Reviewed by STEVEN G. KELLMAN In his 2004 essay “Consider the Lobster,” novelist David Foster Wallace asks readers to ponder whether lobster, a culinary delicacy routinely boiled alive, merits moral consideration. Do crustaceans feel pain, or are they merely insensate objects that a voracious gourmet need not fret about? If we start to consider the lobster, what about pigs, dolphins, …
For its Classics V Concert, The San Antonio Philharmonic will play Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1 in F Minor, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E Minor. Jeffrey Kahane will conduct and pianist Natasha Paremski will perform “Chokfi” by Jerod Impichcchaachaaha Tate, described as a “mesmerizing composition.” He is an American (Chikasaw) Indian composer who expresses his native culture in symphonic …
BY Jonathan Fletcher Where to Write, Critique, and Read in the River City By Jonathan Fletcher Ever wanted to try your hand at creative writing but didn’t know where to start? Maybe you already write but are looking for a place to share your work and get feedback? Maybe you have pieces you’ve already polished and would like to read/perform …
We are fortunate to always have some good music in our concert halls.The Chamber Music Society is celebrating its 82nd season with the debut of a new ensemble:the all-star 3Esprit Trio that brings together violinist Joseph Lin, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and pianist Daniel Anastasio who usually plays with the AGARITA chamber quartet. The tree musicians formed the 3Esprit Trio in …
By Jean Hackett DreamWeek Exhibit Painter Mav Pascal describes “Non-Monolith,” an exhibit featuring works by fifteen Black male artists as “a creative space for Black men to express themselves in real time. An expression Pagainst the stigma of being a Black man with no emotions, being all the same.” The DreamWeek pop up gallery at La Zona Cultural, sponsored by …
Reviewed by STEVEN G. KELLMAN At the beginning of Three Days in June, Anne Tyler’s 24th novel, Gail Baines is told that, after eleven years as assistant headmistress at a private girls’ school in Baltimore, she will be replaced. The reason given is that she “lacks people skills.” The rest of the novel, which Gail herself narrates, provides sufficient …
The San Antonio Philharmonic’s Classics IV: “American Voices – A Symphonic Journey” will be performed Jan. 17 and 18 at the Majestic Theater. The list of composers is impressive and it certainly makes us curious and eager to hear their music. This “journey” will be led (conducted) by music director Jeffrey Kahane, and will feature two soloists: pianist Jon Kimura …
“SONGS OF SEVEN DAYS” A New Poetry Collection by James R. Dennis Review by Bonnie Lyons James R. Dennis’ “Songs of Seven Seas” is striking in both text and physical beauty. Dennis, a novelist and a Dominican friar as well as poet, uses the seven days of creation depicted in Genesis, as the spine of the book. The seven sections …
The San Antonio Philharmonic has announced that it plans to relocate its upcoming concerts to the Scottish Rite Concert Hall. The restored former Scottish Rite Temple will now host the concerts originally scheduled for First Baptist Church. This “strategic move is driven by artistic and economic considerations,aligning with our long-term vision for stability and sustainability,” says the announcement. This move …
“SAVE OUR SOULS” By Matthew PearlReviewed Steven G. Kellman Survival in the North Pacific In Johann Davis Wyss’s novel Swiss Family Robinson (1812), William, Elizabeth, and their four sons are shipwrecked on an idyllic island in the East Indies. They learn important lessons about resourcefulness, cooperation, and faith, and the experience is so positive that when, ten years later, …
