cityArts March 22, 2011

MAR. 23-APR. 5, 2011Volume 3, Issue 6

IN THIS ISSUE: JAY NORDLINGER on the Oprah-ization of classical music

HOWARD MANDEL revisits ‘Silver Apples’

PLUS:New Directors/New Films

Supremacist masters on view

Reed Birney’s roles in ‘Burning Boy’

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March 23, 2011 | City Arts 3

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InthisIssue7 DECORATIvE ARTSthe newly expanded Bard graduate Center’s gallery exhibits focus on the importancce of outside cultures to decorative arts.

8 THEATERMArK BLAnKensHiP interprets actor reed Birney’s influences on his role

in The Dream of the Burning Boy.

9 JAzzHoWArd MAndeL speaks to Morton subotnick about experimental music.

10 AT THE GALLERIESreviews: thornton Willis at Elizabeth Harris Gallery; Malevich and the American Legacy at Gagosian Gallery; rafael Ferrer at Adam Baumgold Gallery; Jordan eagles at Krause Gallery; James grashow at Allan Stone Gallery; Alphonse van Woerkom at Sragow Gallery.

12 CLASSICALJAY nordLinger on Joyce didonato & evgeny Kissin’s recent Carnegie Hall recitals.

13 DANCEJoeL LoBentHAL examines the essential role Martha graham dance Company performs for our culture.

14 ARTS AGENDAgalleries, Art events, Museums, Classical Music, opera, theater

19 PAINT THE TOWN By AMANDA GORDON

On tHE cOvEr: richard Move as Martha graham. Move performs Martha@…The 1963 Interview March 30–April 2 at dance theater Workshop. Photo by Josef Astor.

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Martha & MoveTwo years ago, the 92nd Street Y

contacted dance artist Richard Move “out of the blue” with a recently discovered audio recording from its long-running Legendary Speakers series of a 1963 interview between dance legend Martha Graham and writer and historian Walter Terry. “We knew you would love this,” a representative of the organization told him.

The hunch was right, as Move has now fashioned the recording into the latest iteration of his Martha@ franchise, titled Martha@…The 1963 Interview. A staged recreation of the historic interview opens March 30 at Dance Theater Workshop, which also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the iconic choreographer’s passing.

Move—playing yet another incarnation of the Martha Graham impersonation that made him a celebrated fixture of Downtown dance in the late ’90s—will team up with performer Lisa Kron (filling the pants of Walter Terry) to reconstruct the tête-à-tête, while Martha Graham Company principal Katherine Crockett and former Graham Company member Catherine Cabeen bring to life Graham’s recollections of herself, as Move explains, “dancing some of the iconic moments of some of her great ballets at the peak of her power.”

The recently discovered recording has opened for Move a window into Graham’s more vulnerable dimension. “It’s a departure from how I normally perform her, where she is in complete and utter control—which is also the way she generally appeared in public. This interview is different because that high priestess, goddess, oracular Graham is still there, and she says the most amazing and otherworldly kind of mystical things that we want her to say. But there are many moments where she’s caught slightly off guard and has to bring herself back to

center and find the appropriate words.”But, Move warns: “I don’t want to

paint this picture that she’s careening out of control: She says amazing things, and she’s still at the top of her game. And she gets up and dances in the interview as well. But there is a real humanity and vulnerability to her… She keeps surprising me!” [Ryan Tracy]

Essential TextsWhen most people walk into a gallery,

all they see is the art. But a curator sees choices: the wording of the accompanying text, the wall treatments, the placement of the art. Students in the Museum Studies Program at Syracuse University had their first shot at curating a show this year, and now have a new appreciation for the job.

“It makes you wonder how curators sleep at night,” Serena Vascik says. She is one of the students in the Advanced Curatorship class at Syracuse who had the opportunity to work with a collection of drawings from the Dahesh Museum of Art. Students were tasked with curating the “entire show from start to finish,” according to Vascik.

“The Dahesh lent us this show and gave us full rein,” Vascik explains. “It was really intimidating, but at the same time, really exciting.”

The Essential Line: Drawings from The Dahesh Museum of Art was the end product of the collaboration, and is on view at the Palitz Gallery, located in the Lubin House (at 11 E. 61st St.) through March 24. The collection was first exhibited as From the Studio to the Salon on campus in the SU Art Galleries.

Students got a sneak peek of the collection of almost 50 SU Art drawings in May of last year, and hit the ground running once classes resumed this past fall. They began looking for a theme to tie the

show together, and started research on the drawings in order to write wall text for the pieces. The writing—and rewriting—of these labels took all semester.

“You don’t realize how much work is involved in writing label copy or writing brochures until you actually do it yourself,” Sarisha Guarneiri, another student involved in the project, explains.

In addition to writing wall text, each student was assigned a specific role to get the show off the ground. Guarneiri was in charge of design elements for From the Studio to the Salon. Instead of the classic white, she chose red for the salon-style wall, as well as damask-patterned wallpaper. One thing that “stands out for me was actually physically putting together the show,” Guarneiri says. “Working under the direction of the SU Art Gallery staff and professor Teddy Aiken, we were able to handle the drawings and arrange them to determine the narration of the show.”

David Farmer, the Dahesh Museum’s director of exhibitions, pared down the show at Syracuse for the Palitz Gallery, using edited versions of the wall texts and creating a more focused theme.

“Giving graduate students in Museum Studies the use of our collection is an ideal extension of the partnership that can exist between a university and a museum,” Farmer says. “In entrusting our collection to future curators, we are helping to prepare the next generation of museum professionals.” [V.L. Hendrickson]

Fresh Festival VoicesAt a time when it seems that film

festivals are more commercialized than ever, New Directors/New Films serves as a sharp rejoinder from March 23–April 3. The annual festival co-hosted by the Museum of Modern Art and Film Society at Lincoln Center, now in its 40th year, holds true to the promise of its title: no big names, no familiar titles; everything is new.

The programming strategy is simple: overlooked festival favorites with audience appeal. So while a few irritating works from the dregs of Sundance slip into the selection, you also have the chance to sit in the dark with challenging works from the most promising names in world cinema.

This year, excitingly, the program seems dominated by woman: directing, acting in leading roles or coming to life with a new resonance through archival footage.

The surreal odyssey that frames At Ellen’s Age provides one the most interesting and provoking viewing experience of ND/NF. Director Pia Marais constructs a sublimely odd world around Ellen (played with spider-like intensity by Jeanne Balibar), who, after a breakdown, drifts among various groups like a ghost. The film manages to hold its hypnotic grip on the viewer while not falling too far into the obscure.

Two documentaries, El Velador and The Black Power Mixtape, provide chilling accounts of their subjects that are matched by a refreshing vitality. Mixtape is the story of the Black Power Movement told through unseen footage—shot for Swedish Television—which went missing for over 30 years. What we see now is in many ways incredible; the most striking scene is a prison interview with Angela Davis, pale and ready to crumble, holding back tears as she unloads on a reporter. In El Velador, director Natalia Almada takes the viewer inside a cemetery in the middle of a neighborhood embroiled in a drug war, a place of death that is filled with human life. As the cemetery grows in size, a spooky atmosphere invades the scene, turning the area into something more resembling an abandoned amusement park.

Death also permeates the exquisite Curling, a story of a father embracing life in a world filled with tragedy. The film is subtle and elegant in striking ways, building slowly toward a climax that is remarkable for its deeply felt brevity as much as its lack of judgement. Life bursts through the formal rigor and emotional bleakness of Curling in a non-aggressive way, and it’s the chance to see this type of film that makes New Directors/New Films worth keeping around. [Craig Hubert]

Trading SpacesIf only a used cardboard box and a

copper pipe elbow could buy you a college education.

On March 25, The Whitney Museum of American Art will host Trade School at the Whitney: Coincidence of Wants. For just one night, Trade School, a barter-based alternative education project, will offer 16 simultaneous classes at the Madison Avenue museum. This special evening is the brainchild of artist Saul Melman, who first became involved with Trade School as a student in February 2010, during the program’s initial one-month run.

Through his work last year on another project, “A Wound Drawn Together,” an installation and performance piece at the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Melman was

InBrief

Angela Davis in The Black Power Mixtape.

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Richard Move as Martha.

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ArtsNewsThe Ford Foundation granted $3

million to the Upper East Side’s Museum of African Art. Museum President Elsie McCabe announced the grant will support the final stage of construction on the new museum building at Fifth Avenue and East 110th Street. The 5,000-square-foot lobby of the building, scheduled to open in the fall, will be named the “Ford Foundation Lobby.” Along with David Rockefeller, Walt Disney Company and other private donors, the Ford Foundation helped the Museum raise $76 million… The Metropolitan Opera announced the winners of the 2011 National Council Auditions. Topping the 1,500 singers who auditioned across North America are Joseph Barron, bass-baritone from Pittsburgh, Penn., Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone from Suffolk, Va., soprano Michelle Johnson from Pearland, Texas, Joseph Lim, baritone from Seoul, and Philippe Sly from Ottawa. Each winner receives $15,000 and a chance to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra… Dianna Molzan’s first solo museum show and New York debut will open April 8 at The Whitney Museum of American Art. Dianna Molzan: Bologna Meissen, curated by Margot Norton, will take place in the lobby and feature Molzan’s work with paint and ceramics. Her modifications to shape and surface reveal the disconnect between what’s represented on the outside and what’s concealed beneath the surface… Phillips de Pury & Company has announced the highlights of its upcoming photographs sale, to take place April 9 at its flagship location on Park Avenue and East 57th Street. Highlights include Peter Lindbergh’s Kate Moss, Harper’s Bazaar US, Long Island, NY, USA, 1994, estimated to bring in $50,000–$70,000, and Richard Avedon’s Bob Dylan, Singer, 132nd Street and FDR Drive, November 4th, 1963, which could fetch $40,000–$60,000. The sale encompasses local, classic, contemporary and fashion photography. General viewing will take place for one week before the auction... The Peoples Improv Theater moved to 123 E. 24th St. The location has a new theater and swanky bar, offering the same nightly comedic shows and improvisation workshops… Riverside Park announced the programming for its 2011 Summer on the Hudson, which will take place May 1 through Nov. 14. Returning favorites will include “Movies Under the Stars” and “West Side County Fair” as part of

the 11th annual festival. Riverside Park also announced the inclusion of West Harlem Piers Park, making summer on the Hudson the largest free festival in New York, stretching from West 59th to West 135th streets… Performa’s visual arts biennial will kick off Nov. 1 at 80 different venues across the city, with Performa Hub functioning as the headquarters, hosting special events and discussions. Performa 11 will feature over 100 international contemporary artists as well as 10 new Performa Commissions during its three-

week run. Presented in collaboration with 40 different arts and culture organizations, the biennial will celebrate culture across artistic disciplines... The Center for Contemporary Opera received a $100,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the process of developing new opera and music theater works. The Center’s Development Series gives composers, librettists and opera companies a chance to workshop pieces in front of an informed audience, in order to make improvements to the

productions... The Museum of Modern Art announced that it has received a third grant from the MetLife Foundation for The MoMA Alzheimer’s Project: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia. The one-year grant of $200,000 brings the MetLife Foundation’s total contribution to $1,050,000. It will support the Museum’s free local programs for people with dementia and their caregivers, and enable the project to add additional content to its website... Got a tip for us? Email [email protected].

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The exhibition is made possible in part by Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton, Jr.The multimedia tour is made possible by The Jonathan & Faye Kellerman Foundation.The Audio Guide program is made possible by Bloomberg.

John Monteleone, Archtop Guitar, Sun King model (serial number 195), detail, Islip, New York, 2000, Private Collection. Photograph © Archtop History, Inc. from the book ARCHTOP GUITARS: The Journey from Cremona to New York by Rudy Pensa and Vincent Ricardel.

multimedia tour app at metmuseum.org Through July 4

GUITAR HEROESLegendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York

MET-0047-GuitarHeroes_CityArts_7.341x8.5(1.16)_Mar23_v2.indd 1 3/9/11 3:58 PM

6 City Arts | www.cityartsnyc.com

InBrief

introduced to Marjorie Weinstein, the museum’s manager of education initiatives. Over the course of eight months, in conjunction with the rest of the Trade School team, the two plotted to bring Trade School—which has previously offered classes including “Hoodoo You Love? Honey Jars for Romantics & Employees” and “Foraging for Mushrooms and Cultivating Surprise”—to the museum. In keeping with Trade School’s principles, there is no money involved in the exchange: The Whitney will not supply funding and Trade School will not pay to use the space.

In order to participate in Trade School at the Whitney, a maximum of 250 students can register online and pledge to contribute an item of their own creation as payment for the classes they plan to take. At a regular Trade School class, teachers request specific items in exchange for their classes—past Trade School barter items have included everything from proofreading services to cardboard boxes—but at The Whitney, anything goes. The bartered objects will be displayed in a designated space for the duration of the evening. At the end of the night, the 26 participating teachers—volunteers who applied and were selected by Trade School, and who range from 10-year-olds to college professors—will take their pick from the collection.

Class topics at the Whitney range from Pilates to alcohol distillation, with stand-outs like “Philosophy of Plumbing: From Kant to Kierkegaard,” a joint plumbing and philosophy class taught by Brooklyn College professor Dena Shottenkirk, and a DIY spectrometer workshop taught by a crew from MIT.

The Whitney event takes place during the Museum’s Free Friday operating hours, and classes will utilize the “in-between” spaces of the museum, including the elevators, stairwells, courtyards and entranceways. In some cases, participants will interact with ordinary museumgoers, whispering songs in their ears or connecting in other ways.

