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About Last Night

Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City

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Archives for October 24, 2009

THE MYSTERY OF MUSIC

October 24, 2009 by Terry Teachout

“It won’t surprise me if neuroscientists eventually succeed in unlocking the mystery of music. I don’t fear that prospect, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that part of the charm of music lies in the fact that we don’t know what it means, any more than we can explain the equally mysterious charm of a plotless ballet by George Balanchine or an abstract painting by Piet Mondrian…”

DVD

October 24, 2009 by Terry Teachout

Les Ballets Trockadero, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Harmonia Mundi). Even if you don’t go in for drag acts, it’s hard to resist the fabulously ingenious dance comedy of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male troupe that performs classical ballet–complete with tutus. The smartest works in their repertory are Peter Anastos’ “Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet” and “Go for Barocco,” in which the quirks and foibles of Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine are satirized with ruthlessly knowing precision. Both dances are available on a pair of newly reissued DVDs that also contain an assortment of “straight” classical works danced with paralyzingly funny near-sincerity. “Yes, Virginia” is on the first disc, “Go for Barocco” on the second (TT).

Terry Teachout

Terry Teachout, who writes this blog, is the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal and the critic-at-large of Commentary. In addition to his Wall Street Journal drama column and his monthly essays … [Read More...]

About

About “About Last Night”

This is a blog about the arts in New York City and the rest of America, written by Terry Teachout. Terry is a critic, biographer, playwright, director, librettist, recovering musician, and inveterate blogger. In addition to theater, he writes here and elsewhere about all of the other arts--books, … [Read More...]

About My Plays and Opera Libretti

Billy and Me, my second play, received its world premiere on December 8, 2017, at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach, Fla. Satchmo at the Waldorf, my first play, closed off Broadway at the Westside Theatre on June 29, 2014, after 18 previews and 136 performances. That production was directed … [Read More...]

About My Podcast

Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I are the panelists on “Three on the Aisle,” a bimonthly podcast from New York about theater in America. … [Read More...]

About My Books

My latest book is Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, published in 2013 by Gotham Books in the U.S. and the Robson Press in England and now available in paperback. I have also written biographies of Louis Armstrong, George Balanchine, and H.L. Mencken, as well as a volume of my collected essays called A … [Read More...]

The Long Goodbye

To read all three installments of "The Long Goodbye," a multi-part posting about the experience of watching a parent die, go here. … [Read More...]

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