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Artscope Magazine | September/October 2024

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Music

ISANGO ENSEMBLE PLAYS MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE AT EMERSON

// Artscope Online, Music

by James Foritano

When Mozart composed The Magic Flute in Vienna in 1791, he hoped it would become as popular as he thought it should. It did. First it conquered Vienna, then the other great cities of Europe fell to its enchanting mix of singing, dancing and fairy-tale plot. Not long ago, a grade schooler in Cape Town, South Africa, returned home after having seen a student production and vented enthusiastically to his mother that her troupe Isango Ensemble should try it on. They did. And we were lucky enough to be at its performance at Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theatre on opening night. Isango, an all-black troupe, has inherited tribal traditions rich in dancing, singing, magic and shrewd psychology that are more than a match to communicate the nuances of “The Magic Flute,” conceived in Europe of universals that strike the heart and mind globally. The costumes are minimal, richly African, and … [Read more...] about ISANGO ENSEMBLE PLAYS MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE AT EMERSON

THEATER REVIEW: THE SEVEN FINGERS PRESENT PASSENGERS AT EMERSON CUTLER

// Artscope Online, Music, Theatre

by James Foritano

Once again, Arts Emerson has hosted “The Seven Fingers,” a perennial favorite from Canada, most recently for the United States premiere of “Passengers” at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. The Seven Fingers troupe must be named for the acrobatic finesse with which they navigate the on-stage ropes, wires and poles which the contemporary circus movement summons for small stage presentations — small stage, that is, in comparison to the “death-defying” heights of the traditional ‘Big-Top” circus tents of my youth. I didn’t much miss the dizzying heights of those days, since these performers were able to demonstrate their breath-taking expertise at more accommodating distances — almost eye-level in some acts. Looking at the cover of “Passengers” program I see again but still don’t quite believe how Conor Wild uses the Chinese pole so deftly for his acrobatics — levitating and … [Read more...] about THEATER REVIEW: THE SEVEN FINGERS PRESENT PASSENGERS AT EMERSON CUTLER

THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA PRESENTS PAGLIACCI

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Music, Visual Arts

by James Foritano

Once again, the Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) has made a brilliant virtue of its present homeless state by choosing an unorthodox and roomy site in which they can design a stage that is more an invitation than the old-style elevated barrier. This stage was the DCR Memorial Steriti Skating Rink located on Commercial Street, just a short walk from North Station. We took advantage of the Green Line’s public transportation then climbed upstairs to enjoy an illuminated urban experience on Commercial Street as it circles a North End dotted with restaurants. Since we longed for the full immersive experience, we ignored the restaurants and headed for the advertised food trucks. I grabbed a heap of Indian food, then followed the signs to the back of the skating rink where we positioned ourselves on a picnic bench overlooking the Charles River as it flows towards the locks that lead into Boston … [Read more...] about THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA PRESENTS PAGLIACCI

STREET STYLE: ‘GOING PLACES’ AT THE K. SIMON CENTER; PAINT FOR PREVENTION EVENT ON MAY 11

// Artscope Online, Music, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

For two nights, on April 26 and 27, the small city of Broad Brook, Connecticut came together to celebrate art, skateboarding and music as one. The K. Simon Center for the Arts held the show, “Going Places,” where hand-painted and printed skateboard decks lined a wall, New England artists showcased their work in colorful displays for visitors to purchase, and rhythmic beats reverberated throughout the second-story room. Creativity pulsed through the space. Featured vendors included MelRose Denim (@melrose_denim on Instagram), creators of denim jackets with vintage and iconic printed images like Polaroid, Bob Marley and MTV, as well as other repurposed denim items like placemats. Positive State Apparel (@positivestate_apparel) also sold clothing with their signature Positive State name repeated row after row on t-shirts, ending with “have a nice day,” inspired from the plastic grocery … [Read more...] about STREET STYLE: ‘GOING PLACES’ AT THE K. SIMON CENTER; PAINT FOR PREVENTION EVENT ON MAY 11

CONCERT REVIEW: IDLES AT BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

// Featured, Music, Review

by Shem Tane

On September 20, I found myself outside Brighton Music Hall for the first time in my six or so years of living in Boston, in line to see Idles, a punk band from Bristol, England that was in the midst of a tour for its sophomore album, Joy is an Act of Resistance. When a band releases a second album, there is a high level of anxiety that it will suffer by comparison to a successful debut album and the band will fade into obscurity (and join the ranks of other one-hit wonders). This is not the case for Idles; the new album has already received high ratings from critics that are claiming the album as a fresh take on the punk genre. The album delivers social commentary on the toxicity of the punk scene as well as the right wing’s take on immigrants. When the band started playing their set, its singer, Joe Talbot, slowly paced the stage staring down the crowd like a shark circling … [Read more...] about CONCERT REVIEW: IDLES AT BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

Running the Numbers: Tricot at Paradise Rock Club, June 9, 2018

// Featured, Music, Review

by Shem Tane

A show at the Paradise Rock Club in Allston, Mass., on June 9 was a collection of math rock bands from the last two decades, some old, some new. The band I was there for was Tricot, an almost entirely female math rock band from Japan. This was the band's second United States tour and, knowing the gamble of planning and financing an international tour, this would probably be my only chance to see them live. While waiting in line the majority of people were here for the headlining band, CHON. The genre of math rock can easily be summed up by a unique tempo and switching time signatures, as well as stacking rhythm and lead parts as an extended fugue piece. It is hard to separate math rock bands’ timbres from one another. A pitfall that some bands fall into is that they will start to drift from the rhythm of the song and all the instruments will just start competing with each other instead … [Read more...] about Running the Numbers: Tricot at Paradise Rock Club, June 9, 2018