Deceptively Simple

Hovhaness, Hunt Lieberson, Strayhorn

CD review: Alan Hovhaness. His 60th Symphony and works for solo instruments and orchestra.
Time Out Chicago, Jan. 4.

ArkivMusic, Barnes & Noble.

CD review: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs.
Time Out Chicago, Jan. 4.

 

ArkivMusic, Barnes & Noble

CD review: Billy Strayhorn.
New disc featuring saxophonist Joe Lovano, vocalist Dianne Reeves, and others.
Time Out Chicago, Jan. 4.

 
 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon. Available Jan. 23. Tied to the PBS
Independent Lens doc, which will be aired Feb. 6.

Barack! The Musical

Arts columnist Steven Winn, of the San Francisco Chronicle, forecasts the upcoming stories of '07. Included is the news that William Bolcom will write a musical about Sen. Barack Obama for the Chicago Lyric Opera, "adapted in part from Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait." Heck, they were both tall, skinny lawyers from Illinois, the piece practically writes itself. Although, so far as I know, Obama does not have a secretary named Kennedy.

Bolcom would have to find a way to incorporate my favorite cheer overheard at Obama rallies, from small children, which ran: "Who's your daddy? Who's your momma? Obama! Obama! Obama!" It swings, it sings.

Update: Winn's joking, of course. I'm not sure if I made that clear. Lyric Opera is producing John Adams' Dr. Atomic next season, and then it's likely curtains for American opera from the City of Big Shoulders' premier opera company for a few years.

New year, new beginning(s)

By the end of the week, I plan to have completed a large-scale update of DecSimp. The overall look will remain the same, but an expanded blogroll is in the works, so that I'm not embarrassed by the depth of those maintained by Alex Ross and Steve Smith any more. A few other bells and whistles should increase the ease and pleasure of reading here. Stay tuned, as they say.

In the meantime, check out Chicago theater critic (and, um, extraordinarily forthright cultural commentator) Zac Thompson's blog Fool's Gold Coast and this ode to composition students (male) by Kyle Gann.