“Each one of these classes is going to look like its own art installation,” says Melman. “I’m really interested in the alchemy of interaction between people, space and objects. That’s what I do in my work, I create immersive spaces or environments where I can foster kinetic energy between people, to create a physical and emotional experience with a unique shape.” [Deb Sperling]

Historical LibertiesA priest and an atheist walk into a

bar. The atheist plays a little “light lute” while the priest enjoys some carbonated indulgences served up by the Bavarian barmaid. The more St. Pauli Girls they imbibe, the more heated the conversation becomes, despite their many years of

arguing the same things: the church, faith, reason and how to steer Hamlet, their star pupil at Wittenberg University.

The priest, Martin Luther, and the atheist, John Faustus, are professors at Wittenberg, where young Hamlet is a senior with a still-undeclared major. The philosophical back and forth between the two professors is the internal debate of the future King of Denmark, which is punctuated by his role as the school’s star tennis player.

Wittenberg, a new play at the Pearl Theatre that opened March 20, is the meeting of the classical minds of Luther, Faustus and Hamlet. It’s a mix of modern humor, philosophical argument and references to the great works by Shakespeare, Marlowe and Luther himself. The Pearl is known for producing classics—Moliére and Chekhov were also part of this season—and its regular audience is perfect for the show.

“The theater ought to be fun, I think, and this was a chance to have fun,” says J. R. Sullivan, the Pearl’s artistic director as well as the director of this show. “The Pearl audience is so well-versed. They get all the references.”

Sullivan first directed the show in 2008 at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre, before taking his current job at the Pearl. He was immediately intrigued by David Davalos’ script. “I was taken with the mix,” he said. “I loved the argument in it, the comedy, and I loved the idea of mixing time periods—our time and 1517.”

Hamlet’s life before Hamlet was very much on Davalos’ mind when he was writing the piece. “I was playing Rosencrantz at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Hamlet was just home from college,” he explains. “They kept saying Wittenberg, and that stuck in my head. Shakespeare was making a point—it could have been anywhere.”

To the Elizabethan audience, hearing that someone attended Wittenberg was like hearing a character went to Berkeley in the 1960s, a “place where bold ideas are being challenged,” says Davalos.

Both Luther and Marlowe mention Wittenberg in their writings, some of which are excerpted in the program, and Davalos decided to see how the “three figures fit together in the Elizabethan mind.”

The play brings together the “make-your-own-reality” philosophy of Faustus and the religion-based teachings of Luther, along with “to be or not to be” references and allusions to other giants like Aristotle, Plato and Copernicus. A smattering of the scatological is also written in, referring to Luther’s life-long troubles with constipation.

Sitting in the audience, often cast as students in a lecture hall, one hears chuckles of appreciation and an occasional groan after a particularly pithy pun. But no matter how well-versed they are, very few will get every reference thrown out in Wittenberg. Neither Sullivan nor Davalos seem to be worried about it, though.

“If you get it, that’s great,” said Sullivan. “But David Davalos has used them to serve the play in the moment, and the jokes keep it moving forward. You play them, drive through them and move on.” [VLH]

Bridging the DivideArtBridge, in partnership with Epic

Records, is accepting submissions through April 1 for a new competition titled Between The Lines. Artists with an interest in music and musicians who make art are invited to submit visual art pieces, in a variety of mediums, exploring the theme of “Sound.” A curatorial panel will select 40 winners, whose works will be featured on a 400-foot-long, 10-foot-high wall at Epic’s Madison Avenue headquarters.

Founded by painter and graphic designer Rodney Durso, Chelsea-based non-profit ArtBridge brings the work of emerging artists to otherwise dull and dreary construction scaffolding, known as bridges, brightening up neighborhoods and giving underrepresented artists a chance to share their work with the public. Durso came up with the idea for the project in the summer of 2008, when London Terrace, the illustrious address where he also lives, was undergoing maintenance. “I thought to myself that something better or more useful or more beautiful could be made out of this,” he says. “Originally I wanted to put my own art up there, but that just seemed a little too self-serving.”

The first-prize winner receives $1,000, but all selected works from Between The Lines will be professionally photographed with a high-definition camera and transferred to the sturdy, vinyl-like, waterproof material that encases the scaffolding. “If the piece can fit in the front door of my studio, then we can photograph it, and it can be enlarged and then put up on a scaffold,” Durso explains. “We’ve had collage, painting, photography, fabric. Someone is submitting a sculpture this time.”

After each show, the art works are made into vinyl tote bags—literally. “The material that the show is printed on…it’s waterproof, windproof, so when it comes down, we recycle it,” Durso explains.

“We give it to another non-profit, Urban Samaritan. Their mission is to help under-employed and homeless women find work, and they actually do the sewing. They build these bags for us, and you can buy them on our website.”

While the current competition is slightly more under-the-radar than other ArtBridge events, Durso says the organization has plenty of plans for more high visibility future endeavors, including one in Brooklyn and another in Manhattan. At any given time, Durso points out, there are about a million linear feet of scaffolding up throughout the city. For him, that’s about a million feet of blank canvas. [DS]

Melody of MemoryYuval Waldman may be known for

his talent with the violin, but he’s been spending a lot of his time in quiet spaces. As the founder and artistic director of Music Bridges International, Waldman took the opportunity to pore through library archives and obscure music collections in Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Israel. During his March 29 Merkin Hall concert, titled Music Forgotten and Remembered, Waldman will perform many of the little-known gems that he rediscovered, which were composed by Eastern European Jews and range in styles from impressionistic, neoclassical, folk and Klezmer.

“Some of these composers were quite well-known in Russia, but when they had to leave, they were forgotten,” Waldman explains. Composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg, for example, was a close personal friend of Shostakovich, but is not nearly as famous. Waldman will perform the New York premiere of Weinberg’s 1952 piece “Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes,” and he says Weinberg deserves to be better known. Another is avant-garde composer Arthur Lourie, who was a close friend of Stranvinsky, yet his 1945 “Entrata” from Concerto da Camera is seldom heard. Three other New York “firsts” include Gideon Klein’s “Lullaby,” an arrangement composed in the Terezin concentration camp; Czech Jaromír Weinberger’s “Colloque Sentimentale”; and a virtuoso violin solo written in the early 1900s by Klezmer violinist and composer Yehiel Goizman.

Waldman will also perform two very well-known French violin masterpieces—“Sonata in A Major” for violin and piano by Cesar Franck and Maurice Ravel’s “Tzigane”—with which he has strong personal connections. “I’m modestly carrying on a tradition,” Waldman explains. “Those musicians ‘born yesterday’ may not have the memory that I do.” Waldman also found something else important during his time searching: The woman at the Kiev library who assisted him in his research for these works is now his wife. [J. Portwood]

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Scott Greer as Faustian Wittenberg.

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By Kate Prengel

Decorative art tends to reveal a lot about social history. Two exhibits at the newly renovated Bard Graduate Center galleries are making that point

clear right now, by studying the household objects—bowls, plates and tools—of two peoples in transition. The main exhibit, Cloisonne: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, looks at Chinese decorative art across three dynasties, even glancing at the Opium Wars. The second, smaller exhibit, Objects of Exchange: Social and Material Transformation on the Late 19th-Century Northwest Coast, covers works by Native Americans faced with European colonizers. Both shows, however, articulate the ways that wars and cultural exchange affect our most intimate art.

Cloisonne enamel first came to China by way of Byzantium, in the 14th century. The Bard exhibit includes some “controversially” re-dated pieces from that early period. These may, in fact, be the best pieces in the show. I spent a very long time transfixed in front of a case of three incense burners from the second half of the 14th century. They are very simple—red, yellow and green lotus flowers spread out

against a dark blue background—but the colors are still rich and luscious, and the pieces themselves look as self-contained and heavy as grapes. One can still feel all the excitement of those long-ago artists, using a brand-new foreign art form to make their lotus flowers. No wonder a contemporary critic attacked them for imposing “Frankish” values on traditional Chinese styles. And no wonder the style became wildly popular in the palaces and temples of the time.

Later pieces suffered from that very popularity. The Qing dynasty produced endless, astonishingly gaudy enamels. The Qing emperors were not ethnically Chinese, and one way for them to show their power was through jewel-encrusted statuettes and copies of ancient works of art. A vase from the early 18th century (early Kangxi period) imitates the shape of a classical Han dynasty vase, right down to the ring handles. But this version is huge, with thick, golden details. The whole thing is enameled a bright, sky blue and covered in big, clumsy fruits. A piece from a bit later in the 18th century (Qianlong period) has a jewel-encrusted bodhisattva seated in the middle of a gold-railed shrine, with bright

blue enamel work all around him. The best pieces from the Qing dynasty are the confident, light-hearted palace decorations: big fish basins, doves that double as incense burners. The rest feels heavy and stale, a bit worn out.

The exhibit closes with the Opium Wars, which opened China up to the West and brought Chinese enamels to Europe. The French aristocracy fell in love with the style, in much the same way as the Chinese fell in love with enamel back in the 14th century. Napoleon III commissioned a series of enamel ornaments from the best French bronze workers. One piece in particular, a vase by Ferdinand Barbedienne, stands out. The vase is almost ludicrously French. Tall and curved, it is covered with big, passionate pink and white roses, on a rich blue background. Its handles are golden rams’ heads, and it has heavily carved, golden rams’ feet. It glows with excitement and energy, just like the early Chinese enamels. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Downstairs in the Focus Gallery, the 19th-century Northwest Coast exhibit is based around the idea that Native peoples changed their artwork as they adapted to European presence. It’s hard to argue against this point, and most of the show makes a very clear case, but at times it’s a bit too didactic. Silver spoons with raven heads on the handle and pipes shaped like passengers on a train must have been made

for European collectors. Dolls dressed like Western ladies and ammunition belts with Tlingit carved faces on them also point to an obvious European influence. But the curators expect us to take a lot on faith.

A striking little statue of a shaman turning into a raven, by the Haida artist Simeon Stilthda (one of the show’s best features is that it credits individual artists whenever possible) includes a plaque explaining that, while the story of the shaman’s transformation is traditional Haida, the wings here are shaped just like angel wings in Christian imagery. The curators argue that this is a case of “hybridity” and the “transcendence of societal boundaries.” This may well be, but the argument would have been more convincing if they had showed us an earlier sculpture with wings free of Christian influence.

The curators also have the dubious habit of telling us how the artists felt about their own legacies. Again and again, I found myself reading the plaques and then anxiously studying the artwork for signs of hybridity. It’s a pity, because the curators have assembled a lot of wonderful pieces. If only they’d drop the grad-student jargon and let us come to our own conclusions.

Through April 17, Galleries at the Bard Graduate Center, 18 W. 86th St.; Tues.–Sun., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.–8 p.m., $5-$7.

Value Exchange Two exhibits show the influence of outside cultures on decorative arts

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By Mark Blankenship

If Reed Birney seems especially connected to his character in The Dream of the Burning Boy, it’s because he’s been

uniquely involved in its development.Birney has been collaborating with

playwright David West Read, who’s making his New York debut with this production, part of the Roundabout Underground series for emerging writers through May 8. Both in rehearsal and out, they’ve discussed the script with an intimacy usually reserved for playwrights and directors, or sometime playwrights and dramaturgs.

Granted, director Evan Cabnet has also been a major part of the conversation, but by making room for Birney’s voice, the production has tweaked the typical model for creating new work.

Birney stars as Larry, a high school English teacher who must reveal an old secret after one of his students, Dane, dies at school. One reason he’s been so involved with the development of the show is that’s he’s been playing Larry for two years, across several workshops as well as in this production. That’s longer than even Cabnet and the Roundabout have been involved. “It’s hard for me to think of anyone else playing the character because I identify it so closely with Reed,” says the playwright. “It’s been invaluable to be able to talk it through with him.”

But that’s not the only reason Birney’s been integral to the process. He’s also one of Off-Broadway’s most respected actors, having recently starred in Blasted, A Small Fire and Circle Mirror Transformation. “As I’m just starting out in my career, he’s been doing this for something like 36 years,” Read says. “He’s got a few nuggets of wisdom to pass on.”

Take the first scene: In an early draft, Dane died on stage as he and Larry were discussing an assignment. (Now he dies off stage, shortly after the meeting is over.) Birney recalls, “I remember saying at a coffee shop a year and a half ago, ‘I don’t know why he needs to die on stage. We’re three minutes into the play. It’s possibly a very exciting way

to start, but it’s also really tough to ask the audience to feel something for characters that they don’t even know yet.’”

Birney’s input also comes from his experience as an actor. Earlier this week, he suggested that the final scene, where Larry faces his past, could be more powerful if a crucial line was delivered later. “He was able to explain from an actor’s perspective what the specific line was for him that got him to the place he needed to be at the end of the play,” says Read. “That was incredibly helpful.”

That kind of input could boost any new show, but there are several factors that keep actors out of the loop. Some of them simply want to show up and act, for instance, and some directors and playwrights don’t want extra voices in their most intense conversations.

And besides, writers and directors often get to the party first. “Usually, I’ll come on board at the beginning of the rehearsal process,” Birney says. “I feel like I can be very involved in those three weeks of rehearsal, but the play’s been workshopped for years.”

No matter who’s involved, of course, Read is still responsible for the final script. “David has done all the work,” Birney says. “Whatever gentle prodding we’ve done along the way, he’s come to everything on his own.”

That, perhaps, is another reason Birney has been such a successful collaborator: Like any good theater artist, he senses the dividing line between “enthusiastic input” and “overbearing commands.”

“Reed is really selective when he says, ‘Oh, I have an issue with this moment,’ and that makes me take it seriously when he does say something.” Read explains. “I don’t think anyone’s trying to write my play. As a collaboration between director and actor and playwright, it’s helping me get what I wanted to begin with.” <

Mark Blankenship edits TDF Stages, Theatre Development Fund’s online magazine about live performance.

An Actor Talks BackReed Birney is uniquely involved with his latest role in ‘Burning Boy’

Theater

From left: Jessica Rothenberg, Jake O’Connor, Reed Birney and Alexandra Socha in The Dream of the Burning Boy.

