12.4.08
The Biblical origins of Bob Dylan's IT'S ALRIGHT MA (I'm Only Bleeding)
King Solomon inspired one of Dylan's most enduring songs
12.2.08
Napping more effective than a cuppa joe
Reports says replace afternoon coffee with a lie-down
11.29.08
[BOOK REVIEW] LUSH LIFE by Richard Price
Review by Seth Rogovoy, critic-at-large, Berkshire Living
11.26.08
MASS MoCA DIRECTOR to BRING SOL LEWITT SOUTH
Rest of the Story event at the Triplex on Dec. 14
11.25.08
[FILM REVIEW] QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Review by Seth Rogovoy, BERKSHIRE LIVING Magazine
11.23.08
[FILM REVIEW} A SECRET by Claude Miller
Review by Seth Rogovoy, critic-at-large, Berkshire Living
11.23.08
Why so many Holocaust films, and what do they say about us?
Film critic A.O. Scott asks penetrating questions about our obsession with Nazis and their Jewish victims
11.23.08
Lenox Gallery to feature small works by top regional artists
[PRESS RELEASE] Shade Gallery at the Bookstore opens new show on December 4
11.23.08
First English pubs, now French cafes are fading
Along with smoking and drinking, so goes the French way of life
7.7.08
CHATHAM SYNAGOGUE TO CELEBRATE LEGACY OF MARC CHAGALL
[PRESS RELEASE] Discussion of his life and work
11.17.08
[FILM REVIEW] RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Review by Seth Rogovoy, BERKSHIRE LIVING Magazine
11.7.08
Police, school administration apologize for terrorizing MMRHS students
Overreaction to bomb threats prompts indiscriminate police interrogation of innocent students
11.6.08
Another look at Dylan's IS YOUR LOVE IN VAIN?
Dylan's post-divorce song offers great insight into the transitional period
11.4.08
Dave Mason to perform at the Mahaiwe Dec. 5
[PRESS RELEASE] Legendary rocker, former member of Traffic, brings guitar and band to Great Barrington
11.4.08
Ani DiFranco to play Bardavon
[PRESS RELEASE] Indie folksinger performs in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on November 19, 2008
11.4.08
Ani DiFranco to play Bardavon
[PRESS RELEASE] Indie folksinger performs in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on November 19, 2008
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[MUSIC REVIEW] Kronos Quartet at Tanglewood
8.15.08
TANGLEWOOD
Ozawa Hall
KRONOS QUARTET
Thursday, August 14, 2008
by Seth Rogovoy
(LENOX, Mass., August 15, 2008) -- The Kronos Quartet lived up to its reputation as a state-of-the-art, global-minded contemporary ensemble in its performance at Tanglewood last night, with music spanning downtown New York (John Zorn), Iceland (Sigur Ros), Iraq, Iran, Serbia, India, and elsewhere.
The group also lived up to its reputation as consummate performers and virtuosi, in playing incredibly complex and difficult numbers that relied on non-traditional techniques (the Zorn and the folk-based Iraqi and Serbian numbers, for example), and entertainers (again, the Zorn, and also with attention paid to dress, lighting, and prerecorded sounds).
The first half of the program kicked off with a highly percussive Iraqi tune of unknown origin called "Oh Mother, the Handsome Man Tortures Me," introducing a not-so-subtle theme running through the evening's proceedings, which was music from places of conflict (with the exception, and relief, of the Sigur Ros). The Sigur Ros number aptly caught the nature of the Icelandic post-rock band's ambient swells, by the end achieving the full sweep and effect of a rock band with the four strings of the quartet.
The Zorn, selections from The Dead Man, was the highlight of the first half. The six short movements were composed in signature Zorn form: pastiches of styles measure-to-measure, jumping from atonal noise to cartoon music to traditional classical to sound effects (creaky doors) to blustery laughter. As always with Zorn, part of the challenge of the piece was to stretch the limits of the instruments themselves. In this case, it included the string players whipping their bows through the air on cue, sending resin flying and making whooshing sounds. The effect was equally comic as it was striking.
Aleksandra Vrebalov's "..hold me, neighbor, in the storm..." was a passionate travelogue through a dark night in Serbia, beginning with the martial beat of the bass drum and military-style vocal cadences, with a melody rolling in like armed tanks. The piece went in and out of Gypsy-style dancing, folk music, and astringent sounds. The composer was on hand to be commended by the packed crowd on the cool evening.
The program for the second half of the concert included works by Stephen Prutsman, Ram Narayan, and Steve Reich.
Seth Rogovoy is editor-in-chief and award-winning music critic at Berkshire Living magazine.
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