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Making Music Seen: Singing in Signal

One afternoon in a brightly-lit Brooklyn studio, Mervin Primeaux-O’Bryant and Brandon Kazen-Maddox were making a music video. They recorded a cover of “Midnight Train to Georgia,” but the voices that filled the room were those of Gladys Knight and the Pips who made the song a hit in the 1970s. And yet the two men also sang in the studio – with their hands.

Primeaux-O’Bryant is a deaf actor and dancer. Kazen-Maddox is a hearing dancer and choreographer who is a native speaker of American Sign Language thanks to seven deaf family members. Her version of “Midnight Train to Georgia” is part of a 10-song series of American Sign Language covers featuring groundbreaking works by black artists that Kazen-Maddox is producing for Broadstream, an art streaming platform.

Music connects communities around the world by telling basic stories, teaching emotional intelligence, and cementing a sense of belonging. Many Americans are familiar with signed singing from moments like the Super Bowl when a sign language interpreter – if hardly – performs the national anthem next to a pop star.

As sign language music videos proliferate on YouTube, triggering comments from deaf and hearing viewers, the richness of American Sign Language (ASL) has reached a broader stage.

“Music is a multitude of different things to different people,” Alexandria Wailes, a deaf actress and dancer, told me in a video interview with an interpreter. Wailes played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2018 Super Bowl and drew thousands of visitors on YouTube last year with her contribution in sign language to “Sing Gently,” a choral work by Eric Whitacre.

“I understand,” she added, “that when you hear, not hearing seems to separate us. But what is your relationship to music, dance, beauty? What do you see that I can learn from? These are conversations that people have to get used to. “

Good ASL performance prioritizes dynamics, phrasing, and flow. The parameters of sign language – hand shape, movement, position, palm orientation, and facial expression – can be combined with elements of visual slang, a body of codified gestures that allow an experienced ASL speaker to immerse themselves in the type of sound painting that composers use Enrich text.

During the most recent video shoot, Gladys Knight’s voice boomed from a large loudspeaker, while a much smaller one was tucked into Primeaux-O’Bryant’s clothes so that he could “feel the music,” he said in an interview with Kazen-Maddox Interpreting. Out of sight of the camera, an interpreter was on hand to translate all of the crew’s instructions, all of which were heard while a laptop displayed the lyrics.

In the song, the backup singers – played here by Kazen-Maddox – encourage Knight to join their lover, who has returned to Georgia. In the original recording, the pips repeat the sentence “Everyone on board”. But when Kazen-Maddox signed it, those words became signs reminiscent of the movement of the train and its corridors. A playful pull on an invisible whistle corresponded to the woo-woo of the band’s horns. Primeaux-O’Bryant signed the lead vocals with movements that gently expanded the words, just like in the song: on the drawn out “Oh” from “Not so long ago – oh-oh” his hands fluttered into his lap. The two men also put in signs from Black ASL

“The hands have their own feelings,” said Primeaux-O’Bryant. “They have their own minds.”

Deaf singers prepare for their interpretations by experiencing a song with all means at their disposal. Many people speak of their increased sensitivity to sound vibrations that they experience through their body. As a ballet trained dancer, Primeaux-O’Bryant said he was particularly attuned to the vibrations of a piano transmitted through a wooden floor.

Primeaux-O’Bryant was a student at Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington in the early 1990s when a teacher asked him to sign a Michael Jackson song during Black History Month. His first reaction was to refuse.

But the teacher “pulled it out of him,” he said, and he was brought into the spotlight in front of a large audience. Then Primeaux-O’Bryant said, “The lights came on and my cue happened and I exploded and signed the work and it felt good.” Then the audience burst into applause: “I fell in love with the performance on stage.”

Signing choirs have long been common around the world. But the pandemic has created new visibility for signing and music, aided in part by the video-focused technology that all musicians have relied on to make art together. As part of the celebration of the “Global Ode to Joy” for Beethoven’s 250th birthday last year, the artist Dalia Ihab Younis wrote a new text for the final choir of the Ninth Symphony, which was taught in elementary terms by an Egyptian a cappella choir Arabic sign language.