Joan

Mar

cus

All programs, artists, dates, and prices subject to change. Photo by Anja Frers/DG. © 2011 New York Philharmonic. Programs of the New York Philharmonic are supported, in part,by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Classical 105.9FM WQXR, the radio station of the New York Philharmonic.

FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION VISIT NYPHIL.ORG/MUTTER

With the New York Philharmonic Mar 31, Apr 1, 2Michael Tilson Thomas ConductorAnne-Sophie Mutter ViolinPROKOFIEV Overture in B-flat major, AmericanSofia GUBAIDULINA In Tempus Praesens, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra*TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 2, Little RussianMichael Tilson Thomas’s appearance is made possible through the Charles A. Dana Distinguished ConductorsEndowment Fund. Major support provided by the Francis Goelet Fund.

Chamber Music Performances Apr 3Anne-Sophie Mutter ViolinRoman Patkoló BassWith Philharmonic musicians Sheryl Staples, Michelle Kim, Lisa Kim,Cynthia Phelps, Rebecca Young, Carter Brey, and Eileen Moon.BEETHOVEN String Trio in G majorWolfgang RIHM Dyade, for Violin and Double Bass**Krzysztof PENDERECKI Duo concertante for Violin and Double Bass3

MENDELSSOHN Octet for Strings

These concerts are made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER IN CONCERTThe Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence

New YorkPhilharmonicAlan Gilbert Music DirectorThe Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair

Pre-Concert Talks one hour before concert time, $7. • Open rehearsal at 9:45am * New York Premiere ** World Premiere 3 U.S. Premiere

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IMPORTANT NATURAL HISTORY AUCTION

NEW YORKMARCH 24, 2011 2PM EDT

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By Howard Mandel

When Morton Subotnick programmed the Electric Circus to open on St. Mark’s Place in July 1967 with the heartbeat

sequence from his Buchla Electric Music Box composition “Silver Apples of the Moon,” the 3,000 beautiful people in attendance included Seiji Ozawa, George Plimpton, Mary McCarthy, Truman Capote and various Kennedys. The men wore tuxedos. Alcohol was served. But as the Village Voice observed at the time, the mob of hippies was stoned. Subotnick’s music—which morphed from something like bees buzzing to steam venting percussively, mice scurrying over taut harp strings, accordions groaning in slow motion and fields of mist turning into shattering crystal—led to a night of trapeze and escape artists, strobe lights, heavy rock disco and the live band Circus Maximus.

Subotnick revisits “Silver Apples,” a seminal work of analogue electronic music, April 7 at the David Rubinstein Atrium of Lincoln Center, in collaboration with video artist Lillevan, his recent partner in gigs at German nightclubs. It’s part of an 11-day Unsound Festival organized by Krakow-based Fundacja Tone, with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and Germany’s Goethe Institute cultural mission. Yes, it’s fallen to European art agencies to restore New York-born experimental multi-media extravaganzas to public prominence. But the high tech, radically immediate, wildly unconventional improvisations Subotnick pioneered more than 40 years ago are as cutting-edge now as in any time since their inception.

Somehow the era has returned for the “new art for a new medium” Subotnick, once a virtuoso symphony clarinetist, determined to create even before there were instruments with which to create it. Many of the concepts he dreamed up—the use of steadily pulsing sequencers for repeated rhythmic patterns; the prominence of figures not so much “atonal” as simply unrelated to traditional Western do-re-mi scale and harmony; the nearly physical tangibility of sounds projected as if by magic to specific spots and trajectories across a performance space; the juxtaposition of independent, often outlandish performances or visual stimuli against unpredictable journeys launched through sheer sound—are taken nearly for granted. It wasn’t always so.

“It was in the late ’50s, early ’60s that I thought about a new approach that involved all sorts of things,” Subotnick, youthful at 77, says during a recent phone interview. He’s not boasting, just a little awed at what a long, strange trip it’s been. “What I was doing sounds like what young people are

doing now. I predicted what kinds of things people would look at and want once they moved into direct contact with the media instead of going to hear concert music that was coming at them from the stage. That’s why people are picking up a record I did in ’67 and saying, ‘Wow, here’s a fresh look at what we’re up to.’ I think I had a vision that was clear.”

Prior to “Silver Apples of the Moon”—the first electronic composition commissioned specifically for record release—and Subotnick’s prototypes for it, electronic music was an ungainly duckling, requiring room-sized banks of wave form generators, controllers and filters. There was little agreement about aesthetic direction, though Stockhausen expressed a prevailing concept in his writings: electronic synthesizers and computers would replace musicians to extend the 12-tone serialism initiated by Arnold Schoenberg, which had won a privileged place in academic discourse on music. Milton Babbitt and others adapted pieces they’d written for conventional instruments to electronics.

“I thought that was dumb,” Subotnick said. “I could play Milton’s music on clarinet and it would sound better, so why do that? I wanted to commission someone to invent a new instrument. I didn’t want a traditional instrument. I wanted a music easel, with all the possibilities. I had in mind a new paradigm where you would be the conductor and composer, electronic equipment would be your orchestra [and] you’d produce an environment you could improvise within, but not by playing notes. Instead, you’d choose what to make happen and how to make it happen, what kind of attack and decay to use, how to move the sound in space to play the room.” Don Buchla invented the instrument as a modular unit—with Subotnick’s consultation. “I’m still doing what I started then, and getting better at it now that there’s more equipment.”

Subotnick and Buchla anticipated the DIY movement of contemporary composers, able to concoct orchestra-sized compound-complex pieces anywhere, using nothing bigger than a laptop. The Buchla, now back in production, is touch-sensitive and has no keyboard. It can process and can be processed by sounds from software. This expands the electronic musical vocabulary Subotnick came up with decades ago, which is maximally rich and fascinatingly varied though it veers far from “melody.”

Well, who needs melody? At the Electric Circus in the ’60s, people danced to “Silver Apples.” At Lincoln Center in 2011? I guess we’ll have to experience it to find out.

The Sound of UnsoundMorton Subotnick’s ‘Silver Apples’ rings again

JAzz

AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER STAGE II

www.pearltheatre.org

By David DavalosDirected by J.R. Sullivan

Running through April 17, 2011

By David DavalosBy David Davalos

Photos by Sam H

ough

They were all at...

Before Elsinore...

Sean McNall as Hamlet

Before Hell...

Scott Greer as Dr. Faustus Chris Mixon as Martin Luther

Before The Reformation...

MUSIC FORGOTTEN AND REMEMBERED

REDISCOVERED GEMS BY EASTERN EUROPEAN JEWISH COMPOSERSAND FRENCH ROMANTIC MASTERPIECES

Tuesday March 29, 2011 at 8PM

Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023Ticekts $25, $15 for seniors and students with IDCall Merkin Hall Box Office 212-501-3330

performed by

YUVAL WALDMAN, violin“spectacular” (New York Times)

INESA SINKEVYCH, pianoBox Office website: www.merkinconcerthall.org • Artist’s website: www.yuvalwaldman.com


Thornton Willis What we like to call “the Modernist

grid” is really not modern at all. It is the application to painting of a structural pattern that is so ancient it can almost be thought of, in Platonic terms, as an Ideal Form. Thornton Willis’ latest exhibition at Elizabeth Harris exploits the grid’s primordial association with architecture. That correlation lends the power of order to Supremacist emphasis on the primacy of pure sensation and the role of color in visual excitement.

Willis is a New York painter and counted as a descendent of the New York School. Nevertheless, his recent series is a vivid, if unpremeditated, evocation of the concerns of Russian Supremacism and its parallel movement, Constructivism. Both currents were based on geometrics; both were tethered to architecture no less than to painting.

“Juggernaut” (2010), typical of the ensemble, is a bold, chromatically intense network of economical allusions to cityscapes. Its abstract configurations are minimal, yet still suggestive of dense

urban skylines, The structure is anchored in the distribution of 90-degree angles that neighbor, echo or slide past each other. These near-abutments create a restlessness, a sense of movement that comes from the obliteration of any difference between foreground and background. The painting reads as both a series of architectural silhouettes and a flat, linear pattern, with no way of deciding a frontier between the two. Malevich comes to mind in the dominant expanse of red and black, supported and punctuated by clear, deep cobalt and bright orange in tandem with angular fields of pink and yellow.

A grille frame is the basis, too, of myriad elemental crafts (weaving and basketmaking) and continues into the present in pixel-perfect web design. Its possibilities are boundless. For that reason, the jagged, linear progress within each painting resonates with a medley of allusions. The same set of vertices can suggest, at different moments of viewing, an ancient pottery design or the layout of a circuit board.

In Willis’ smaller canvases and studies,

the process of painting, of building up a surface, takes on greater weight as a component of the motif. Lines are looser; edges more nervous and craggy. Despite the high-pitched complexion of these pieces, they are less severe than their larger, imposing cousins, softened by the traces of a probing and testing hand. What they cede in authority—the misleading impact of dimensions—they gain in tactility. In all, the exhibition is a handsome and dramatic performance. [Maureen Mullarkey]Through April 23, Elizabeth Harris Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., 212-463-9666.

Malevich and The American LegacyThe history of Modernism is

inconceivable without the art of Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), but was it necessarily enriched by it? Malevich’s role in establishing abstraction as a viable form of artistic expression is indisputable. His goal was to create pictures that embodied “the end and beginning where sensations are uncovered, where art emerges ‘as such.’” This pursuit led to radically distilled images, most famously in “White on White” (1935), wherein a veering rectangle is virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding space. It was within austere arrangements of geometry that humankind, Malevich felt, would transcend the material world and achieve “the supremacy of pure feeling.”

Malevich and The American Legacy, an exhibition at the uptown branch of Gagosian Gallery, is centered on six canvases by the self-described “zero of form.” Organized in collaboration with the artist’s heirs and with significant museum loans, American Legacy sets out to explore “aesthetic, conceptual, and spiritual correspondences” between the pioneering Russian abstractionist and a raft of American artists, among them, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Brice Marden and Agnes Martin.

Donald Judd wrote that “the paintings Malevich began painting in 1915 are the first instances of form and color”—which means, I’m guessing, that we should consider them the first examples of pure

abstraction in Western painting. (Form and color have, after all, been around since our ancestors daubed fauna on the cave wall.) The centerpiece of American Legacy is Malevich’s “Painterly Realism of a Football Player—Color Masses in the 4th Dimension” (1915). Given the title allusion, how pure could Malevich’s art be?

Never mind: The Gagosian show cruises on straight lines, grids and squares—lots of squares. They can be seen bopping through Robert Ryman’s surprisingly tensile series of paintings on aluminum, Richard Serra’s Brutalist prop sculpture and John Baldessari’s “Violent Space Series: Two Stars Making a Point but Blocked by a Plane (for Malevich)” (1976), a typically laconic iteration of Dadaist montage. In and amongst an impressively appointed array of machine-tooled artworks, Cy Twombly’s scribbled homage to “Malevitch” [sic] comes as a relief.

Malevich’s Suprematism (as the style came to be known) was fueled in equal parts by Cubism, Christian iconography and, not least, the advent of the Communist state. The lesson Americans gleaned from Malevich—the Americans featured at Gagosian, anyway—is that tying puritanical form to aesthetic absolutism all but guarantees high-flown, worry-free decoration.

Suprematism, in other words, made the world safe for Minimalism, Conceptualism and any other art too refined to stimulate interest. As such, The American Legacy is an exhibition of blue-chip dead ends. It traces, with exquisite resolve and deadening certainty, the route from revolutionary foment to the academy of the marketplace. [Mario Naves]Through April 30, Gagosian Gallery, 980 Madison Ave., 212-744-2313.

Rafael FerrerRafael Ferrer, whose work is the

subject of an odds-and-sods, this-and-that exhibition at Adam Baumgold Gallery, is a tough nut to crack. What to make of an artist who veers from the thrift-shop conceptualism of “Pizarras,” a series of mini-blackboards inscribed with cryptic messages in Spanish, to choc-a-bloc paintings that send up art history even as they indulge in polemics, to the “Paper Bag Faces,” a group of irreverent, off-the-cuff pieces the artist has been pursuing for 40 years?

First off, you conclude that Ferrer is an ideal artist for Baumgold, a venue with a long and honorable history of exhibiting the intimate, the brainy and the eccentric. Second is that Ferrer is an artist of boundless curiosity, unstoppable energy and erratic focus. Artistically speaking, his cup runneth over even as it never fills up. Ferrer’s art glances off a variety of often provocative sources—race, war, sex, colonialism, Freud, Guy Pene du

“Streetwise,” by Thornton Willis.

“Suprematism, 18th Construction,” by Kazimir Malevich.

Adam

Reich

AttheGALLERIES


Bois and the New York Post or, rather, its typography—without settling or scoring any particular points. Capriciousness is his liability and his charm. Piquing our interest from almost nothing isn’t necessarily a joy, but neither is it, well, nothing.

Would that the paintings—fractured compendiums of images and words rendered in a smudgy palette—were as deeply felt as Ferrer’s renowned pictures of tropical locales. Would that the “Pizarras” were more than clever notions literally writ some 97 times over. Which leaves the “Paper Bag Faces” to carry the exhibition—and they do, with goofy, inventive and startlingly evocative élan. Here is where Ferrer—channeling Picasso, Saul Steinberg, African carvers, carny sideshow banners, art deco design and, if “Face #9” (2008) is an indication, a spate of hallucinogens—locates an outlet appropriate to his sophisticated, droll and gently caustic vision. [MN]Through May 7, Adam Baumgold Gallery, 60 E. 66th St., 212-861-7338.

