In this weekend’s “Wall Street Journal” I review Alex Ross’s important new book “Wagnerism.” I write in part: Great works of art are so powerfully imagined that their intent and expression mold to changing human circumstances. But the operas of Richard Wagner are arguably unique in this regard: No other creative genius in the Western canon so unerringly holds up a … [Read more...] about On “Wagnerism” by Alex Ross
“Porgy” and Race — continued
Conrad L. Osborne, whose incisive critical scalpel cuts through present-day distractions and obfuscations with magnificent precision, has written another must-read blog: “The Racial Moment and Opera.” He begins by revisiting the memorable “Porgy Exchange” in this space – the PostClassical Ensemble zoom chat in which Conrad, George Shirley, and Kevin Deas opined that it … [Read more...] about “Porgy” and Race — continued
The Artist and the State: Mexico and “Engineers of the Soul”
Advocating a more “civilized” United States – and simultaneously fighting a cultural Cold War -- John F. Kennedy implausibly proclaimed that only “free artists” functioning in “free societies” could produce important art. In the same breath, Kennedy denied the legitimacy of political art. Delivering words written by Arthur Schlesinger, he maintained: “If art is to nourish … [Read more...] about The Artist and the State: Mexico and “Engineers of the Soul”
Are Orchestras “Better than Ever”? — What Not to Tell a Young Musician
Two summers ago I had occasion to spend a week with gifted high school musicians at the Brevard Music Festival – an idyllic cultural retreat in the mountains of North Carolina. Jason Posnock, Brevard’s artistic administrator, is not only a superb violinist but a reader and thinker and believer in humanities-infused programing and pedagogy. Thanks to Jason, I was entrusted … [Read more...] about Are Orchestras “Better than Ever”? — What Not to Tell a Young Musician
“Redes” Lives! — The Iconic Film of the Mexican Revolution and what it says to us today
In his most important speech about the place of culture in the national experience, delivered at Amherst College mere weeks before his death, President John F. Kennedy said: “In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not ‘engineers of the soul.’ It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society -- in … [Read more...] about “Redes” Lives! — The Iconic Film of the Mexican Revolution and what it says to us today