Last spring, the pandemic forced a sudden halt to live singing as choirs were viewed as potential spreaders of the coronavirus. In response, the Dutch Radio Choir and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra turned to the Dutch Signing Choir to work together on the signed elegy “My heart sings on”, in which the sharp voice of a music saw mingled with the lyrical gestures of Ewa Harmsen . Who is deaf She was joined by members of the radio choir who had learned a few signs on the occasion.

“It matters more when I sing with my hands,” said Harmsen in a video interview, speaking and signing in Dutch with an interpreter present. “I also love singing with my voice, but it’s not that pretty. My children say to me: don’t sing, mother! Not with your voice. ‘”

The challenges of signing music are multiplied in polyphonic works such as Bach’s Passion Oratorios with their complex tapestries of orchestral and vocal counterpoints and declamatory recitatives. At the beginning of April Sing and Sign, an ensemble founded by the soprano Susanne Haupt in Leipzig, launched a new production of part of the “St. John Passion “is the first fruit of an ongoing business.

Haupt worked with deaf people and a choreographer to develop a performance that not only reflects the sung words of the oratorio, but also the character of the music. For example, the gurgling sixteenth notes that run through the strings are expressed with the sign for “flowing”.

“We didn’t just want to translate text,” said Haupt. “We wanted to make music visible.”

Only those who should be entrusted with this process of making music visible can be a controversial question. Speaking between takes on filming in Brooklyn, Primeaux-O’Bryant said that some music videos made by listening to ASL speakers are not expressive and do little more than the words and basic rhythm.

“Sometimes interpreters don’t show the emotions that are associated with the music,” he said. “And deaf people say, ‘What is this?'”

Both men spoke about the impact of ballet training on the quality of their signature. Kazen-Maddox said when he took ballet lessons daily in his 20s, his signature became more graceful.

“There’s a port de bras that you only learn from ballet that I’ve really engraved on my body,” he said. “And I’ve seen my sign language, which has been with me all my life, become more compatible with music.”

Wailes also attributes her musicality to her dance training. “I’m a bit more attuned to the general sensitivity to spatial awareness in my body,” she said. And she added, “Not everyone is a good singer, are they? I think you should make this analogy for signatories too. “

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James Hampton, Bumbling ‘F Troop’ Bugler, Dies at 84

James Hampton, a character actor who achieved some level of sitcom immortality in one of his earliest roles, the inept signaler Hannibal Dobbs in the 1960s series “F Troop,” died Wednesday at his home in Trophy Club, Texas. He was 84 years old.

Linda McAlister, his agent, said the cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Hampton had a kind face that lends itself well to comedic roles characterized by bumblebees or gullibility. He was among them on a handful of television shows like “Death Valley” and “Dr. Kildare” when the director of a “Gunsmoke” episode he was in drew his attention to a casting director at Warner Bros. That led to the role in “F Troop,” a spunky ABC comedy about a military outpost, Fort Courage, in the 1860s.

The show featured Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Melody Patterson and Ken Berry, but Mr. Hampton made an indelible mark in his supporting role as the horn player, whose playing bore only a passing resemblance to music. (In the show’s opening montage, an arrow hits the bell end of his horn directly as he plays.) The show only ran two seasons, but its exaggerated humor in an era of milder comedies like “The Andy Griffith Show” made it known to a specific audience segment .

Mr. Hampton was known to a later generation from the 1985 film Teen Wolf, in which he portrayed the title character’s father, a werewolf played by rising star Michael J. Fox. He was also in the sequel to “Teen Wolf Too” with Jason Bateman in 1987.

Mr. Hampton also played a more serious role, including the utility company’s PR man showing Jane Fonda’s character in a nuclear power plant when a disaster strikes in The China Syndrome (1979).

He has occasionally directed, including episodes from the 1990s series “Hearts Afire,” which cast Billy Bob Thornton. When Mr. Thornton wrote his acclaimed film “Sling Blade” (1996), he ensured that Mr. Hampton played a role in it as the hospital administrator.

Burt Reynolds was another major influence in his career. They met while they were working on Gunsmoke together when Mr. Reynolds was a regular cast member. The two appeared in the 1974 soccer film “The Longest Yard,” and Mr. Hampton wrote and directed episodes of Mr. Reynolds’ 1990 series, “Evening Shade.”