Jordan Eagles My first encounter with Jordan Eagles’

work came a year and a half ago in his multimedia installation “Projection.” The rooms were bathed in undulating red light from overhead slides depicting blood in various formations. A less immersive experience of his work is on display now in his first solo show with Krause Gallery. The wall-hanging works in BARC: Blood, Acrylic, Resin, Copper continue the artist’s eight-year obsession with preserving animal

blood in a sort of suspended animation.Through an exacting “self-invented

process,” Eagles combines cow blood—collected from local slaughterhouses—with copper and resin under Plexiglas. Protected from decay, the blood becomes a unifying symbol of life, and takes on the visual aspect of paint, creating a range of effects. In “TSBC4,” layers of blood and copper explode outwards in a radiating plume that brings to mind Persian rugs as much as Jackson Pollock.

In some pieces, the blood is in distinct layers, running the gamut of colors and texture. “Life Force,” a large work with dark forms under a bright filter of blood red, could pass as a nightmarish landscape, and it holds onto the mysterious nature of blood. Conversely, dried blood in “URTS” bears the arid cracks of a Renaissance oil painting. It is in this nexus of science, art history and childlike wonder that Eagles tries to establish his work, with mixed results.

The basement of the small Lower East Side gallery houses three works, and the subject matter adds a degree of weirdness, descending into a basement to walls of blood. It is the most distinct feeling elicited in BARC, and a far cry from the splotched and sickly bodies of his “Hemosapien” project. Using blood as a medium has become ho-hum in the wake of Hermann Nitsch and Andres Serrano, and it’s only through experimentation with the genre that Eagles finds originality. [Nicholas Wells]Through May 1. Krause Gallery, 149 Orchard St., 212-777-7799.

James Grashow: Corrugated Fountain In his famous line, Mallarmé stated,

“Everything in the cosmos exists to emerge as a Book.” If he were writing today, he might want to change that to Film. James Grashow worked for four years on “Corrugated Fountain,” an installation of melancholy and ephemeral beauty. A lifelong woodcutter, he carved and pasted the work out of corrugated cardboard in anticipation of its eventual dissolution. In time, it will exist only on film as the protagonist, so to speak, of Olympia Stone’s documentary of its making: The Cardboard Bernini.

Grashow’s unassuming material betrays no hint of the wit and strength of his art. He coaxes astonishing grace from the humble stuff of shipping containers. His “Fountain” is a carnival of exquisitely crafted, fanciful references to iconic Renaissance monuments: Rome’s Trevi Fountain, the fountains of Neptune in Rome and Florence, and the long history of Western sea-god imagery that dates back to 2nd-century Roman mosaics. Here is Neptune, holding high his trident, in a chariot drawn by dolphins with fluted cardboard fins. Windblown mermen and maids, on horseback, trumpet his advance through layers of paper pulp waves. The urge to throw coins at them is irresistible.

A 40-year member of Allan Stone’s stable, Grashow stumbled onto the sight of his own earlier papier-mâché work disintegrating in the garden of Stone’s home. It had been returned from a 25-year stint at the Aldrich when the museum revamped itself some years ago. Stone’s overcrowded home had no room for it. It was left on the lawn where it decayed. Shocked, then touched, by the disintegration, Grashow committed himself to an improbable aim: “to make something eternal out of cardboard.” The absurdity of a fountain that rots in water presents itself as Grashow’s bleak comment on the human dilemma: “Ashes to ashes, mush to mush.”

He insists that the meaning of the work is in the doing, not the end result. “Process, I think, trumps everything.” In truth, it does not. But the stylish notion that it does masks contemporary reluctance to create

for the ages. Grashow sees in process an analogy to mortality. But mortality is a condition, a predicament. (Only aging is a process.) Art made in the name of process cannot aspire beyond the moment. It can parody greatness—however sweetly—without achieving it. There is something to be said for committing high talent to durable material. Or, at least, protecting fragile means. In the end, art that mimics the pathos of our transiency by inviting wreckage is redundant. Any demolition site, landfill or cemetery already does the job.

When the exhibition closes, this glorious whimsy will be set outside where time, wind and weather will do their worst. Soon enough, the only art left will be stored in a film can or a digital archive. A shame. [MM]Through April 23. Allan Stone Gallery, 113 E. 90th St., 212-987-4997.

Alphonse van WoerkomThe Dutch artist and political cartoonist

Alphonse van Woerkom has had a varied and lively career—which has ranged from his homeland to Toronto to Jersey City—as he alternated between drawing political cartoons (including for the New York Times) and portraits. Witty and provocative in his cartoons, he brings the same insightful intelligence to his observations of well-known artists in the Sragow Gallery exhibit, Face Value: Large Scale Portrait Drawings of American Artists. The artist delves deep in the souls of the subjects to reveal their characters with his charcoal, carbon pencils and pastels. Almost life size, the portraits pull viewers in, a talent of van Woerkom’s for the telling detail, which makes the portraits tantalizingly human. After standing awhile in their presence, it feels as if one has had a conversation with the artists themselves.

In his portrait, John Baldessari looks bemused, his white hair almost falling over his eyes, his mouth in a half smile; a sweet, gruff man, at ease with himself. Joan Snyder, on the other hand, appears unsure of herself or perhaps hesitant about the act of posing. Her white curls frame a pretty face, which obtains its strength from the set of her mouth and skeptical glance. You guess she’s hard on herself, questioning her work constantly. Faith Ringgold stares straight ahead, her hair handsomely done up in a knot on her head, long earrings dangling from her ears. She gives nothing away except that, upon closer look, a hidden sadness seems tucked into her gaze. Seeing these works—which also include Chuck Close, Elizabeth Catlett and Kiki Smith—only made me want to go back and look at the artists’ work again. This is van Woerkom’s achievement: that he expands our understanding of them more than many critics. [Valerie Gladstone]Through April 9, Sragow Gallery, 153 W. 27th St., 212-219-1793.“Faith Ringgold,” by Alphonse van Woerkom.

“TSBC4,” by Jordan Eagles.


How to Give a RecitalThe mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the pianist Evgeny Kissin have memorable outings in Carnegie Hall

By Jay NordliNger

Joyce DiDonato received more applause on entering the stage at Carnegie Hall than most musicians do after their best effort. She is a singer—a mezzo-

soprano from Kansas—who has pretty much all the goods a singer could want: an excellent voice, gobs of technique, ample musicality—and the X factor of lovability. No wonder the world’s at her feet. It ought to be.

With the pianist David Zobel, she gave a recital of Haydn, Rossini, Chaminade and assorted others. Part of the program was a new song cycle by Jake Heggie, written expressly for the occasion. DiDonato is a versatile singer, like most singers of high intelligence and musicality. I don’t believe I have ever heard her in lieder. But they are surely not beyond her.

Given her great technical control, she can do anything she wants, interpretively. If she can think it, she can execute it. This allows her to be daring. It also allows the audience member to sit secure in his seat: You know that she won’t stumble. The Chaminade songs, she sang deliciously. Another mezzo-soprano, the Swede Anne Sofie von Otter, is also a champion of this composer. Chaminade is lucky to have two such stylish and winning champions.

DiDonato did rather more acting—physical expressing—than I like in a recital, but I am in a distinct minority here. “Show it on the face, dear,” the voice teachers say. I often find myself wishing they’d show less. But, again, that is a minority view. DiDonato had a handheld microphone tucked in the piano, and she talked to the audience throughout the recital. Everyone’s doing this now. (They used to do it only at encore time.) It is part of the Oprah-ization of classical music. DiDonato is a very, very good talker—she talks as charmingly as she sings. But, if I sang like her, I wouldn’t talk onstage. I’m not sure I’d talk offstage.

The new Heggie cycle is called The Breaking Waves, with words by Sister Helen Prejean, of Dead Man Walking fame. (Heggie composed an opera based on that memoir.) At least one of the songs has a touch of the blues; a couple of them have a jazzy motor. There are people who find Heggie masterly and moving; there are people who find him arty and dull. I have most often been in the latter camp, while recognizing his talent. I’m always hoping to join the former camp. In any case, DiDonato sang this new cycle with total conviction. In one of the poems set here, Sister Helen, true to reputation, expresses the utmost sympathy for a death-row inmate. I might even say this is an ostentatious sympathy. And, thinking of

that man’s victim, or victims, I recalled an old saying: “People can bear very lightly the wrongs done to others.”

DiDonato sang three encores, the last of which was “Over the Rainbow,” that Harold Arlen masterpiece. Before she sang, DiDonato explained that her father didn’t care for Judy Garland, practically forbidding her in the home. Quipped DiDonato, “Who would have known that I would grow up to have so many Friends of Dorothy?” The crowd hooted in appreciation. Then DiDonato sang “Over the Rainbow” as purely and beautifully as possible. A recital by her is not merely a clinic in singing; it is a lifter-up.

Liszt on a PedestalThree days after DiDonato appeared

in Carnegie Hall, Evgeny Kissin arrived for his own recital, in the same hall. The Russian-born pianist played an all-Liszt

program—it is the bicentennial of that composer’s birth. There was a spillover crowd, meaning that many sat on the stage. The person closest to the pianist was a little girl in a pink dress with pink bows in her hair. She was rapt all through.

Kissin began with one of the Transcendental Etudes, the one known as “Ricordanza.” He played it dreamily, silkily. Frankly, I didn’t know he could play like this. Kissin has always been a brilliant pianist, certainly a formidable one. But he has also been hard, percussive, jabbing and blunt. Moreover, he is a thumper: a pianist guilty of thumping. But there was not a trace of this in “Ricordanza,” or in pieces to come (with one exception).

After this opener, Kissin tucked into the B-minor Sonata, which is often described as “sprawling.” Kissin tamed it, unifying the disparate elements. But, as he did this, he gave the work all the vibrancy, color and bite it needs. He played extraordinarily

cleanly, although his sound was somewhat dry. Also to his credit, he exercised care without fussing. And he lavished great seriousness of purpose on this piece. He could not have been more serious in a late Beethoven sonata.

Funérailles was frighteningly good, and I mean that almost literally—Kissin was terrifying in this gloomy and heaven-storming (hell-storming?) piece. Vallée d’Obermann was less free and ruminative than you often hear it. Again, Kissin showed stout discipline. But, again, he was plenty imaginative—or rather, he put Liszt’s imagination in a proper frame. The printed program ended with Venezia e Napoli, in which Kissin was maybe just slightly cold, but to which he imparted enough charm. In addition to dazzling, jaw-dropping technique. Even in an age when technique is assumed, Kissin’s stands out.

There were three encores, all of them Liszt, as they should have been. The first was “Widmung” (the composer’s transcription of that Schumann song). And here, for the first time, Kissin did some of his trademark thumping—but only a little. The final encore was almost as dreamy as “Ricordanza”: the Liebestraum No. 3. In fact, Kissin played this beautiful and beloved number soul-fillingly.

I’ve always been reluctant to say that a musician “is maturing” or “has matured.” For one thing, it seems condescending. But I could not help thinking that about Kissin. At intermission, a fellow critic remarked to me, “He’s really developing, isn’t he?” I smiled on hearing this statement of what had been my thought, too. On this night, I felt that I was listening to a great pianist. And this has been a banner couple of months for Liszt recitals in Carnegie Hall: Five weeks before Kissin, the French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet gave a great one too. People are always saying that the Romantic tradition is dying, or is already dead. No way.

Kissin gives an old-fashioned recital, by which I mean this: He dresses in concert tails, rather than the solid-black Mao suit of today. He carries himself with great dignity, even some mystery, bowing formally. (In this recent recital, he took care to bow to the patrons on the stage, as well as to the ones out in the hall.) He does no talking whatsoever, letting the music do all the talking. And at Carnegie Hall, the crowd screamed and screamed for him into the night. The place practically shook with applause and gratitude. Concert organizations today are always talking about “outreach.” “How do we reach out to audiences?” By supplying good music, well performed. <

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Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in her Carnegie Hall recital debut, March 6.


By Joel loBenthal Martha Graham’s Cave of the Heart and

Deaths and Entrances are each so strongly constructed that they are virtually dancer-proof. Nevertheless, it was good to see them danced with economy and conviction by the Graham company last week at the Rose Theater. Graham’s technique seemed as original as ever—and as powerful. The dancers spiraled and pitched and plunged, they scuttled and scurried and shuffled on their knees as well as their legs. And when upright, their legs extended fully into space, these legs were turned-in, part of Graham’s rebuke to balletic protocol and her insistence on the torso as the fulcrum of expressive movement.

Watching Graham’s repertory, one’s attention toggles between trying to relate movement to plotline and studying the steps for their own innate beauty and intricacy. Ultimately Graham is adamant about making her audience back off from trying to insist that things make “sense.” Still, Cave is more linear. It tells the Medea story intelligibly, whereas D/E freely partakes of Graham’s indebtedness to Japanese Noh drama’s fluent and perpetual passage between current, past and future tenses. The program notes inform us that D/E has something to do with the Brontë sisters. There are three adult women, who could be the three Brontës in adulthood. There is a possible representation of their stern parson father. There are three girlish figments, who might be the adult women’s recall of their youthful selves. But like so much of Graham’s work, D/E boils down to one woman’s attempt—here, the most prominent sister—to resolve internal conflicts as well as break through obstructive environment.

The Graham company’s return was really heralded earlier in the month by Paul Taylor, a Graham-alum. Taylor’s new Three Dubious Memories gave us three different perspectives on an embattled love triangle, the story seemingly retold by each material witness in turn. It’s more than a question of point-of-view, for the three different testimonies are impossible to reconcile, let alone corroborate or cross-reference. Taylor’s work frequently revisits Graham territory, but he always does it his way, and he likes to jumble up her rhetoric. In Three Dubious Memories, James Samson is called Choirmaster, and his role combines functions that Graham customarily assigned to different dancers. He is a monolithic center tent absorbing both Chorus—wrestling in Cave with Medea to prevent the inevitable—and protagonist looking-back Noh style. At the end of Taylor’s work,

each side of the love triangle returns almost as penitent, like Graham’s Clytemnestra, seeking expiation in the underworld.

