“What happened to Debussy? There’s a clanging great anniversaire that classical music has so far neglected this year, since it’s the sesquicentenary of his birth in 1862. So where, oh where, is Claude-Achille, that father of musical modernism, ever since that languorous flute solo was first heard to create the reverie of a priapic deer in his Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune in 1894; the composer without whose investigations of texture, colour, form, and feeling, the vast majority of 20th century music could not have been written?”
Tag: 03.29.12
Two Finalists Emerge To Replace Villella At Miami City Ballet
“The MCB board of directors is scheduled at a meeting Tuesday to select either Jennifer Kronenberg, a popular, longtime principal dancer who is Villella’s choice as the best person to carry on his legacy, or Lourdes Lopez, a Miami-raised, Cuban-American former principal dancer with New York City Ballet who is favored by some executive board members and advisors.”
Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs, 88
“It is impossible to overstate the importance of Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognizable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash’s baritone or Hank Williams’ heartbreak.”
Poet And Essayist Adrienne Rich Dead At 82
“Her intense critique of contemporary society combined with her political activism set her apart from other leading women poets of her generation, including Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. She attended rallies against the Vietnam War, organized poetry readings for peace and marched for women’s rights – and urged every writer to address social injustice in their art.”