We’re passing out an good old DUCHY to Hilton Als over at The New Yorker. His normally sharp and funny tongue seems to grind down to a blunt nub in his review of The Public Theater’s production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in The Park. While his hardon for Martha Plimpton is hilarious (and not unwarranted), [...]
August 30, 2007
Categories: Critics, DUCHY, New Yorker, Theater . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments
The New York Times, in yet another attempt to try to be relevant, has applied one of the age-old methods of scientific observation to rock and hip-hop music: The Chart.
If you can understand either of these, you’ve got me:
Pie charts for The New Pornographers concert at the Bowery Ballroom
Grid and Ven Diagrams for R. Kelly’s wicked awesome [...]
August 30, 2007
Categories: NY Times, Pop Culture, Pop Music . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments
Jennifer Dunning tried her best to get the word out about the Nuryev doc on 13. Anyone watch? WTF?
Then today, she waxes poetic (as the once full moon waned) during States & Resemblances at Sitelines (WTF is with the title if this review?)
And Roslyn Sulcas reports on the re-emergence of the Dance Notation Bureau. WTF?
August 30, 2007
Categories: Critics, Dance, NY Times, Time(s) To Dance . . Author: countercritic . Comments: 1 Comment
Times stringer Michael Kimmelman (making his Counter Critic debut!) reports from the annals of the Bayreuth Festival, a veritable relic of Wagnerian consummation that still has a ten-year waiting list to get into. Wonder how Kimmie pulled it off.
At any rate, the review of Katharina Wagner’s (great-grandaughter of big Rico) enlighted much about how American [...]
August 30, 2007
Categories: Classical Music, Critics, NY Times, Old Music, Opera, Out of Town . . Author: countercritic . Comments: 2 Comments
List of items gone missing as a result of my bag being stolen from a trashy gay bar in the West Village. I know…:
The Bag, (cute gray Armani Exchange messanger bag they passed out like candy when the Time Warner Center opened at Columbus Circle)
Four buttons: big Mexican flag button (cuz I heart Mexicans); little [...]
August 29, 2007
Categories: Rant . . Author: countercritic . Comments: 1 Comment
MMDG dancer, David Leventhal, apparently emailed Times stringer Joan Raymond a blithe recount of touring with the company, you know, as if anyone had asked.
I guess us non-touring folk probably glamorize dancers in big companies who get to fly all around the world, meet new people, dine with dignitaries and celebrities, meet funders worldwide, and [...]
August 29, 2007
Categories: Dance, Editorial, NY Times . . Author: countercritic . Comments: 1 Comment
New York City Opera seeks to court the black community with a “three pronged” strategy, reports Kate Taylor at The Sun.
1st Prong: Cheap tickets (you know, because…well…umm…
2nd Prong: Operas about slavery (because what other interests would a black audience have?)
3rd Prong: Stage The Marriage of Figaro at the Apollo Theater (on amateur night!?)
NYCO hired marketing [...]
August 28, 2007
Categories: Classical Music, NY Sun, Opera . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments
Thanks to Arts Journal for pointing us to this sweet article on a new forensic analysis of a lock of Beethoven’s hair, which basically chalks up the demise of MY HERO to lead poisoning.
Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have given him that Dora The Explorer action figure!
[Update]
Strange, the Mercury News article is now locked to [...]
August 28, 2007
Categories: Classical Music, Pop Culture . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments
New York’s “Vulture” digs into opera’s veiny underbelly.
Imagine that, opera singers are real fucked up people too! Just goes to show you how limited our expectations of are of the art and the artists.
Still, roids aren’t necessarily going to open up new audiences to opera. Even if, for a fleeting minute, they attract the [...]
August 27, 2007
Categories: Blogs, Classical Music, New York Mag, Opera . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments
If it ain’t the 60’s, it’s the 80’s.
Here’s Greg Sandow’s (of Arts Journal blogging micro-fame) Wall Street Journal piece on Pauline Oliveros’ gig at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors nostalgia fuck fest to the 1960s.
I guess nobody’s jonesin to get back to the 70’s or 90’s.
I prefer to look at all this scrap-book nostalgia [...]
August 27, 2007
Categories: Classical Music, Critics, Lincoln Center, Uptown, WSJ . . Author: countercritic . Comments: No Comments