Dancer/choreographer Erick Hawkins, who was Graham’s first Jason to her Medea, as well as her lover at the time, complained that Graham in Cave eschewed the healing catharsis that was an essential element of Greek tragedy. This could have been a reflection of Graham’s own personality: She had something of a vengeful nature, and her relationship with Hawkins was tempestuous. This indeed may have made Cave too personal; like all the works she made for herself, it is all about Martha. At her best, however, she made the heroines she danced and created epically relevant. Indeed, her insistence that their particular drives and conflicts deserved center stage was an act of larger repercussions.

Cave dates from 1947 and D/E from 1943, years of ever-increasing absorption into the mainstream of Freudian thought. Kurt Weill’s musical Lady in the Dark opened on Broadway two years before D/E (in the Weill play, an editor-in-chief can’t decide what image to put on her cover or which man she wants to marry). Befitting its context, Lady in the Dark resolved itself in more conventional fashion than D/E: The editor united with her appropriate mate. Graham’s heroine cannot be entirely fulfilled either by The Dark Beloved or The Poetic Beloved. Both Broadway and the concert stage, however, shared implied or explicit rejection of society’s probably-self-serving investment in believing that women’s emotional and erotic drives were any less restless and ambivalent than men’s.

At this moment in time, Graham, who died in 1991 at the age of 96, remains as powerful a presence on the Manhattan dance calendar, and the collective dance imagination, as ever.

The ‘I’ of the Storm The Martha Graham Dance Company performs an essential role for dancers and culture at large

Dance

Deaths and Entrances.

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tas

Old World Meets New A diverse city, Barcelona has historic sites as well as modern energy

By Patsy del RealWhile other neighboring countries tradition-

ally have been heavy draws for tourists look-ing toward the Mediterranean, over the last couple of decades Spain—and specifically Barcelona—has become the go-to destina-tion for Americans seeking an exotic Euro-pean vacation on a budget.

Now New Yorkers can get to Barcelona conveniently via American Airlines daily non-stop flight 152 from John F. Kennedy Inter-national Airport. (Onboard announcements are given in both Spanish and Catalan.) The flight uses a Boeing 767-300 aircraft seating 28 passengers in Business Class and 167 in coach. Beginning April 6, American will add four more flights a week to its current JFK-Barcelona schedule. So that means you arrive at Barcelona’s sleek and shiny El Prat airport without any undue headaches, ready to begin your adventure right away.

No matter when you arrive or where you stay in Barcelona, you’ll end up Las Ramb-las at some point, so go ahead and check it off your list. The main avenue runs down the heart of the city, from Placa de Catalunya to Port Vell, with its statue of Christopher Colum-bus. Las Ramblas is actually five distinct sec-tions and is famous for its quirky street artists who stand like statues for admiring hordes, vendors (a section for bird sellers and another for flowers) and the entrance to the incredible outdoor Boqueria market. Once you wander inside the huge market and ogle the mounds of olives and heaps of fresh fish, buy a bag of clementines or some strawberries (most ev-erything is grown locally) as snacks for the rest of your wanderings.

The most well-known must-see attractions in the city are centered around the architect

Gaudi’s iconic buildings. Walk up the wide thor-oughfare of Passeig de Gracia (which is also a superb shopping area) toward Casa Milà, commonly referred to by locals as La Pedrera, meaning quarry, because of its stone cliff-like appearance. Along the way, don’t forget to look down (even the ceramic tiles lining the sidewalk were designed by Gaudi) or to stop for some choice photo ops of the Manzana de la Discor-dia. That’s the name for the strip that includes radically different styles by the three top masters of Modernista architecture, the Catalan version of art nouveau.

When you arrive at Casa Milà, you’ll see why people make sure not to miss this strange struc-ture that doesn’t include a single straight line and has iron balconies that resemble seaweed. Visit the rooftop terrace with its surreal assortment of molded and sculpted chimneys in various sizes and configurations that resemble warriors wearing helmets or veiled women. Visitors can go to the rooftop for a drink during the summer months and enjoy a stunning view of the Eix-ample district and the nearby Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s still-under-construction cathedral. To cap off your Gaudi tour, you’ll need to visit it as well as Parc Guell, the rambling park which was intended to be the architect’s master plan for a utopian suburb.

But it’s not all Gaudi all the time. Head to the Gothic Quarter and meander through the narrow streets and see sections of the original Roman walls. After touring the 14th-century Catalan Gothic cathedral, make your way to the Picasso Museum in the fashionable El Born dis-trict to see early works by the Modern master.

With so many fascinating sites to see, of course you’ll need to refuel. Luckily, Barcelona is a destination for any foodie, with a mix of haute cuisine and regional specialties. Although tapas didn’t originate in the city, there are now count-less spots for small plate nibbles. Plus, depend-ing on what time of year you arrive, there are specialty baked goods for a variety of holidays, so you’ll always be surprised.

If you decide you want a respite from the bustle of the city, you have several choices of easy daytrips—from a visit to the Montser-rat monastery located in a mountain an hour north, to tours of the Modernista wineries where cava sparkling wine is produced—but you’ll have plenty to fill your trip in the historic, yet fashionable, capital. And since you’ll prob-ably be smitten and want to return, rest as-sured there’s an American Airlines flight ready to be booked for your next visit.


Exhibition opEnings.No Gallery: “North Stars Series: Red.” Opens Apr.

1, 251 E. Houston St., 646-580-6535.Camel art SpaCe: “Restore Defaults.” Opens March

25, 722 Metropolitan Ave., [email protected].

Gallery HeNoCH: Robert Jackson: “From Ridiculous To Sublime.” Opens March 24, 555 W. 25th St., 917-305-0003.

Galerie leloNG: Kate Shepherd: “And Debris.” Opens March 24, 528 W. 26th St., 212- 315-0470.

FiNCH & ada: “The Pleasure is All Mine.” Opens March 24, 548 W. 28th St., finchandada.com.

HaSted Kraeutler: Andreas Gefeller: “The Japan Series.” Opens March 31, 537 W. 24th St., 212-627-0006.

HoSFelt Gallery: Lordy Rodriguez: “The Map Is Not the Territory.” Opens March 25, 531 W. 36th St., 212-563-5454.

iCoSaHedroN Gallery: “A Foot In The Grave.” Opens Apr. 2, 606 W. 26th St., 212-966-3897.

J. CaCCiola Gallery: Janet Filomeno & Hollis Heichemer. Opens March 24, 617 W. 27th St., 212-462-4646.

m55 art Gallery: Iris Levinson. Opens March 23, 44-02 23rd St., Queens, 718-729-2988.

tHe paCe Gallery: James Siena. Opens March 25, 510 W. 25th St., 212-255-4044.

tHe paCe Gallery: Elizabeth Murray. Opens Apr. 1, 534 W. 25th St., 212-929-7000.

paulaBarr CHelSea: William Thompson: “Surreal-ism.” Opens March 24, 508/526 W. 26th St., 9G, 212-691-9482.

perlow Gallery: Sally Michel Avery, Michele Harvey, Claire Klarewicz-Okser, Stephen Pace & Brian Shure: “Five Artists - Five Paintings.” Opens Apr. 1, 980 Madison Ave., 3rd Fl., 212-644-7171.

peter Blum CHelSea: Chris Marker: “Passengers.” Opens Apr. 2, 526 W. 29th St., 212-244-6055.

peter Blum SoHo: Chris Marker: “Passengers.” Opens Apr. 2, 99 Wooster St., 212-343-0441.

roBert maNN Gallery: “Food for Thought: A Group Exhibition.” Opens March 31, 210 11th Ave., 212-909-7600.

roGue SpaCe Gallery: “Strange Days: The John Marquis Collection.” Opens March 25, 508 W. 26th St., 347-276-4203.

roNald FeldmaN FiNe artS: Cameron Hayes: “Tattles.” Opens Apr. 2, 31 Mercer St., 212- 226-3232.

SoHo20 Gallery CHelSea: Celeste Rapone: “*Cos-tume Required.” Opens March 29, 547 W. 27th St., Ste. 301, 212-367-8994.

team Gallery: Marilyn Minter: “Paintings from the 80s.” Opens March 31, 83 Grand St., 212-279-9219.

VoN liNtel Gallery: Antonio Murado: “Ophelia.” Opens March 24, 520 W. 23rd St., 212- 242-0599.

Exhibition Closings.No Gallery: “North Stars Series: White.” Ends

March 31, 251 E. Houston St., 646-580-6535.+KriS GraVeS proJeCtS: David Nadel: “Burns.” Ends

March 26, 548 W. 28th St., 917-913-1292.adam williamS FiNe art ltd.: John Eskenazi. Ends

March 30, 24 E. 80th St., 212-249-4987.aFFirmatioN artS: Meghan Boody: “The Lighthouse

Project II: Visitation.” Ends Apr. 2, 523 W. 37th St., 212-925-0092.

amador Gallery: Mark Power: “The Sound of Two Songs/The Shipping Forecast.” Ends March 26, 41 E. 57th St., 212-759-6740.

aNdrew KrepS Gallery: Darren Bader: “Chad

ArtsAGENDAOchocinco.” Ends Apr. 2, 525 W. 22nd St., 212-741-8849.

aNNa KuStera Gallery: Karlheinz Weinberger: “Hal-bstarke to Bikers in Color.” Ends March 26, 520 W. 21st St., 212-989-0082.

artGate Gallery: “Sung Tae Park’s Solo Exhibi-tion.” Ends March 30, 520 W. 27th St., #101, 646-455-0986.

atlaNtiC Gallery: Christopher Burns: “Confluence.” Ends March 26, 135 W. 29th St., Ste. 601, 212-219-3183.

BerNarduCCi.meiSel.Gallery: Paul Caranicas: “From The Center To The Edge: 1980-2010.” Ends March 26. Arless Day. Ends March 26, 212-592-3757.

BeNrimoN CoNtemporary: Dimitri Kozyrev: “Last One.” Ends Apr. 1, 514 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl., 212-924-2400.

Betty CuNiNGHam Gallery: “Thaw.” Ends Apr. 2, 541 W. 25th St., 212-242-2772.

Blue mouNtaiN Gallery: Erica Child Prud’homme: “Earth/Water.” Ends March 26, 530 W. 25th St., 4th Fl., 646-486-4730.

BruCe SilVerSteiN Gallery: Frederick Sommer: “Choice & Chance Structure Art & Nature.” Ends Apr. 2, 529 W. 20th St., 3rd Fl., 646-695-2900.

tHe CeNter: “Queer Me: art & gender politics.” Ends March 31, 208 W. 13th St., 212-620-7310.

CeNter For CuBaN StudieS’ art SpaCe: “The Art of Mella.” Ends March 26, 231 W. 29th St., 212-242-0559.

CeNtral BooKiNG: “Measure for Measure.” Ends Apr. 3, 111 Front St., Ste. 210, Brooklyn, 347-731-6559.

daVid FiNdlay Jr. FiNe art: Emily Mason: “Recent Paintings.” Ends March 31, 41 E. 57th St., 212-486-7660.

deaN proJeCt: Yasamin Keshtkar & Keer Tanchak: “Lascivious: painting parody.” Ends Apr. 2, 511 W. 25th St., 2nd Fl., 212-229-2017.

dodGe Gallery: Robert de Saint Phalle: “Curtain Call.” Ends March 27. Jane Fox Hipple: “Blanks & Holes.” Ends March 27, 15 Rivington St., 212-228-5122.

tHe drawiNG CeNter: “Drawn from Photography.” Ends March 31, 35 Wooster St., 212-219-2166.

FamouS aCCouNtaNtS: Meg Hitchcock: “Obses-sion: The Book of Revelations from the Koran.” Ends March 27, 1673 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, 917-414-7798.

FirSt Street Gallery: Kathi Packer: “Ngorongoro Passage.” Ends March 26, 526 W. 26th St., Ste. 915, 646-336-8053.

Gallery 300: “Apollo & Other Bronze Gods.” Ends March 31, 300 W. 22nd St., 917-327-5714.

Gallery 307: Sara Petitt: “Photographs: Cuba & India 2010.” Ends March 24, 307 7th Ave., Ste. 1401, 646-400-5254.

Gary SNyder proJeCt SpaCe: Laurie Fendrich: “Re-cent Paintings.” Ends Apr. 2, 250 W. 26th St., 212-929-1351.

GeorGe BilliS Gallery: Tim Saternow. Ends Apr. 2, 521 W. 26th St., B1. 212-645-2621.

HaSted Kraeutler: Michael Benson: “Beyond.” Ends March 26, 537 W. 24th St., 212-627-0006.

HirSCHl & adler moderN: John Moore: “Elements.” Ends March 26, 730 5th Ave., 212-535-8810.

HolliS taGGart GallerieS: Marjorie Strider. Ends Apr. 2, 958 Madison Ave., 212-628-4000.

iCoSaHedroN Gallery: “Canned Oxygen.” Ends March 25, 606 W. 26th St., 212-966-3897.

iNViSiBle-exportS: Paul Gabrielli: “Generally.” Ends March 27, 14A Orchard St., 212-226-5447.

JameS CoHaN Gallery: Roxy Pain: “One Hundred Foot Line” & “Painting Manufacture Unit.” Ends March 27, 533 W. 26th St., 212-714-9500.

JaNe KaHaN FiNe art: Gloria F. Ross: “Rebirth of

Modern Tapestry.” Ends March 25, 330 E. 59th St., 212-744-1490.

JaSoN mCCoy iNC.: “After Paradise.” Ends March 25, 41 E. 57th St., 212-319-1996.