James Wade Hampton was born in Oklahoma City on July 9, 1936. His father, Ivan, owned a dry cleaner, and his mother, Edna (Gately) Hampton, worked in a fashion workshop.

He grew up in Dallas and studied speech and theater at North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas). He was drafted into the army in 1959 and served in Europe. He returned to Texas in the early 1960s and worked in the local theater before moving to New York in 1962.

Recognition…Barry Crowbar / WireImage

Mr. Hampton worked non-stop for the next four decades, getting roles occasionally, even after he retired in 2002 and settled in Texas. He is survived by his wife, Mary Deese Hampton, whom he married in 2002. two sons, James and Frank; a daughter, Andrea Hampton Doyle; and three grandchildren.

After “F Troop”, Mr. Hampton returned in 1976 in the movie “Hawmps!” He played a mid-19th century lieutenant assigned to oversee an experiment in Texas using camels in the cavalry. Mr. Hampton was a Johnny Carson favorite at the time and was a frequent guest on his “Tonight Show,” including the night of the Hollywood premiere of “Hawmps!”

When Mr. Hampton told The Community Common in Portsmouth, Ohio in 2007, he was Mr. Carson’s first guest so he could leave early to get to the premiere. He happened to mention to Mr. Carson that his mother was in the studio audience. Mr. Carson turned on the house lights and congratulated her on her son’s big night.

His mother replied by saying, “You just go to the premiere, James. I’ll stay and watch the rest of Johnny. “

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Entertainment

Assessment: Kyle Abraham’s Calm Management of Our bodies and House

Not only does snow fall, but snow falls on a calm sea. In its first moments, When We Fell, Kyle Abraham’s new dance film for the New York City Ballet, sets its tone: muted, tuned to melting subtleties.

In interviews, Abraham said that for this film – which will be available on the company’s website and YouTube channel until April 22 – he was aware of the more flamboyant aspects of The Runaway, his 2018 hit for City Ballet , has avoided. He has said that he was instead influenced by the environment in which the new work was done: during a February “bubble” residence in the Hudson Valley, where the silence of the quarantine was heightened by snow.

All of this is evident in the 16-minute work, which includes piano pieces by Morton Feldman and Nico Muhly as replacements for Jason Moran. But because this dance had to be a movie, Abraham’s most important decision may have been to choose a co-director, cinematographer Ryan Marie Helfant. “When We Fell”, shot in 16 mm black and white, is one of the most beautiful dance films of the pandemic.

After the snow and the sea, it positions the dancers in the lobby of the home theater of the City Ballet in Lincoln Center, making use of the clarity and elegance of the place, the geometric floor designs and the balcony work. Unlike many recent dance films, this body establishes and maintains in relation to the space around it. When it comes to a different point of view, the processing is calm, musical and coherent. Even shifts as ostentatious and potentially disoriented as switching between side and top views are absorbed into the calm rhythm of the film.

The most noticeable moment is a transition, a quick assembly of architectural details. This is significant as Abraham’s choreography is also focused on details. As in “The Runaway”, Abraham skillfully combines ballet with other influences, from Merce Cunningham to club dance. But the mixing here is more relaxed, less proving something. Elements that could be rich in contrast, arabesques or body scrolls, are all delivered on the same plane without emphasis – each snowflake registers itself before it merges with the water.

This also applies to the diversity of the eight-person cast: a racial mixture that still cannot be accepted in this or any other ballet company is obvious, but is not emphasized, as is the lack of ballet hierarchies. The main dancers Lauren Lovette and Taylor Stanley (Abraham’s city ballet muse, star of “The Runaway” and the short film “Ces noms que nous portons”) get the final pas de deux, in which some ballet gender conventions are neglected with beautiful certainty . But the soloist Claire Kretzschmar and the corps members India Bradley and Christopher Grant shine equally.

Even one apprentice, KJ Takahashi, stands out in a number of twists that are typical of this work: there is bravado without breaking the contemplative surface, and the tension holds the dullness in check. This is when the dancers have moved onto the stage of the theater and the music – Moran’s “All Hammers and Chains” – is at its wildest. Glissandi chains bubble over low hammer blows. Even so, the dance remains calm.

