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June 2011

May 2011

Die Walküre Live Now

DSC02287For those who haven't yet seen the new Robert LePage production of Wagner's Die Walküre at the Met, today's your last chance to hear it this season. The house itself has been sold out for months, but you can still experience it right now on the radio or in the HD broadcast at movie theaters around the world. Today's performance got off to a late start thanks to a problem with The Machine, but everything has been flying since then.

This is also the last chance any of us will be seeing James Levine this season who, under doctors' orders, has pulled out of all Met and BSO performances until the fall. There's been some speculation that today's Walküre might in fact be his final performance, but after hearing Jimmy on a pre-broadcast interview with Margaret Juntwait, he sounds as vital and energetic as ever. Not to mention it'll take a legion of Valkyries to keep him off the podium for Siegfried and Götterdämmerung next season.

Sorry, Fabio: you'll just have to wait your turn. (Act II is on now.)


MATA 2011

DSC02615Due to other commitments this week, I regrettably missed nearly all of this year's MATA Festival, which wrapped up last night at LPR. (Fortunately, the performances were recorded for future broadcast on Q2; Wednesday's performance is posted below.)

I did manage to catch the tail-end of Tuesday's performance by ACME and l'Aresnale, who flew here all the way from Treviso, Italy. I heard the world premiere of London-based Canadian composer Christopher Mayo's Of Trees & Fields & Men, a MATA commission. A bit repetitive and astringent, but something about it got under my skin.

Sorry, David. I'll catch you at the next MATA Interval show. Or, maybe at VOX tomorrow.

DSC02616
Q2 Broadcast of MATA Festival, 5/11/11:


Celebrate Brooklyn 2011

Season_announce-email-headerAh, summer is almost here.

And, so is the glory that is Celebrate Brooklyn, which returns to the Prospect Park Bandshell for it's 33rd season, right at the top of my street. The season kicks off with the fantabulous violinist/singer/songwriter Andrew Bird on June 10, and continues throughout the summer. Among the free shows on tap:

  • 6/16: Hal Willner Project w/Roseanne Cash. Toshi Reagon and others
  • 6/17: The Books, Junip and Doveman
  • 6/24: Roy Hargrove, Jason Moran's Bandwagon, and The Bad Plus
  • 6/30: Justin Townes Earle and The Punch Brothers
  • 7/7 The Court Yard Hounds (formerly Dixie Chicks)
  • 7/8 Los Lobos
  • 7/15 Shirley Caesar
  • 7/22 Seun Kuto and Egypt 80
  • 7/23: The Feelies, Real Estate, and Times New Viking
  • 7/28 Mark Morris Dance Group w/Brooklyn Philharmonic
  • 7/30: Dr. John, Chuck Brown and Red Baraat
  • 8/5 Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, and Buke and Gass

Of course, there's also a series of benefit shows, three of which (The Decemberists, Anmial Collective and Bon Iver) are already sold out. Good thing the sound still carries over that baggie.