By Néstor CASTIGLIONE In an era where the ostentatious and vulgar, where naked careerism and self-obsession dominate culture, the single-minded devotion to cultivating the beautiful can be a revolutionary act. “Pleasure is the only law,” the young Claude Debussy once retorted to his teacher. Taking inspiration from disparate sources – the rich chromaticism of Wagner, […]
By Charly and Sabrina SHELTON This week, we kick off the spring season with the first of our upcoming series on international travel in Ireland. So before we dive in with all the places to see, restaurants to dine in and hotels to stay in, there are some things you should know about the country […]
By Charly SHELTON Going to Ireland is like stepping into a different time. Not in sophistication or technology, but in practices. People aren’t rushing around as much. When idle for a moment, nobody pulls out their phones. Conversation with strangers is encouraged – real conversation, not just exchanging pleasantries. Castles and ruins surrounded by sheep […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE There are few moments in music that equal the poignancy of the final pages of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations.” It’s a journey that begins in the exquisitely poised “Aria,” treks across a panoply of 30 variations on that theme, and finally ends right back where it started, with a note-for-note reprise […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE European civilization by 1913 was a society of masks. The veneer of public gentility was crumbling irrevocably in the years since the turn of the century. The music of the era – the lingua franca of post-Wagnerian sumptuousness, which at its periphery was being nipped at by the new grammar of modernism […]
By Susan JAMES he implacable, invincible and slightly twinkly Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is back again with his crack crew for the eighth installment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Now celebrating 16 years of chases, races and general auto mayhem, the new installment is worthy of its pedigree. Directed by F. Gary Grey, […]
By Charly SHELTON The trend of hosting food and drink festivals is growing. Once upon a time, they were found mainly in an area known for a certain food product – like the Gilroy Garlic Festival, wine festivals in Napa and oyster fests along the east coast. But now, it seems any organization can throw […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE The advent of cinema in the late 19th century was a force of art and technology that left no corner of the globe untouched. Japan was no exception. In fact, the rise of film as a native art form in the country happened to coincide with its modernization and subsequent rise on […]
» GUEST REVIEW By Lisa DUPUY It has taken a few years but restaurateurs have finally changed Americans’ eating habits. I used to be the person who wanted a well-balanced meal on a plate all to myself. But thanks to the tapas revolution I, and many others, prefer sharing small plates with dinner mates. […]
Programming – the selection of works to be played at a performance of classical music – can be crucial. In the right hands, it not only makes for an appealing spectrum of contrasting and complementing colors, but it also sets the listeners’ ears on a journey in which these works not only stand alone, but […]