JuNe Kelly Gallery: Joyce Melander-Dayton: “Ex-travagant Constructions.” Ends March 29, 166 Mercer St., 212-226-1660.

leSley Heller worKSpaCe: Daniel Wiener: “Mak-ing Is Thinking.” Ends Apr. 3. “The Incipient Image.” Ends Apr. 3. Justin Amrhein, Scott Campbell & Sarah Hotchkiss: “Resource.” Ends Apr. 3, 54 Orchard St., 212-410-6120.

liSa Cooley FiNe art: Frank Haines: “Under the Shadow of the Wing of the Thing.” Ends March 27. “Resource.” Ends Apr. 3. 34 Orchard St., 212-680-0564.

lmaKproJeCtS: Elana Herzog: “Into the Fray.” Ends March 27, 139 Eldridge St., 212-255-9707.

ludlow 38: Waldemar Cordiero & Franz Mon. Ends March 27, 38 Ludlow St., 212-228-6848.

lyoNS wier Gallery: Fahamu Pecou: “ART HIS-TORY neXt.” Ends Apr. 2. Andres Basurto: “Inspired By a True Story.” Ends Apr. 2, 542 W. 24th St., 212-242-6220.

marGaret tHatCHer proJeCtS: William Steiger: “Manufactory.” Ends March 26, 539 W. 23rd St., Ground Fl., 212-675-0222.

marlBorouGH CHelSea: Robert Weingarten: “Por-traits Without People.” Ends Apr. 2. “Powders, a Phial & a Paper Book.” Ends Apr. 2, 545 W. 25th St., 212-463-8634.

marlBorouGH GrapHiCS: Jean Pagliuso: “The Poultry & Raptor Suites.” Ends March 26, 40 W. 57th St., 212-541-4900.

morGaN leHmaN: Jaq Chartier: “Slow Color.” Ends Apr. 2, 535 W. 22nd St., 212-268-6699.

NatioNal artS CluB: “Vestigial.” Ends March 14, 15 Gramercy Park South, 212-475-3424.

oK HarriS: Ralph Goings, Miguel Angel Moya,

Ethel Poindexter, Mark Goings, Akiko Mashima & Bart Elsbach. Ends Apr. 2, 383 W. Broadway, 212-431-3600.

tHe paCe Gallery: Donald Judd: “Works in Granite, Cor-ten, Plywood & Enamel on Aluminum.” Ends March 26, 534 W. 25th St., 212-929-7000.

paNdemiC Gallery: El Celso: “¡NO HABLA ESPA-ÑOL!” Ends Apr. 2, 37 Broadway, Brooklyn, 917-727-3466.

paul KaSmiN Gallery: Iván Navarro: “Heaven or Las Vegas.” Ends Apr. 2, 293 10th Ave., 212-563-4474.

paulaBarr CHelSea: William Thompson: “Surreal-ism.” Ends March 27, 508/526 W. 26th St., 9G, 212-691-9482.

perry ruBeNSteiN Gallery: Kamrooz Aram: “Ne-gotiations.” Ends March 26, 527 W. 23rd St., 212-627-8000.

peter Blum CHelSea: John Beech: “The State of Things.” Ends March 26, 526 W. 29th St., 212-244-6055.

peter Blum SoHo: Robert Zandvliet: “Pier & Ocean.” Ends March 26, 99 Wooster, 212-343-0441.

roBert maNN Gallery: O. Winston Link: “The Last Steam Railroad in America.” Ends March 26, 210 11th Ave., 212-989-7600.

roNald FeldmaN FiNe artS: Helen Mayer Harrison & Newton Harrison: “Sierra Nevada: An Adapta-tion.” Ends March 26, 31 Mercer St., 212-226-3232.

SaloN 94 Bowery: Laurie Simmons: “The Love Doll: Days 1-30.” Ends March 26, 243 Bowery, 212-979-0001.

SidNey miSHKiN Gallery: “Spirit Rock, Sacred Moun-tain: A Chinese View of Nature.” Ends Apr. 6, 135 E. 22nd St., 646-660-6652.

SoHo20 Gallery CHelSea: Elizabeth Bisbing: “writ small.” Ends March 26. Marielis Seyler: “Pe-nelope The Heroine.” Ends March 26. Sylvia

“United States Map III (The Belts),” by Lordy Rodriguez, at Hosfelt Gallery.


Sherr: “Ceramic Beings.” Ends March 26, 547 W. 27th St., Ste. 301, 212-367-8994.

Spazio 522: Janet Mait: “New Shoes.” Ends March 24, 526 W. 26th St., Ste. 522, 212-929-1981.

Stephen haller Gallery: Gregory Johnston: “XV.” Ends Apr. 2, 542 W. 26th St., 212-741-7777.

Stux Gallery: Ciria: “The Execution of the Soul.” Ends Apr. 2, 530 W. 25th St., 212-352-1600.

the SwiSS inStitute/Contemporary art: Karlheinz Weinberger: “Intimate Stranger.” Ends March 26, 495 Broadway, 212-925-2035.

team Gallery: Massimo Grimaldi: “Highlights.” Ends March 26, 83 Grand St., 212-279-9219.

tenri Cultural inStitute of new york: Jinwon Chang: “Releasing the Wounded Soul.” Ends March 26, 43A W. 13th St., 212-645-2800.

umbraGe Gallery: Wyatt Gallery: “Tent Life: Haiti.” Ends March 31, 111 Front St., Ste. 208, Brooklyn, 212-796-2707.

untitled: Brendan Fowler. Ends Apr. 3, 30 Orchard St., 212-608-6002.

ViSual artS Gallery: “Mentors.” Ends Apr. 2, 601 W. 26th St., 15th Fl., 212-725-3587.

walter wiCkiSer Gallery: Soile Yli-Mayry. Ends Apr. 6, 210 11th Ave., Ste. 303, 212-941-1817.

warburG realty offiCe/Gallery: Diane Hardy Waller: “Cityscapes: Icons of New York.” Ends March 31, 100 Hudson St., 212-366-0065.

MuseuMsameriCan folk art muSeum: “Perspectives: Forming

the Figure.” Ends Aug. 21. “Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum.” Ends Oct. 16, 45 W. 53rd St., 212-265-1040.

ameriCan muSeum of natural hiStory: “Brain: The Inside Story.” Ends Aug. 15, Central Park West

at W. 79th Street, 212-769-5100.aSia SoCiety & muSeum: “A Prince’s Manuscript Un-

bound: Muhammad Juki’s ‘Shahnamah.’” Ends May 1. “A Longing for Luxury.” Ends Sept. 11, 725 Park Ave., 212-288-6400.

auStrian Cultural forum: “Alpine Desire.” Ends May 8, 11 E. 52nd St., 212-319-5300.

bronx muSeum: “Stargazers: Elizabeth Catlett in Conversation With 21 Contemporary Artists.” Ends May 29. Alexandre Arrechea. Ends June 6, 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, 718-681-6000.

brooklyn hiStoriCal SoCiety: “Home Base: Memo-ries of the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.” Ends Apr. 24. “It Happened in Brooklyn.” Ongoing, 128 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn, 718-222-4111.

brooklyn muSeum: “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera.” Ends Apr. 10. “Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains.” Ends May 15. Sam Taylor-Wood: “Ghosts.” Ends Aug. 14. “Lorna Simpson: Gath-ered.” Ends Aug. 21. “reOrder: An Architectural Environment by Situ Studio.” Ends Jan. 15, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn, 718-638-5000.

Cooper-hewitt national deSiGn muSeum: “Color Moves: Art & Fashion by Sonia Delaunay.” Ends June 5. “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels.” Ends June 5, 2 E. 91st St., 212-849-8400.

friCk ColleCtion: “Rembrandt & His School: Mas-terworks from the Frick & Lugt Collections.” Ends May 15, 1 E. 70th St., 212-288-0700.

international Center of photoGraphy: “Wang Qin-gsong: When Worlds Collide.” Ends May 8. “Jasper, Texas: The Community Photographs of Alonzo Jordan.” Ends May 8. “Take Me to the Water: Photographs of River Baptisms.” Ends May 8. “The Mexican Suitcase: Redis-

covered Spanish Civil War Negatives by Capa, Chim & Taro.” Ends May 8, 1133 6th Ave., 212-857-0000.

Japan SoCiety: “Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven & Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art.” Ends June 12, 333 E. 47th St., 212-832-1155.

JewiSh muSeum: “Houdini: Art & Magic.” Ends March 27. “The Art of Matrimony: Thirty Splendid Marriage Contracts from the Jewish Theological Seminary Library.” Ends June 26. “Maria Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World).” Ends July 31. “The Line & the Circle: Video by Sharone Lifschitz.” Ends Aug. 21, 1109 5th Ave., 212-423-3200.

the metropolitan muSeum of art: “The Roman Mo-saic from Lod, Israel.” Ends Apr. 3. “Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand.” Ends Apr. 10. “Our Future Is in the Air: Photographs from the 1910s.” Ends Apr. 10. “The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Trea-sures from the Forbidden City.” Ends May 1. “Cézanne’s Card Players.” Ends May 8. “Katrin Sigurdardottir at the Met.” Ends May 30. “Rugs & Ritual in Tibetan Buddhism.” Ends June 26. “Haremhab, The General Who Became King.” Ends July 4. “Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York.” Ends July 4. “After the Gold Rush.” Ends Jan. 2, 1000 5th Ave., 212-535-7710.

montClair art muSeum: “Engaging with Nature: American & Native American Artists (A.D. 1200-2004).” May 16-Sept. 25. “Warhol & Cars: American Icons.” Ends June 19. “Will Barnet: A Centennial Celebration.” Ends July 17. “Robert Mapplethorpe Flowers.” Ends July 17. “What Is Portraiture?” Ends Nov. 4, 3 S. Mountain Ave., Montclair, N.J., 973-746-5555.

the morGan library & muSeum: “Mannerism & Mod-

ernism: The Kasper Collection of Drawings & Photographs.” Ends May 1. “The Changing Face of William Shakespeare.” Ends May 1. “The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives.” Ends May 22, 225 Madison Ave., 212-685-0008.

el muSeo del barrio: “Luis Camnitzer.” Ends May 29, 1230 5th Ave., 212-831-7272.

muSeum of ameriCan illuStration at the SoCiety of illuStratorS: “R. Crumb: Lines Drawn On Paper.” Opens March 23, 128 E. 63rd St, 212-838-2560.

muSeum at the faShion inStitute of teChnoloGy: “Vivienne Westwood: 1980-89.” Ends Apr. 2. “Japan Fashion Now.” Ends Apr. 2. “His & Hers.” Ends May 10, 7th Ave. at West 27th Street, 212-217-4558.

muSeum of artS & deSiGn: Patrick Jouin: “Design & Gesture.” Ends Apr. 17. “The Global Africa Project.” Ends May 15, 2 Columbus Cir., 212-299-7777.

muSeum of JewiSh heritaGe: “Last Folio: A Photo-graphic Journey with Yuri Dojc.” Opens March 25. “Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh.” Ends Aug. 7. “The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service.” Ends Sept. 5, 36 Battery Pl., 646-437-4200.

muSeum of modern art: “German Expression-ism: The Graphic Impulse.” Opens March 27. “Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography.” Ends Apr. 4. “Paula Hayes, Nocturne of the Limax maximus.” Ends Apr. 18. “On to Pop.” Ends Apr. 25. “Abstract Expres-sionist New York.” Ends Apr. 25. “Counter Space: Design & the Modern Kitchen.” Ends May 2. “Contemporary Art from the Collection.” Ends May 9. “Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914.” Ends June 6. “Looking at Music 3.0.” Ends June 6.


“Impressions of South Africa, 1965 to Now.” Ends Aug. 14, 11 W. 53rd St., 212-708-9400.

MuseuM of the City of New york: “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment.” Ends May 1, 1220 5th Ave., 212-534-1672.

MuseuM of the MoviNg iMage: “DOLLS VS. DICTA-TORS.” Ends Apr. 10. “Real Virtuality.” Ends June 12. Chiho Aoshima: “City Glow.” Ends July 17. “Behind the Screen.” Ongoing, 36-01 35th Ave., Queens, 718-777-6888.

New MuseuM: “Museum as Hub: The Accords.” Ends May 1. “George Condo: Mental States.” Ends May 8. “Lynda Benglis.” Ends June 19, 235 Bowery, 212-219-1222.

New york PubliC library: “Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love & Fallout.” Ends Apr. 17, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Print Gallery & Stokes Gallery, E. 42nd St. & 5th Ave., 917-275-6975.

NoguChi MuseuM: “On Becoming An Artist: Isamu Noguchi & His Contemporaries, 1922-1960.” Ends Apr. 24, 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd, Queens, 718-721-2308.

QueeNs MuseuM of art: “The Indo-American Arts Council’s 8th Annual Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora.” Ends Apr. 10, NYC Building, Flushing Mead-ows Corona Park, Queens, 718-592-9700.

rubiN MuseuM of art: “Grain of Emptiness.” Ends Apr. 11. “The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Paint-ing.” Ends May 23. “Body Language: The Yogis of India & Nepal.” Ends July 4, 150 W. 17th St., 212-620-5000.

soloMoN r. guggeNheiM MuseuM: “The Deutsche Bank Series at the Guggenheim: Found in Translation.” Ends May 1. “The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918.” Ends June 1. “Kandinsky at the Bauhaus, 1922-1933.” Ongoing, 1071 5th Ave., 212-423-3500.

studio MuseuM: Stephen Burks: “Man Made.” Opens March 31. Benjamin Patterson: “In the State of FLUX/us: Scores.” Opens March 31. “Sculpted, Etched & Cut: Metal Works from the Permanent Collection.” Opens March 31. “Col-lected. Vignettes.” Opens March 31. “VideoStu-dio: Playback.” Opens March 31. “StudioSound: Ojo.” Opens March 31. “Harlem Postcards Spring 2011.” Opens March 31, 144 W. 125th St., 212-864-4500.

whitNey MuseuM of aMeriCaN art: Karthik Pandian: “Unearth.” Ends March 27. “Modern Life: Edward Hopper & His Time.” Ends Apr. 10. Slater Bradley & Ed Lachman: “Shadow.” Ends Apr. 10. “Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection.” Ends May 1, 945 Madison Ave., 212-570-3600.