“When we fell”

Until April 22nd, nycballet.com.

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Prince Philip Has Died at Age of 99, Palace Confirms

The Royal Family confirmed that on April 9, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Patriarch of the British Royal Family, died at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace issued a brief statement in which it said: “It is with great sadness that Her Majesty the Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. HRH is at peace this morning died at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family and people around the world mourn his loss. Further announcements will be made in due course. “

Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, gave up his Greek and Danish titles to become a naturalized British subject when he became engaged to Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of King George VI. Just before the couple married in 1947, he became Baron Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh. After the death of George VI in 1952, Elizabeth ascended the British throne and Philip became her consort. Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in June 1953, and as chairman of the coronation commission, Philip was instrumental in organizing the day.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 2: Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, waves to the crowd after being crowned at Westminter Abbey in London on June 2, 1953.  Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20, 1947 and was made Queen in 1952 at the age of 25.  Her coronation was the first global television event.  (Photo credit should be STF / AFP / Getty Images)Image Source: Getty Images / OFF / AFP

Although their marriage was not without its ups and downs, the Queen and Prince Philip had been married for over 70 years and had four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. They in turn gave the couple eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

The Duke resigned from his official royal duties in 2017 and his last official engagement was in August of that year, although this was by no means the last time we saw him. After undergoing successful hip replacement surgery in April 2018, Philip was in good spirits at his grandson Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in May this year, despite skipping both the Trooping the Color ceremony and the christening of his Great-grandson, Prince Louis. He resigned for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding in October, despite previous reports that he might decide to skip it. In 2019 we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him hanging out with his eighth great-grandson, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born in May 2019. The Duke was also in a good mood attending Lady Gabriella Windsor’s wedding to Thomas Kingston.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Duke and Queen have stayed at Windsor Castle since lockdown restrictions were first introduced in March 2020. In the summer, as coronavirus lockdowns eased across the UK, Prince Philip was able to attend the private wedding ceremony of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who were married on July 17 at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. And while he couldn’t meet his ninth grandchild – Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank – the couple honored the Duke by naming him after his great-grandfather. In February 2021, the Duke was hospitalized, where he later underwent a successful procedure for an existing heart disease.

The palace has not yet released any further information about the prince’s death, but as the monarch’s consort he is entitled to a state burial.

– Additional reporting from Sophia Panych and Tori Crowther

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Cultural Venues’ Quest for Billions in Federal Assist Is Halted by Glitch

As the government prepared Thursday to apply for a $ 16 billion aid fund for music clubs, theaters, and other businesses for live events, thousands of desperate applicants waited eagerly to submit their papers right at 12:00 noon, than the system should be opened.

And then they waited. And waited. Almost four hours later, the system still didn’t work at all, causing the applicants to go into a state of anxiety.

“This is an absolute disaster,” tweeted Eric Sosa, the owner of C’mon Everybody, a Brooklyn club, at the agency.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the Small Business Administration, which runs the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, abandoned its efforts to salvage the broken system and shut it down for the day. No applications were processed.

“Technical problems arose despite several successful tests of the application process,” said Andrea Roebker, spokeswoman for the agency, in a written statement.

After discussions with the providers who set up the system, the agency decided to “close the portal in order to ensure fair and equal access after the reopening, as this is first come, first served”, said Roebker. “This decision was not made lightly as we understand that this tough industry needs to be relieved quickly.”

Frustrated applicants vented and shared their anger on social media forums and Zoom calls.

“It’s hard to hear that help is on the way and then can’t apply,” said Tom Weyman, program director at Columbus Theater in Providence, RI. The process would be perfectly smooth, but this is life and death for our venues. ”

The meltdown reflected the problems the agency had over the past year applying for the paycheck protection program, which it is also overseeing. When that program opened, the agency’s overloaded systems were seized – and the same thing happened again weeks later when a new round of funding became available.

Applicants for the scholarship program were in disbelief that the agency wasn’t better prepared – especially as funds are supposed to be distributed based on the order in which people apply. Those who get their applications early have the best chance of getting help before they run out of money.

