I’ve been looking for a version of “Silent Night” that captures its sacred nature, its ethereality. If I can stop thinking about lumber while watching, this clip might be it:
If you’re in Chicago for Christmas–and you’re a big geek–you’ll want to check out Commedia Beauregard’s A Klingon Christmas Carol:
Christopher Kidder, the director and co-writer, tells the Wall Street Journal, “It’s like an opera.” I’m sure it is. But at least it’s not this:
Here’s a video (sent by–you guessed it–my sister-in-law) of Los Straitjackets doing “Sleigh Ride” in Portland last December:
A few days after their show, coincidentally, Andy Williams, also a noted “Sleigh Ride” interpreter, was on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. Be warned if you listen to the interview: the guy’s kind of a jerk. I’m not going to post his “Sleigh Ride” here. I will post this, though:
My sister-in-law is at it again:
In an article for the Huffington Post, Jennifer Edwards helps to explain why Alastair Macaulay’s Nutcracker review–with the uncalled-for crack about two dancers’ weight–was worse than just rude:
While Macaulay clearly knows his history, taking 13 paragraphs to extol the magnificence of Balanchine’s vision and Tchaikovsky’s musical genius, this Perez Hilton-esque comment degrades not only the work of the dancers, but the art of cultural criticism. Commentary of this nature does nothing to educate, inspire, or bring about innovation in the field.
Edwards also cites critic Eva Yaa Asantewaa, who seems to have already given up on the Times as a source for intelligent, insightful dance coverage:
Since Times arts editors apparently condone or encourage snarky writing in its dance reviews–and since Times reviews, regrettably, are crucial to the careers of artists and survival of arts institutions–we will have to push on and create viable, respected alternatives. Most of all, we will have to teach young performers to respect their bodies, care for their health, and be happy in their dancing.
Now we’re getting somewhere, to the heart of the matter. Macaulay’s brand of childish, decadent criticism–by an insider for other jaded insiders–just doesn’t cut it anymore (if it ever did).
(My initial reaction is here.)
My friend Peter MacDonald, the Music Director at Local 107.3 FM in St. John and someone who really needs to update his blog, posted this little gem to his Facebook page this morning:
And the band’s pretty tight, too.
From the San Francisco Ballet’s 2007 production:
It’s impossible to know everything about every art form that enriches our culture. We all have blind spots, and filling those in for us is where a critic can be most useful.
Alastair Macaulay failed in this role when, in his now much discussed review, he said this about Jenifer Ringer and Jared Angle’s performances in the New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker:
Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many; and Jared Angle, as the Cavalier, seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm. They’re among the few City Ballet principals who dance like adults, but without adult depth or complexity.
Because Macaulay didn’t explain to us how Ringer’s and Angle’s weight related to the superficiality of the dancing, we can only conclude that he was taking a cheap shot at dancers he just didn’t like. (Ringer went on the Today Show to defend herself.) Macaulay missed an opportunity to explain the connection between body image and movement in ballet (as opposed to other forms of dance, for example).
I certainly would welcome that deeper critical discussion; I suspect most reasonably intelligent people curious about dance would. But, having read Macaulay’s follow-up defense of his review, I doubt he has the capacity to give us this anyway. Best just to move on. (See, anyone can sucker punch.)
In an editorial this morning, Hawaii’s Star-Advertiser pointed out an unmentioned, unfortunate consequence of the Honolulu Symphony’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy:
But even in the best of times, symphony musicians had to supplement this part-time salary with side jobs — usually teaching private lessons to Hawaii’s music students. If former symphony members no longer have a base salary to keep them here, many of them will leave the islands, taking an invaluable instructional resource away with them.
The resulting “brain drain” will deal another blow to an arts education that already has been suffering from budgetary cutbacks for years, a situation further degraded by the economic recession.
As the debate goes on in cities around the country about the value of regional orchestras, it’s good to keep in mind that as musicians lose their jobs and leave, the community also loses teachers, homeowners, consumers. It’s something that doesn’t get discussed often enough.
The night before our trip to Manhattan for the New York Theatre Ballet’s abbreviated Nutcracker last Sunday, I came across, on Netflix, the 1986 film version with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra.
The NYBT production we saw with the children the next day was precious, in a good way. The choreography made it easy to follow the story while also giving the dancers lots of room to show their stuff. It was a young group that danced with verve; my daughter was transfixed.
The only distraction was the tinny recorded music. I know that the company can’t afford a full band, but surely someone can put together a good chamber version that would be affordable and engaging.
But if you want to give your children the Nutcracker experience, this is the one. It’s short, pretty, and good.
Back in March, the Honolulu Symphony filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (as the Louisville Orchestra recently did) to get out from under their debt. Today, the board acknowledged that the financial weight was overwhelming when they asked a US bankruptcy court to change their status to Chapter 7 and let them liquidate all assets. The judge granted the request.
So, my sister-in-law sent me this, with the note: “I thought of you when I saw this one.”
Thanks for the tip, Sabrina.
Mark Likes Music 
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