AuctionsChristie’s: Magnificent Qing Monochrome Porce-

lains & Earlier Works of Art from the Gordon Collection. March 24, 10 a.m. Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. March 24, 11:30 a.m. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art Part I. March 24 & 25, times vary. Fine Chinese Ce-ramics & Works of Art Part II. March 24 & 25, times vary. Christie’s Interiors. Apr. 5 & 6, times vary, 20 Rockefeller Plz., 212-636-2000.

doyle New york: American Furniture & Decorative Arts. Apr. 5, 10 a.m. Attic Treasures. Apr. 5, 10 a.m., 175 E. 87th St., 212-427-2730.

rogallery.CoM: Fine art buyers & sellers in online live art auctions. 800-888-1063, rogallery.com.

swaNN auCtioN galleries: Fine Photographs. March 24, 2. Printed & Manuscript Americana, March 31, 1:30, 104 E. 25th St., 212-254-4710.

Art EvEnts asia week New york: This year’s installment of the

city’s largest celebration of Asian arts & culture features exhibitions by 34 leading Asian art deal-ers, auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s & others & special events at 18 museums & Asian cultural institutions. Ends March 26, asiaweekny.com; times, prices & locations vary.

beyoNd the MaChiNe 2011: The Julliard Music Technology Center presents two programs of electronic & interactive music integrating dance, live ensembles, real-time projections & theatri-cal performances, featuring Sebastian Currier’s “Nightmaze,” a new adaptation of Stravinsky’s “Histoire du Soldat” & more. March 24-27, Willson Theater, 60 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-769-7406; times vary, free with advance reservation.

body islaNd: The Chocolate Factory & Abron Arts Center co-present Arturo Vidich’s interactive, inter-media performance installation in the style of a wildlife documentary, featuring live video & live (contained) rats. March 24, Abron Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement, 466 Grand St., 212-505-8329; 6:30, free with advance reservation.

daNCe froM the heart: Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA), a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, brings together 19 dance companies & Broadway artists for four benefit performances to support essential services for people with AIDS & other critical illnesses. March 21 & 22, Cedar Lake Theater, 547 W. 26 St., 212-840-0770; times vary, $30+.

first saturdays at wally fiNdlay galleries: Enjoy drinks, treats & great art on the first Saturday of every month. Apr. 2, 124 E. 57th St., 212-421-5390; 10am-6, free.

ArtsAGENDA

JaPaNNyC: Carnegie Hall & others present part two of this citywide festival of Japanese music, arts & culture, with a lineup of over 40 events, including performances by the NHK Symphony Orchestra led by Andre Previn, Martha Graham Dance Company, Deerhoof & Friends, & others. Ends Apr. 9, carnegiehall.org/japannnyc; times, prices & locations vary.

lower east side art gallery tour: Enjoy a guided tour of the week’s top 7 gallery exhibits in the downtown center for contemporary art. March 26, 196 Bowery, 212-946-1548; 1, $20.

PersiaN arts festival: Hosted by 92YTribeca, the 5th Annual Persian Arts Festival features visual arts, staged readings, live & DJ’d music & more. March 26, 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St., 212-601-1000; times vary, $30+.

the horror the horror: Madeline Best, Shaun Irons, Lauren Petty & Brian Rogers present their fully improvised live sound & video performance piece analyzing American pop culture, with audio sources including Mel Gibson, Marlon Brando & Charlie Sheen. March 31-Apr. 2, Abron Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement, 46 Grand St., 212-598-0400; 8, $15.

the roses: Paul Kasmin Gallery, in conjunction with New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation & the Fund for the Park Avenue Sculpture Committee present Will Ryman’s “The Roses,” a site-specific installation of tower-ing rose blossoms. Ends May 31, Park Ave. Mall betw. East 57th & East 67th Streets, paulkas-mingallery.com.

uNsouNd festival: Unsound, Funacja Tone, the Polish Cultural Institute of New York & the Goethe-Institute of New York present this 10-day celebration of underexposed Eastern European creative music spanning a multitude of genres & featuring work from Brian Eno, Morton Subot-nick & others. Apr. 1-10, unsound.pl/en; times, prices & locations vary.

Music & opErA92ytribeCa: Kurt Hoffman & Meg Reichardt lead

Les Chauds Lapins (The Hot Rabbits) in a pro-gram of French swing from the 1920s to 1940s. Ethan Lipton & his band open. March 25, 200 Hudson St., 212-601-1000; 9, $12.

ades PerforMaNCe sPaCe: MSM’s Senior Opera Theater presents the U.S. premiere of Giovanni Paisiello’s two-act comedic opera, “Nina, o sia La pazza per amore.” March 31-Apr. 3, Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave., 212-749-2802; times vary, $10.

the abigail adaMs sMith auditoriuM: Salon/Sanctu-ary Concerts presents Jesse Blumberg, baritone & Audrey Axinn, fortepiano, performing

songs by Arne, Hadyn, Mozart, Schubert & Beethoven. Apr. 2, 417 E. 61st St., 212-866-0468; 8, $25.

aliCe tully hall: Conductor Jeffrey Milarsky leads the Julliard Orchestra in performing four world premieres of work by student composers Christo-pher Castro, Peng-Peng Gong, David Hertzberg & Grigory Smirnov. Apr. 1, 70 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-769-7406; 8, free.

aliCe tully hall: Cellist Alexander Kniazev & pianist Boris Berezovsky play works by Franck & Rachmaninoff & the U.S. premiere of Igor Ray-helson’s “Sonata for Cello & Piano, A Minor.” Apr. 2, 70 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-671-4050; 7, $45+.

avery fisCher hall: James DePreist conducts the Jul-liard Orchestra in Berg’s “Violin Concerto” with soloist Itamar Zorman & Mahler’s “Symphony No. 5.” March 25, 10 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-721-6500; 8, $30.

avery fisher hall: As part of its Hungarian Echoes festival, the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, performs works by Hadyn, Bartók & Ligeti with Olli Mustonen & the Women of the New York Choral Artists. March 24-26, 10 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-875-5656; times vary, $39+.

avery fisher hall: The New York Philharmonic, lead by Michael Tilson Thomas, performs the New York premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s “In Tempus Praesens, Concerto for Violin & Orches-tra” with soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, & works by Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky. March 31-Apr. 2, 10 Lincoln Center Plz., 212-875-5656; times vary, $40+.

baM howard gilMaN oPera house: The Distant Worlds Philharmonic, Riverside Choral Society, vocalist Susan Calloway & others conducted by Arnie Roth perform “Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy,” featuring Nobuo Uematsu’s music from the Final Fantasy video game series & select works from Final Fantasy XIII compos-er Masashi Hamauzu. Apr. 1 & 2, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, 718-636-4100; 8, $65+.

sterN auditoriuM: The Toronto Symphony Orches-tra performs Bruch’s “Violin Concerto No. 1” with legendary soloist Itzhak Perlman, Vaughn William’s “Symphony No. 4” & works by Benja-min Britten & John Estacio. March 26, Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave. 212-247-7800; 8, $17.50+.

sterN auditoriuM: Soprano Dorothea Röschmann & countertenor David Daniels perform arias & duets from Handel operas with young period-in-strument ensemble Julliard415. Apr. 3, Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave., 212-247-7800; 2, $15.50+.

sterN auditoriuM: Orchestra of St. Luke’s, con-ducted by Iván Fischer, performs Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D Major” with soloist

gallery hours: wed-sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12-6pm54 Orchard Street NY, NY 10002 212 410 6120 lesleyheller.com

Gallery 1: Daniel Wiener, Making is ThinkingGallery 2: The Incipient Image Curated by Stephen MaineSamuel T. Adams, Elizabeth Cooper, Sharon Lawless, Dona Nelson, Mark L. Power, Steel Stillman

Back Room: ResourceJustin Amrhein, Scott Campbell, Sarah Hotchkiss

Sharon LawlessCans , 2010Collage on Paper11” x 15”

March 2 - April 3, 2011

FACE VALUELarge Scale Portrait Drawings

of American Artistsby

Alphonse van Woerkom

Through April 9thGallery Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6 PM“Kiki Smith” (detail), 2008, charcoal & pastel, 79” x 80”

Sragow Gallery153 West 27th Street, Suite 505 • New York, NY 10001 • (212) [email protected] • www.sragowgallery.com


Nikolaj Znaider, Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 1 in D Major: Classical,” & Dvorák’s “Symphony No. 7 in D Minor.” Apr. 6, Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave., 212-247-7800; 7:30; $14.50+.

ChurCh of St. Mary the Virgin: Miller Theatre presents The Tallis Scholars in “Celebrating the Genius of Victoria,” a program showcasing Spanish composer Tomas Luis de Victoria. Apr. 2, 145 W. 46th St., 212-854-7799; 8, $35.

DaViD h. KoCh theater: New York City Opera pres-ents “John Zorn’s Masada Marathon,” a special marathon concert uniting 12 groups from a tremendous variety of backgrounds, performing work from Zorn’s songbook, “Book of Angels.” March 30, 20 Lincoln Center, 212-721-6500; 8, $12+.

firSt MoraVian ChurCh of nyC: Harpsichordist Elaine Comparone & The Queen’s Chamber Band present “Bach in March.” March 26, 154 Lexington Ave., 212-280-1086; 8, $30.

the “grotto” ChurCh of notre DaMe: Music Divine performs “Renaissance Pastoral,” with works by Sheppard, Lambe & Mouton/Morales & Agnus Dei settings by Byrd, Josquin, Palestrina & others. Apr. 2, 405 W. 114th St., 212-866-1500; 2:30, $10+.

iMManuel lutheran ChurCh: Lyra Consort per-forms “Spring” & “Winter” from Christopher Simpson’s “The Seasons” as part of the Midtown Concerts Series. March 30, 122 E. 88th St., 212-967-9157; 1:15, free.

iMManuel lutheran ChurCh: ARTEK presents “Weeping, Wailing & Sighing for Love,” with vocalists Laura Heimes, Jessica Tranzillo & Barbara Hollinshead & works by Giacomo Ca-rissimi, Luigi Rossi & others, Apr. 2, 122 E. 88th St., 212-967-9157; 8, $20+.

iMManuel lutheran ChurCh: Waits Trio performs “Italy on the Road,” featuring music by Biber, Castello, Froberger, Forqueray & others as part of the Midtown Concerts series. Apr. 6, 122 E. 88th St., 212-967-9157; 1:15, free.

MaDiSon aVenue PreSbyterian ChurCh: Galileo’s Daughters & others present “For Musicke’s Art: Consort Songs & Fantasie from England’s Golden Age,” with works by Byrd, Purcell, Tallis & others. March 27, 921 Madison Ave., 212-288-8920; 3, $15.

MerKin ConCert hall: Israeli-American violinist Yuval Waldman presents “Music Forgotten and Remembered,” with five rediscovered works by Eastern European Jewish composers, & works

by Franck & Ravel. March 29, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501-3330; 8, $25.

MerKin ConCert hall: The Kaufman Center presents Elena Urioste, violin, & Michael Brown, piano, with works by Mozart, Fauré, Janácek, Amy Beach & Hubay. Apr. 5, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501-3330; 2, $16.

MerKin ConCert hall: Washington Square Ensemble presents “Muses at Play” with works by Bernard Rands, Martin Boykan, Brian Fennelly, Louis Karchin & Wayne Peterson. Apr. 6, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501-3330; 8; $20.

MetroPolitan MuSeuM of art: Spectrum presents Duke Special & members of the Orchestre de Chambre Miniature performing all new songs inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, “Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand.” March 24, 1000 5th Ave., 212-535-7710; 7, $18.

the MetroPolitan oPera: Juan Diego Flórez, Diana Damrau & Joyce DiDonato star in the Met’s first-ever performances of Rossini’s rarely-heard final comic opera, “Le Comte Ory.” Opens March 24, Lincoln Center, 212-362-6000; times vary, $35+.

the MetroPolitan oPera: Karita Mattila, Dolora Zajick, Vladimir Galouzine & Peter Mattei sing the lead roles in a matinee performance of Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades.” March 26, Lincoln Center, 212-362-6000; 1, $30+.

Miller theatre at ColuMbia uniVerSity: REBEL presents “Seeing Double: Concertos by Bach & Vivaldi,” with Peter Sykes, harpsichord. March 26, 2960 Broadway, 212-854-7799; 8, $35.

PubliC aSSeMbly: David F. Slone, Esq., The Love Show Dancers & others present “Le Squeezebox Cabaret: A Night of Accordian-Driven Variety.” Apr. 4, 70 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, 718-384-4586; 9, $10.

renee Weiler ConCert hall: Women’s Work presents the second concert of this year’s series, featuring soprano Eileen Strempel & piano accompanist Gilya Hodos, performing works by prominent contemporary & historic women composers from the Americas & Europe. March 24, Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., 516-586-3433; 8, $15.

St. StePhen’S ChurCh: Inter Cities Performing Arts, Inc. performs Pergolesi’s one-act comic opera, “La Serva Padrona.” The opera will be preceded by “Romantic Piano & Arias,” with works by Verdi, Bizet, Chopin & others. March 27, 120 W. 69th St., 201-863-8724; 3:30, $35.


JazzBlue Note: Blue Note honors the life of James

Moody with a host of special musical guests & Bill Cosby as master of ceremonies. March 28, 131 W. 3rd St., 212-475-8592; 8 & 10:30, $65+.

BrooklyN lyceum: Jamie Baum performs with the Samuel Blais Quintet. Apr. 6, 277 4th Ave., Brooklyn, 718-857-4816; 8 & 9:30, $10.

