to and from a performance in Philadelphia. “We found pieces of America—not free—barely brave,” she said, closing with the incisive comment, “If you find America, let me know where it is.”
May '22 Digital Week IV
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 25 May 2022 14:50
- Written by Kevin Filipski
4K Release of the Week
The Batman
(Warner Bros)
In this latest unnecessary reboot, director Matt Reeves adds a definite article—to distinguish this one from “a” Batman, apparently—but little else: this relentlessly dank, dour, wet, dingy, nearly three-hour opus instead comes to a specious conclusion as Batman and the Riddler (a ridiculously over the top Paul Dano) are merely two sides of the same coin, and there’s even a brief appearance of the Joker at the end to foreshadow the sequel.
Robert Pattinson is decent if unexciting as the Caped Crusader (it’s time we admit that, of the big-screen Batmans, Michael Keaton was the most memorable), Zoë Kravitz has charisma to burn as Catwoman—there’s an inevitable spinoff coming, most likely—there’s a witty use of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” and an insanely lunatic car chase with an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin. The ultra hi-def transfer looks exceptionally good; the accompanying Blu-ray includes two hours of extras, mainly on-set and behind-the-scenes featurettes as well as deleted scenes with Reeves’ commentary.
Umma
(Sony)
In writer-director Iris K. Shim’s tense psychological thriller, Sandra Oh plays Amanda, a woman haunted by the spirit of her abusive mother whom she left in Korea for the U.S. many years ago; Amanda desperately tries to avoid having the same fractured relationship with her own teenage daughter.
Shim effectively dramatizes how family traumas encroach on succeeding generations, and even when the inevitable supernatural horrors emerge, Umma is a splendidly paced tug-of-war between a protective mother and those malevolent forces. It looks great on Blu-ray.
Streaming/In-Theater Releases of the Week
The Burning Sea
(Magnet)
In John Andreas Andersen’s entertaining environmental disaster movie, Sofia (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Stian (Henrik Bjelland)—who’ve recently begun a relationship—are recruited to save the world (or, at least, Norway) when an unknown entity causes widespread destruction among several offshore oil rigs.
Andersen doesn’t have a light or subtle touch, but he knows how to shoot action, ratcheting up the tension whether on a burning oil rig or in a boardroom where suits make life-changing decisions. Thorp’s and Bjelland’s raw portrayals help push this over the finish line.
(Cinema Guild)
Anthony Banua-Simon’s very personal documentary shows how the people of Hawaii—and specifically those who live on the island of Kaua’i—have been exploited for decades by American industries, especially by Hollywood, whose movies have planted the seed in viewer’s minds that it is a paradise for white men and women at the expense of the natives.
Banua-Simon incisively burrows into how movies have romanticized Kauaʻi at the same time that they have been racist, sometimes explicitly, other times implicitly: from White Heat (1934) and Diamond Head (1963) to Elvis in Blue Hawaii (1961) and the right-wing John Wayne polemic Big Jim McLain (1952). Banua-Simon also bitingly chronicles the realities of living on Kauaʻi today, as the friction between the hugely important tourism industry and the cherished traditions of natives continues, seemingly unabated.
The French
(Metrograph Pictures)
Director William Klein covered the 1981 French Open by showcasing the many intimate and memorable on-court moments but also by focusing on revelatory behind-the-scenes glimpses of locker room drama and levity, comradeship and rivalry throughout the two-week Grand Slam tournament.
The tennis greats of that era—John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and Bjorn Borg (the men’s champion); Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, 16-year-old Andrea Jaeger and Hana Mandlikova (the women’s champion)—are seen on and off the court, and Klein finds bits of insight among the players, as when Arthur Ashe, sitting courtside during a match, predicts what will happen.
(IFC Films)
Stefan Forbes’ illuminating and shocking documentary recounts a 1973 Brooklyn robbery that goes tragically awry after cops, TV crews and gawkers show up in droves and the culprits take hostages—ultimately an NYPD member is killed and one robber is wounded—the outcome relatively benign despite the department’s tendency to shoot first, especially when it came to Black suspects.
Several of the principals, including the surviving robbers, retired cops, hostages and their family members speak frankly on-camera, and Forbes also talks at length with Harvey Schlossberg, the policeman with a psychology degree who pioneered defusing such fraught situations through mediation—it helped keep the body count to a minimum in this instance, but Schlossberg’s methods have sadly gone out of fashion in recent years. (He died in 2021 at age 85.)
CD Release of the Week
Nazareno—London Symphony Orchestra
(LSO)
The irresistible rhythms of jazz are at the heart of these three compositions by three different composers writing in three distinct styles: Leonard Bernstein’s snazzy Prelude, Fugue and Riffs (1949), Igor Stravinsky’s spirited Ebony Concerto (1945) and Osvaldo Golijov’s brash Nazareno (2000) stir instruments such as saxophones, pianos and a battery of percussion instruments into the stylish mix.
Simon Rattle and the London Symphony orchestra provide the formidable musical backbone, and outstanding featured performers—including the great Labèque sisters on pianos in Nazareno—add immeasurably to the enticing texture.
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