We never thought we'd be writing this, but a new comedy sketch and song from Merle Hazard has atonal music at its center. The song, called "(Gimme Some of That) Ol' Atonal Music," riffs on staples of the country and bluegrass traditions, but with lyrics like "his music always made you think; it never made you smile," some very discordant banjo soloing, and an interlude inspired by John Cage.
Choreographer John Neumeier said that in his reinterpretation of Sylvia, he "tried to invent a movement vocabulary that would suit each of the characters."
Behind every great man is a great woman, so the saying goes. In Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the women often run the show. How better to learn about these fascinating female characters than from the women behind Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of Mozart’s masterwork? I spoke with Barbara Gaines, the stage director, as well as the opera’s leading ladies ...
