http://artsandabout.com News, Reviews and Opinion on Visual, Musical and Literary Culture Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I first came to know Alan Bennett as a member of "Beyond the Fringe", the smash 1960 comedy revue that revolutionized British satire. Back then, Bennett was the forgotten Fringe member, ceding the spotlight to Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller. Yet, as the years passed, Bennett has achieved ... http://artsandabout.com/literary-theatre/people-who-hate-people/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=people-who-hate-people News Bulletin: CIMMFEST (Chicago International Music and Movies Fest) is on this weekend (April 18-21) with a lollapolooza lineup of movies and live events. Don't let the weather keep you from catching part or much of this exciting event. CIMMFEST is a unique happening, celebrating the inseparability of movies and music. Festival co-directors ... http://artsandabout.com/rmusic-rock/its-only-rock-n-roll-but-i-like-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-only-rock-n-roll-but-i-like-it First it was Philip Glass' "The Fall of the House of Usher." Now, with Astor Piazzolla's opera, "Maria de Buenos Aires," which opens this Saturday, Chicago Opera Theater is signaling a trend toward more contemporary, unconventional programming. Such an approach fits the artistic outlook of its new general director, Andreas Mitisek. COT ... http://artsandabout.com/music-classical/maria-and-argentinas-dirty-war/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maria-and-argentinas-dirty-war [caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption=""Bouquet of Flowers" by Edward Steichen"][/caption] A rare synchronicity of scheduling makes it possible for photography fans and collectors to survey 150 years of photography in three current museum exhibitions. The only hitch: you need to travel to Milwaukee, Washington D. C. and New York to do ... http://artsandabout.com/art-museums/view-150-years-of-photography/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=view-150-years-of-photography At the beginning of this month, I urged you to put the upcoming European Film Festival on your calendar. Today, I'm alerting you to two April music festivals. They should but may not get much mainstream coverage. If you like alternative, creative music programming, these two festivals are definitely worth ... http://artsandabout.com/music-classical/tasty-musical-treats-times-two/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tasty-musical-treats-times-two Each year, around Christmastime, arts critics recollect top performances of the past year. Well,  90 days later (due to other commitments), I'm ready to offer my own compliments to Lyric Opera. My tardiness offered the unexpected bonus of seeing an additional production, "La Boheme" last month. So far, my ... http://artsandabout.com/music-classical/lyric-duo-worth-singing-about/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lyric-duo-worth-singing-about While I normally write about books or concerts after the fact, this week I want to get the word out in advance for the 16th Annual European Union Film Festival, screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center for the month of March. The lineup of 61 new films from 24 ... http://artsandabout.com/literary-movies/euro-film-fest-a-chicago-treat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=euro-film-fest-a-chicago-treat Editor's Note: This review marks the 75th post on this site since I began blogging three years ago this month. Many bloggers hit that mark within a few months but not posting 600-700 word essays. I hope you continue checking the site and sharing your thoughts  so that my humble ... http://artsandabout.com/literary-theatre/catch-this-motherfker-pronto/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=catch-this-motherfker-pronto When James Ginsburg founded Cedille Records in 1989 at the ripe age of 24, the classical record industry was bustling with activity. Four labels dominated the field: Deutsche Grammophon, Decca (London), Columbia and RCA Victor. In the quarter-century since, those labels have had a mighty fall. Multiple mergers, acquisitions, corporate ... http://artsandabout.com/music-classical/the-little-label-that-could/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-little-label-that-could The most evident centennial being celebrated in Chicago right now is that of Poetry Magazine. You can't walk anywhere in the Loop and miss the lightpole banners, streetside bulletin boards and even poets reading work from buried loudspeakers along State Street. I salute Poetry founder Harriet Monroe's cultural achievement of ... http://artsandabout.com/music-classical/georg-solti-centennial/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=georg-solti-centennial