Jazz StaNdard: James Blood Ulmer & The Memphis Blood Blues Band featuring Vernon Reid celebrate the 10th anniversary of Blood’s Grammy-nominated album “Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions.” March 24-27, 116 E. 27th St., 212-576-2232; times vary; $25+.

Jazz StaNdard: The SFJAZZ Collective presents “The Music of Stevie Wonder,” with new ar-rangements of the artist’s songs. Apr. 1-3, 116 E. 27th St., 212-576-2232; times vary; $30.

muhammad SalahuddeeN memorial Jazz theatre: Bob Gluck, Joe Giardullo & Christopher Dean Sullivan perform music from their new CD “Something Quiet.” March 29, University of the Streets, 130 E. 7th St., (212) 254-9300; 8, $15.

ziNc Bar: The Ark Ovrutski Quintet performs “Sounds of Brasil,” blending contemporary ar-rangements & original melodies in different styles of jazz with Brazilian grooves. March 29, 82 W. 3rd St., 212-477-9462; times & prices vary.

Danceailey ii: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s

youthful second company presents a two-week, 14-performance season with two alternating programs. Opens Apr. 6, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 W. 55th St., 866-811-4111; times vary, $45+.

chuNky move: The genre-defying dance company presents the New York premiere of Byron Perry & Antony Hamilton’s “I Like This,” the story of two men on a quest to design, analyze & control an environment. Opens Apr. 6, Joyce SoHo, 155 Mercer St., 212-242-0800; times vary, $18.

compañia NacioNal de daNza 2: Performing for the first time in New York City, the Madrid-based company presents Nacho Duato’s “Jardi Tancat,” “L’Amoroso” & “Gnawa” as part of its final tour. March 31-Apr. 2, NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Pl., 212-352-3101; 8, $25+.

Jazz aiN’t dead: The dance & music collective presents its spring program, with exhilarating works set to house, funk & soul re-imaginings of classical jazz standards, & selections from their tribute concert, “Jazz Ain’t Dead Celebrating the Legacy of Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess.” March 24-27, Joyce SoHo, 155 Mercer St., 212-242-0800; times vary, $22.

la mama: The company presents the U.S. premiere—previously delayed due to issues with Homeland Security—of John Scott’s poignant work based on the experiences of 11 torture survivors from Africa, Asia & Romania. Opens March 25, The Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 E. 4th St., 212-475-7710; times vary, $25.

maNhattaN youth Ballet: The Youth Ballet performs its spring workshop, with George Balanchine’s “LaSource” & works by Marina Stavitskaya (of “Black Swan”) & other MYB faculty members. Apr. 2 & 3, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W. 60th St., 212-787-1178; times vary, $30.

merce cuNNiNgham daNce compaNy: In its final Joyce season, the last group of dancers personally trained by Cunningham performs work not

seen in New York for decades, including “Antic Meet,” an iconic piece last performed in 1969. Ends March 27, The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-242-0800; times vary, $10+.

miSchief: The collaborative work of Sue Buckmaster, Arthur Pita & Sophia Clist makes its U.S. debut. Ends March 27, New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd St., 646-223-3010; times vary, $14+.

New chamBer Ballet: Miro Magloire’s company presents the world premiere of his new, as-yet-untitled work & other pieces from the company’s repertoire. Apr. 1 & 2, City Center Studios, 130 W. 56th St., 212-868-4444; 8, $22.

philadaNco: The Philadelphia-based company, dedicated to preserving predominantly African-American traditions in dance, presents works by Christopher Huggins, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar & Ray Mercer. March 29-Apr. 3, The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-242-0800; times vary, $10+.

richard move & moveopoliS!: The company presents “[email protected] 1963 Interview,” honoring the 20th anniversary of Graham’s death & recreating a legendary 92nd St. Y interview with Graham & Walter Terry. March 30-Apr. 2, Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th St., 212-691-6500; 7:30, $20.

Spoke the huB: Spoke the Hub & Erin Gottwald present “The Gowanus Guest Room/Choreographer Series,” with work from Ellen Bartel, Hole Dance Films, Nina Haft & Company, & Caitlin Corbett. March 25-26, Gowanus Arts, 295 Douglass St., Brooklyn, 718-408-3234; 8, $15+.

StepheN petroNio compaNy: The company performs Petronio’s “Underland,” inspired by the songs of Nick Cave, with projected imagery by Ken Tabachnick & Mike Daly. Opens Apr. 5, The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-242-0800; times vary, $10+.

triSha BrowN daNce compaNy: The company presents “For MG: The Movie” & “Foray Forêt”—both from Brown’s “Back to Zero Cycle”—with the TriBattery Pops marching band & “Watermotor,” a solo dance performed by Neal Beasley. Ends March 26, Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th St., 212-691-6500; 7:30, $25.

watermill QuiNtet: As part of Works & Process, the company & choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbette celebrate living composer David Del Tredici with a new work set to his piece “Grosse Tarantella.” The Young People’s Chorus of New York City will sing Del Tredeci’s “Four Heartfelt Anthems.” March 28 & 29, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave.212-423-3587; 7:30, $30.

TheaTera loNely maN’S haBit: Jeremy Lawrence’s play

catches playwright Tennessee Williams revisiting memories, sometimes humorous, sometimes painful, recorded in his journal. Ends Apr. 16, the cell, 338 W. 23rd St., 800-838-3006.

aNd theN you go oN: Bob Jaffe draws from 13 of Samuel Beckett’s works, spanning 44 years, in his tribute to the writer. Ends Apr. 16, the cell, 338 W. 23rd St., 800-838-3006.

Blood weddiNg: Marvell Repertory Theatre presents Ted Hughes’ translation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s classic tragedy. Ends Apr. 2, Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th St., 1st Floor, 866-811-4111.

BriNg uS the head of your daughter: The Amoralists present the world premiere of Derek Ahonen’s unconventional & non-judgmental examination of the lives of two lesbian partners—one black,

one Jewish—& a daughter accused of cannibal-ism. Opens March 31, 9th Space at P.S. 122, 150 1st Ave., 212-352-3101.

daNNy & Sylvia: the daNNy kaye muSical: Brian Childers & Kimberly Faye Greenberg star in Robert McElwaine & Bob Bain’s adaptation of the real-life love story of creative partners Danny Kaye & Sylvia Fine. Open run, St. Lukes Theatre, 308 W. 46th St., 212-239-6200.

eN el tiempo de laS maripoSaS: “In the Time of the Butterflies,” based on Julia Álvarez’s historical novel, tells the story of the Mirabal sisters & their fight against a dictatorial regime in the Dominican Republic. Ends June 25, Repertorio Español, 138 E. 27th St., 212-225-9999.

fuerza Bruta - look up: A visual dance-rave, techno-ride, Latino walking-on-the-ceiling fiesta from Buenos Aires. Open run, Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15th St., 212-239-2600.

JaNie coNdoN: raw & uNchaiNed: Gray Lady Entertainment presents an autobiographical one-woman show written, performed by & chronicling the life of writer, actor & comedian Jane Condon. Opens Apr. 5, St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W. 46 St., 212-239-6200.

kiNgS: the Siege of troy: WorkShop Theater Company, Handcart Ensemble & Verse Theater Manhattan present a new stage version of “The Iliad of Homer, Books I & II” s adapted by English poet Christopher Logue. Ends Apr. 3, The Workshop Theater Company, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th Fl. East, 212-868-4444.

la caSa de BerNarda alBa: Tyrannical mother Bernarda Alba attempts to dominate her five unmarried daughters, all of whom harbor a secret passion for the same man. Ends May 27, Repertorio Español, 138 E. 27th St., 212-225-9999.

reServoir: The Drilling Company announces a return engagement of Eric Henry Sanders’ drama—based on Buchner’s “Woyzeck”—about the homecoming of a Mideastern War veteran. Opens Apr. 1, The Drilling Company, 236 W. 78th St., 3rd. Fl., 212-868-4444.

Siudy - BetweeN worldS: The production explores a new form of story-telling that incorporates the emotive power of Flamenco dancing with cross-cultural percussion. Ends May 22, New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200.

the Soldier dreamS: Theatre East presents Daniel Macivor’s story of a comatose man who dreams of his secret life, as his loved ones struggle to come to terms with his loss. Opens March 29, Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St., 212-714-2442.

Spy garBo: Affinity Company Theater & 3-Legged Dog present Sheila Schwartz’s play following fascist Francisco Franco, communist Kim Philby & Hitler’s Wilhelm Canaris as they battle to win the starring role in history’s definitive World War II spy adventure movie. Ends Apr. 10, 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St., 212-352-3101.

Summer iN SaNctuary: Abingdon Theatre Company ends its 2010-2011 season with Al Letson’s autobiographical piece, challenging perceptions of race & class while recalling—with the help of original video footage & music from hip-hop producer Willie Evans, Jr.—a summer spent working at a community center in Jacksonville, Fla. Opens March 25, Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th St., 212-868-2055.

witteNBerg: The Pearl Theatre Company performs the New York premiere of David Davalos’ new comedy, which sees Doctor John Faustus & Reverend Martin Luther battling for the allegiance of a star pupil at Wittenberg University in 1517. Ends Apr. 17, New York City Center Stage II, 131 W. 55th St., 212-581-1212.

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In A RushJust after midnight, the theater-reviewing DJ duo Andrew Andrew mingled, their iPads in hand.

Music selections included “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “because we’ve been stalking Geoffrey.”That would be Geoffrey Rush, the star of The Diary of a Madman at the Brooklyn Academy

of Music, who was on the other side of the BAM Cafe. The occasion: A cast party and fund-raiser honoring the production.

The evening started with a dinner that included a quail egg and attracted actors Hugh Jackman and David Hyde Pierce; Merrill Tisch, New York State Board of Regents chancellor; Jeffrey H. Barker, New York City market president at Bank of America; and Therese Esperdy, head of global debt capital markets at J.P. Morgan.

Then it was off to the show, where couples Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgard and Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy awaited Rush, who spends the wild evening preening, sipping soup and fancying himself the King of Spain.

As part of his antics, Rush, nearly naked, ran up a side of the theater, right in front of James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank.

Costumed with a wayward tuft of bright orange hair and blue-green eye makeup, Rush made an impression on two redheads in the audience: Croc-wearing chef Mario Batali and James Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money.

Rush’s “stream of non sequiturs reminded me of me,” said Cramer.By the time the coffee urns had come out for the cast party, the crowd included Federico Ysart,

chief operating officer of the Santander Central Hispano investment section, who danced, and Erich Mauff, managing director of capital market treasury solutions at Deutsche Bank.

In deference to the Australian origins of the production, bartenders kept busy serving Coopers beer, and shiraz and chardonnay from Robert Oatley vineyards.

A nIght In AmericA“NUMBERS To dream of them denotes

wealth and happiness,” reads the text on a canvas in Glenn Ligon’s retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The work was among the favorites at the cozy first peek at the Ligon exhibition, titled America. Collectors Claudia Cisneros, Eli Broad and Peter S. Kraus, chairman and chief executive of AllianceBernstein LP/USA, came to admire, as did artist Jeff Koons.

For dinner, the Whitney served pan-roasted red snapper, glazed Seckel pears and Brussels sprouts. Ligon sat with the museum’s director, Adam Weinberg.

The artist wore a pin on his lapel featuring a photograph of a nipple. The pin, by Yoko Ono, came from the party’s other Glenn, Glenn Lowry, director of the Mu-seum of Modern Art.

After dinner, guests climbed up the stairs to the lobby, turned into a lounge with royal-blue and hot-pink spotlights and bouquets of red poppies. Broad, whose art foundation lent three pieces to the show, took a seat on a black couch with his wife. A white furry rug lay at their feet. Close at hand, a two-tiered silver dessert tray displayed pink macaroons and passion-fruit marshmallows.

“It’s a great show,” Broad said in his signature lilt, which goes well with his Cali-fornia tan.

The New York-style cheerleader was Brooke Garber Neidich, co-chairman of the Whitney. No tan, but a lot of sparkle, with earrings she herself designed of titanium and diamonds.

“This is one of the most amazing nights,” Neidich said, “one of the homiest and coolest.”

Ligon’s dealer in New York, Roland Augustine, advised a guest to visit the room with the vertical paintings on doors, and another that features wood crates based on the life of a slave who mailed himself to freedom. “It really is a poignant, tender por-trait of a man,” Augustine said.

For Scott Rothkopf, the curator of the show, this is his first major solo at the museum. His mother was present.

“My goal is to show how incredibly beautiful Glenn’s work is,” Rothkopf said. “People are used to seeing it in a critical way. I want them to see the visceral, emo-tional and formal qualities.”

Neidich nailed the art in a line: “Glenn pushes you but he doesn’t scold you,” Neidich said. “I’d like to meet his mother.”

PainttheTOWN By Amanda Gordon

Courtesy of Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News; [email protected]. Photos by Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg

Artist Glenn Ligon, Whitney Museum co-chairman Brooke Garber Neidich and curator Scott Rothkopf.

Clockwise from top: Actors Geoffrey Rush and Yael Stone; set designer Catherine Martin and film director/screenwriter Baz Lurhmann; and actor Hugh Jackman.

Artist Cory Arcangel and Whitney Museum curator of new media arts Christiane Paul.

PHILIPFREDTERRY

ALCHEMY & INQUIRY

Wave Hill

Fred Tomaselli, The Dust Blows Forward, The Dust Blows Back, 2011

April 3–June 19

W 249 & Independence Ave • Bronx, NY • www.wavehill.org • 718.549.3200

Target Free DaysTarget sponsors free Tuesday and Saturday morning admission to Wave Hill, providing public access to the arts in our community.®

Support for exhibitions is provided by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc., Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties.

TAAFFE TOMASELLI WINTERS

Courtesy of James Cohan Gallery

cityArts March 22, 2011

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Transcript of cityArts March 22, 2011