Some things just take the time they take. You can’t rush them. I am thinking of baseball, for instance. Or opera. For an even better example, take Eugene O’Neill’s play, The Iceman Cometh, as performed at Brooklyn Academy of Music on Friday, February 6. Co-presented by BAM and Scott Rudin, the Goodman Theater production of this play…
Tag: Brooklyn Academy of Music
Idea for BAM to Consider
Earlier this evening, I wrote to BAM with this idea: Has BAM ever considered filming performances and offering them online to watch for a fee (just like the Metropolitan Opera’s On-Demand program?) I know there are huge challenges to the idea. It would be very expensive to set up and maintain. There are issues of…
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Should I see the performance live, or should I attend the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD screening at BAM’s Rose Cinema? Lucky for me I have the option. I usually do a little of both. There is nothing like the thrill of being in the opera house and hearing the music and voices live —…
Miranda July in conversation with host Lena Dunham
From the moment Lena Dunham sat down to interview her friend, Miranda July, I knew it was going to be a wonderful evening at BAM. Lena decided to write her interview questions on Post-it® notes, which she would stick to the table between them once Miranda answered. If Miranda decided to pass on a question,…
Swan Lake
Last night I attended the Mariinsky Ballet’s performance of Swan Lake at BAM. Like most everyone I know, I have seen Swan Lake many times. This performance, however, is the one I will picture in my mind when I think of this ballet in the future. It was grand. Last night was the only performance…
The Etudes
The concept and simple, minimalist staging of Philip Glass’s Piano Etudes last night made for one of the most elegant and exciting evenings of music I have ever experienced. The row of ten piano benches along the back of the stage — each of them spotlighted and brought forward for each individual pianist, then replaced…
On Behalf of Nature
I have had a hard time making up my mind what to say about tonight’s performance. Interestingly, eekahil’s comment on the BAM blog helps me. I, too, have seen a number of Meredith Monk performances — at BAM and at Danspace Project. I am very familiar with her movement and vocal style, and consider myself…
Black Mountain Songs
Bryce Dessner, Richard Reed Parry and their fellow composers and musicians created a wonderful evening of music tonight, and it seems to me that the creativity and playful freedom of Black Mountain College really came through. I am always blown away by the talent of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. They tackle such difficult music and…
Sadeh21
I have never attended a Batsheva Dance Company performance. Now I am sorry I did not see them sooner. I saw them at BAM two days ago and the performance was mesmerizing, hypnotic, and like a shared dream, just as some of the BAM bloggers have mentioned. I agree with them. I have never seen dancers move…
Exposed: Songs for Unseen Warhol Films
I attended Exposed last night at BAM because I was interested in the Warhol films. I would have happily watched them with no sound. To be honest, I was afraid the music would detract from the films. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the music/film pairings. I thought that having three short films per…
Kontakthof
My first contact with Pina Bausch’s choreography was at BAM when I saw Danzón. At the time, I did not care for her style of dance. I found it too silly and not serious enough. It was too theatrical, I thought. I did not attend another performance of her dance company until “… como el musguito…
The Source
I attended 21c Liederabend last year at BAM and was intrigued by the arias presented from The Source which was commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects. When I saw the entire opera was being staged at BAM’s Fisher Theater, I knew it was going to be a memorable experience, and I was right. The use of the black box space was…
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