Aisle Be Seeing You

"Ailey Family Celebrates One of Its Own"

Masazumi Chaya of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The Ailey company honored Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya on Tuesday evening at City Center in New York. Anyone familiar with the company and Chaya's role in it understands why they would choose to honor him, he's beyond a fixture in the company. Jennifer Dunning covered the event for today's New York Times:

"Chaya, as he is known throughout the dance world, is now its beloved associate artistic director. On Tuesday night at City Center, the troupe honored him on his 35th anniversary at Ailey, with film and reminiscences from the stage by colleagues includingJudith Jamison , the 1970s Ailey star who directs the company."

Read all of Ailey Family Celebrates One of Its Own.

And did I mention that the Ailey company is coming to Boston February 7-10?

Jonathan Papelbon turns in his dog

Snowman from my yard symbolizing the coldest hot stove on record

I ask you, what's a performing arts oriented blog without a Red Sox posting thrown in every now and then? For those of you who don't care - and I know you're out there (are you listening Denver?) - Soho the Dog has some smartfunny posts on Christmas carols that are sure to please (plus, he sells t-shirts to promote his blog and gives the proceeds to charity). This won't take long.

Today's headlines brought some Papelbonia, and this time of year, with the coldest hot stove this fan can remember, I'll take it! Today's story on Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and what happened to the final-out ball of the 2007 World Series just takes the cake. My question is, why did the Doug Mientkiewicz (men-KAY-vich, remember?) version of ballgate annoy just a little while Papelbon's antics are just funny? No, really, I'm asking...

Still, I and others agree that the mutilated baseball would make an interesting display in Cooperstown.

Christmas card delivered 93 years late (but delivered)

It was postmarked December 23, 1914 in Alma, Nebraska and it was mailed to Ethel Martin of Oberlin, Kansas, and it just arrived.

I suppose the lesson to take from this is to "mail as early as possible."

Or perhaps, "pick up the phone because life is too short."

How about "be sure not to die because you could have mail?"

Barry Douglas on Penderecki

Barry Douglas

Pianist Barry Douglas played the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki's 2007 version of Resurrection (conducted by the composer) with the Cincinnati Symphony on December 7. A 2-segment video of Douglas's interview on WGUC in which the Douglas discusses a wide range of topics can be found here.

Barry Douglas makes his way to the Celebrity Series and Boston's Jordan Hall with Camerata Ireland on Friday, March 7.

Bob Blumenthal on Eric in the Evening tonight

Former Boston Globe jazz critic Bob Blumenthal will be on WGBH radio's Eric in the Evening program tonight. Here's some official copy:

"Eric Jackson welcomes renowned Jazz critic Bob Blumenthal to the WGBH 89.7 studios, tonight at 8pm. They will spin some records and discuss Blumenthal new book, Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music.

Blumenthal began writing jazz criticism in 1969 for the Boston Phoenix, where he was a contributing writer until 1989. He began writing a weekly column for the Boston Globe in 1993 and contributes to publications including the Atlantic Monthly, Village Voice, and Down Beat. Blumenthal's other projects include an ongoing affiliation with the RVG reissue series from the Blue Note label; serving as critic in residence at the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vt.; and serving as a permanent creative consultant for Marsalis Music, the Boston-based record label founded by saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Blumenthal received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Journalists Association in 2005.

Tune in at 8pm TONIGHT on 89.7 in New England and worldwide at http://wgbh.org/jazz."

Bob is also a remarkably skilled parallel parker. Really. You should see him in action. Bios so often leave out the best stuff...

Denk knocks 'em dead in Schenectady

Pianist Jeremy Denk wowed his Schenectady, New York, audience Tuesday evening with an unusual Beethoven/Ives program:

"Performing at Union College, the 37-year-old American offered only two sonatas, but each is a doozy: Ives' 'Concord' and Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier.' And his approach to each work was unexpected, applying a spacious romanticism to the Ives and highlighting the modern extremes in the Beethoven."

Read the complete Albany Times-Union review of Denk's recital here.

And then there's Jeremy Denk's popular blog, Think Denk.

Jeremy Denk makes his Celebrity Series debut as part of Rob Kapilow's What Makes It Great? on Saturday, May 10 at NEC's Jordan Hall. Kapilow and Denk will explore Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata.

Audra McDonald as amoral prostitute on Great Performances

Audra McDonald as Jenny in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny

Broadway star Audra McDonald, she of the golden throat plus acting chops, is already making a splash on Private Practice; which makes a nice complement to her previous specials, appearances with the Pops, etc. Now, in an apparent bid to justify her own television channel (I vote for calling it Audravision...) the fabulous Ms. McDonald will star in the Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny on PBS' Great Performances this Monday, December 17 (the first of several broadcasts on WGBH: schedule). On the accompanying PBS background pages you can find a dialogue with McDonald and co-star Anthony Dean Griffey, and a video clip of McDonald singing Alabama Song.

Audra McDonald will sing live for a Celebrity Series audience on Friday, May 16, 2008 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge.

More reviews of Ailey at City Center

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Maurice Bejart's Firebird

The reviews of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's run at City Center keep coming as they always do this time of year. Ailey's annual December run is our first inkling of what is in store for the Company's Boston engagement, so they are much anticipated around the Celebrity Series offices.

Here is the latest crop:

The New York Times: Fame’s Demands, and the Flights of Fancy to Escape (Jennifer Dunning)

The Village Voice: Flaming Creatures (Deborah Jowitt)

New York Post: No 'Flowers' Power (Clive Barnes)

Gay City News: Spunk and Flight (Lori Ortiz) (tip o' the hat to Great Dance blog)

The New York Sun: Dancing on the Subway (Joel Lobenthal)

Bloomberg News: Thierree's Magic Tricks Charm at BAM; Alvin Ailey: (2nd half of article) (Tobi Tobias

Newsday: Review: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Apollinnaire Scherr)

Piano maker Bösendorfer to be sold to Yamaha

Bösendorfer Hall in Vienna

It appears that the Japanese company Yamaha has reached an agreement to purchase a controlling stake in Austrian piano manufacturer Bösendorfer from current owner BAWAG PSK. Bösendorfer is one of the world's most distinguished piano makers and their pianos are known for several key characteristics, among them are their durability (Franz Liszt is said to have preferred them as the only pianos that could withstand his virtuosic onslaughts), a rich, full sound, and unique models featuring 92 and 97-key keyboards in addition to the traditional 88-key models. Yamaha said it intends to keep Bösendorfer's manufacturing facilities in Austria.

Press release on the sale from Bösendorfer's official web site

Forbes.com article

Playbill Arts article

BBC Music Magazine article

AFP article

Amanda Baggs: "In My Language"

Aside from the ideas Amanda outlines in this video, and which she communicates better than I can (and which are the real point here), my discovery of her blog gave me the clearest sense I have yet had that new technologies can actually open up worlds of communication and interaction that were previously closed to us (closed to us for a number of reasons, including our own stupidity). In short, maybe internet-based web 2.0-type technology can live up to the hype. Check out more of Amanda's videos on YouTube and her blog.