“Venues compete because we’re all crazy about them,” said Brooklyn club owner Mr. Sosa in an interview. “And that’s not how it should be. We are all a community. ”

For companies like Crowbar, a Tampa, Florida music club, getting a scholarship is a matter of survival. Tom DeGeorge, Crowbar’s principal owner, has raised more than $ 200,000 in personal loans to keep the business alive after it closed last year, including a loan that used the liquor license as collateral.

More than a year later, the club has reopened with some reduced capacity events, but the business is still in the red, DeGeorge said.

“We lost a year of gigs in the blink of an eye, which is close to $ 1 million in revenue,” said DeGeorge. “That’s why we need this scholarship so badly.”

The aid was approved by Congress late last year after months of lobbying by an ad hoc coalition of music venues and other groups warning of the loss of an entire sector of the arts industry.

For music venues in particular, the last year has been a problem with local club owners running crowdfunding campaigns, selling t-shirts, and worrying about creative ways to raise funds. For the holidays, for example, the Subterranean Club in Chicago agreed to put the names of patrons on its marquee for donations of $ 250 or more.

“It’s been the busiest year,” said Robert Gomez, the main owner of Subterranean, in an interview. “But it was all about, ‘Where do I get money from?'”

Even before the fiasco on Thursday, the opening of the closed program of events was characterized by complexity and confusion.

The Small Business Administration released a 58-page applicant guide late Wednesday night and then quickly took it offline. A revised version of the manual was published just minutes before the portal opened on Thursday. (An agency spokeswoman said the guide needs to be updated to reflect “some last-minute system changes.”)

And less than two hours before the agency was due to accept applications, its inspector general sent out a “serious concern” warning about the program’s waste and fraud controls. The Small Business Administration’s current audit schedule “exposes billions of dollars to possible misuse of funds,” the inspector general wrote in a report.

As of 2019, successful applicants will receive a grant equal to 45 percent of their gross sales of up to $ 10 million. Those who lost 90 percent of their sales (year-over-year) after the coronavirus pandemic outbreak have a 14-day priority window to receive the money, followed by another 14-day period for those who have 70 percent or have lost more. If there are still funds left over after that, they will go to applicants who had a revenue loss of 25 percent in at least one quarter of 2020. Large company venues such as Live Nation or AEG are not eligible.

The application process is extensive and contains detailed questions about the budget, staff and equipment of the venues.

“You want to make sure you don’t just put a piano in the corner of an Italian restaurant and label yourself a music venue,” said Blayne Tucker, an attorney for several music rooms in Texas.

Even with the scholarships, music venues can face many dry months before tours and live events return on a par with prepandemic levels.

The scholarship program also provides assistance to Broadway theaters, performing arts centers, and even zoos that face many of the same economic problems.

For example, the Pablo Center at Confluence in Eau Claire, Wisconsin raised about $ 1 million from donations and grants during the pandemic, but is still $ 1.2 million less than annual fixed operating costs, Jason Jon Anderson said . its managing director.

“If we reopen in October 2021 at the earliest, we will be closed longer than before,” he added. (The center opened in 2018 at a cost of $ 60 million.)

The thousands of small clubs that are on the national concert ticket have no access to large donors and, in many cases, have survived with smoke for months.

Stephen Chilton, owner of the 300-seat Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, said he took out “a few hundred thousand” loans to help keep the club afloat. In October it reopened with a pop-up cafe. The club hosts a few events, including quizzes and open mic shows.

“We’re losing a lot less than we lost when we were completely closed,” said Chilton, “but it doesn’t make up for the lost revenue from running events.”

The Rebel Lounge hopes a scholarship will help it survive until it can bring back a full range of concerts. What if the application is unsuccessful?

“There is no plan B,” said Chilton.

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‘Shiva Child’ Overview: It’s Difficult

“Just try to behave yourself today,” her mother pleads. Unfortunately, greater forces in the universe seem to be at work against Danielle (Rachel Sennott) who starred in Emma Seligman’s nerve-wracking comedy “Shiva Baby. ”

Danielle feels particularly aimless; Her parents are still paying their bills, and the money she makes babysitting them is actually provided by “sugar fathers” (older men who pay them for sexual favors and attention). She’s already upset about the interrogations of family friends and the unexpected presence of an ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) when her main benefactor (Danny Deferrari) walks in the door – with his previously unrecognized wife (Dianna Agron) and their baby in tow.

