Composer Portraits: John Zorn Miller Theatre at Columbia University October 20, 2016 by Seth Rogovoy (NEW YORK, N.Y.) – In the program notes for the powerful and stunning concert of new works, including five world premieres, presented at the Miller Theatre on Thursday night, composer John Zorn writes of a few of them: “These pieces…
Benjamin Clementine Hunter Center MASS MoCA North Adams, Mass. October 15, 2016 by Seth Rogovoy (NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – About once every few years, if I’m lucky, I see a performer for the first time who leaves me breathless and reminds me why I got into this business in the first place. Over the years,…
Boston Pops Orchestra with Special Guest the B-52s Tanglewood Lenox, Mass. Saturday, September 2, 2016 Review and photos by Seth Rogovoy (LENOX, Mass.) – In one of the odder and perhaps less successful pairings in a series of such performances, new-wave rock avatars the B-52s joined the Boston Pops Orchestra as “special guests” in…
The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare & Company Lenox, Mass. July 1 – August 21, 2016 Review by Seth Rogovoy (LENOX, Mass., July 31, 2016) – This summer’s production of “The Merchant of Venice,” directed by Tina Packer and starring Jonathan Epstein as Shylock, is Shakespeare & Company at its best, combining a skillful presentation of…
Wendy Whelan/Brian Brooks/Brooklyn Rider “Some of a Thousand Words” Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival July 27-31, 2016 by Seth Rogovoy (BECKET, Mass., July 29, 2016) – There was no doubt about it – while choreographer/dancer Brian Brooks and hot young string quartet Brooklyn Rider are stars in their own right, it was Wendy Whelan’s night…
by Seth Rogovoy (October 1, 2010) – For a guy who has won the praise of critics from the New York Times to the New Yorker, the Village Voice, and NPR’s Terry Gross, Howard Fishman has done a pretty good job of not becoming a household name. With a half-dozen albums to his credit, and…
Bang on a Can All-Stars Play Brian Eno’s ‘Music for Airports’ MASS MoCA North Adams, Mass. Saturday, July 23, 2016 Review by Seth Rogovoy (NORTH ADAMS, Mass., July 23, 2016) – Bang on a Can first performed Brian Eno’s landmark work, “Music for Airports,” live at MASS MoCA as part of its annual Summer Music…
Bob Dylan Tanglewood Stockbridge, Mass. July 2, 2016 Review by Seth Rogovoy Photography by Lee Everett / finelinelenox.com (STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – While it undoubtedly mystified many who had come to hear the legendary Bob Dylan sing his greatest hits – not a necessarily unfair, if uninformed, expectation – Dylan’s concert at Tanglewood on Saturday night…
Brian Wilson Tanglewood Sunday, June 19, 2016 Review and photos by Seth Rogovoy (LENOX, Mass., June 19, 2016) – Brian Wilson didn’t make it easy for himself when he set out on a tour whose primary purpose was to play the entire paradigm-shifting “Pet Sounds” album on its 50th anniversary this year. Among the albums…
Earth, Wind & Fire Tanglewood June 18, 2016 Review and photos by Seth Rogovoy (LENOX, Mass., June 18, 2016) – Earth, Wind & Fire displayed why they are one of the most beloved and enduring pop-R&B bands in the world at Tanglewood on Saturday night, with its contagious rhythmic pulse, hook-laden melodies, horn-fueled, jazzy arrangements,…
