Britt Robson Bridgewater won a Tony for her role in The Wiz, won a Grammy for an Ella Fitzgerald tribute, had early-career dabbles in fusion jazz and R & B; more recently, she recorded a disk dedicated to Kurt Weill, and another of Parisian café music sung completely in French. But her latest, Red Earth, ranks with … Read more
Vega is deservedly getting the best reviews of her career for Beauty & Crime, her tip of the beret to New York City, her home since childhood and also the site of September 11th, her dead brother’s apartment, and sidewalks full of poets and fashion models. Vega gathers it all up—Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, and … Read more
This weekend’s program is emblematic of conductor Osmo Vänskä’s five-year tenure to date with the orchestra. It begins with “Rakastava,” the romantic, melancholic choral work from Vänskä’s famous fellow Finn, Sibelius. It ends with Beethoven’s “Second Symphony,” a secondary but not second-rate composition among the nine Beethoven symphonies that Vänskä is recording with the Minnesota … Read more
Is anyone surprised that the absurd quarterback situation bit the Vikings today, resulting in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Lions? There are precious few positions that are absolutely crucial in team sports. But quarterback ranks with hockey goalie and starting pitcher as a spot where a markedly subpar performance almost always dooms your ballclub. … Read more
The Twins organization just announced that general manager Terry Ryan is resigning. This is a huge blow for the franchise. More than anyone else over the past decade–Tom Kelly, Carl Pohlad, Torii Hunter, you name it–Ryan fostered a “Twins Identity” that relied on the farm system, pitching, and the most thorough scouting and information retrieval … Read more
Welcome to the fourth and final Twins diablog of the 2007 season. As always, I’m joined by two savvy diamond heads: the game-cherishing Twins neurotic Brad Zellar, The Rake’s Twins beat writer and author of the Warning Track Power blog; and feisty fan and longtime local journalist David Brauer, who talks about the media on … Read more
Catching up on a few things while my Kevin Garnett appreciation piece lingers on another few weeks… * The KG magnet is working well in Boston. Of the Celtics signings to fill out their roster since the big trade, Scot Pollard is no great shakes but Eddie House is a nice little microwave to have … Read more
The second program in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s 2007–2008 season features the highly anticipated performance of the Violin Concerto, Concentric Paths by the vibrant twenty-first century composer Thomas Adès, who has been revered and reviled for his often choppy and creatively versatile pieces, including the orchestral work Asyla and the operas Powder Her Face … Read more
Red House Records owner Bob Feldman was a fire hydrant of fun and positive energy before he died, a year ago January, at the age of fifty-six. With a folk-music show on tiny KFAI that was strictly a labor of love, Feldman cherished music enough to achieve a remarkably high batting average on the quality … Read more
* Quick prediction before it’s too late: Boof Bonser ends his abysmal losing streak tonight in Baltimore against the O’s (weather permitting). * How sad is it to see the Strib continue to list the Twins in their “Wild Card Race” box between the standings and the probable starters? This morning, it showed the hometown … Read more