The single location and the collapsed timeframe of Seligman’s script give it the efficiency of a well-constructed stage play. But Danielle’s ordeal is as tense as any thriller, with the tense small talk, the copious sidelong eyes, and the apologetic gossip amplified by nervous camera work, harrowing sound effects, and a clanking, dissonant musical score. It’s rare for a film to simultaneously balance such wildly divergent tones, interweaving great laughs with uncomfortable complaints, but Seligman manages it.

Your cast helps. Sennott is a revelation and that is important; She carries much of the weight of the picture on her face and its ability to express the increasing levels of stress and dead reactions. She’s surrounded by some of the game’s best character actors (including a standout twist from Fred Melamed as her father) while she and Gordon convey the pain, anger, and leftover heat of their relationship in a wonderful way.

Seligman accumulates the complications with the clockwork precision of a Rube Goldberg machine, but never in the service of the real emotions at the core of the picture. As she nears graduation, Danielle indulges in sheer helplessness, completely overwhelmed, a moment that may become even more powerful after a year of collective isolation and fear. “Shiva Baby” knows this and another important feeling: In the midst of uninterrupted stress and distraction, a moment of quiet, unsolicited tenderness can make all the difference.

Shiva baby
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 17 minutes. In selected cinemas and available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play and other streaming platforms as well as pay TV operators. Please consult the Policies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before viewing films in theaters.

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5 Issues to Do This Weekend

With the change of seasons, the increasing availability of vaccines, and the cautious return of live performances, New Yorkers may feel more hopeful than they have been in a while. But whatever stage of the pandemic we are at, it can still be exhausting when the effects of a draining year hit.

A new digital production by tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel promises a surge of joy that will lead us through this second spring of the pandemic. The evening “Chasing Magic”, presented by the Joyce Theater, unites Casel with the jazz composer and musician Arturo O’Farrill, a continuation of their celebrated Joyce engagement in 2019. In addition to a collaboration with the choreographer Ronald K. Brown, the show includes other contributions by the tap artists Anthony Morigerato, Naomi Funaki, Amanda Castro and John Manzari, in which creative chemistry is emphasized as an antidote to isolation. The presentation begins Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and runs through April 21. Tickets are $ 25 and are available from joyce.org.
SIOBHAN BURKE

Film series

After a year in prison, New Yorkers may be the last thing they want to stare out of an apartment. But “Rear Window”, Hitchcock’s 1954 masterpiece, never gets old and its story sums up what cinema is.

As an intrepid photographer with a broken leg, James Stewart becomes a captive viewer who is tied up by a frame – not a movie screen, but his window, from which he experiences the love life and loneliness of his neighbors as a proxy until he sees evidence of it possible murder. Repeated reflections don’t tarnish the tension and only inspire awe at how Hitchcock deals with the individual set and the perspective of Stewart’s character. In a dark theater, the finale – in which the protagonist uses a flashlight to defend himself – will have its real dazzling effect.

“Rear Window” will be shown in the Film Forum from Friday to April 15th. Please read the Policies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching films in theaters.
BEN KENIGSBERG

CHILDREN

Puberty is often difficult, and asking for help can be even more difficult for those who experience it. On Friday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. East Coast Time, the 2021 Changing Minds Young Filmmaker Festival will address these challenges with short essays focused on mental health.

Presented by Community Access, a Manhattan nonprofit, this free virtual program includes the festival’s winning film – Kat Dolan’s “Nobody but Myself” – and seven finalists. The films, selected from more than 700 submissions by directors ages 15-25, address topics such as anxiety, body image, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dolan’s project portrays depression as an intimate companion, while Naeela Djemil’s “Petrichor” shows how it affects a young Muslim woman.

Shadille Estepan, the communications and outreach manager of the Born This Way Foundation, a youth initiative co-founded by Lady Gaga, will moderate a final Q and A with the filmmakers. The entire program will be streamed on event.gives and on Facebook and will then also be available on the Instagram page and the Community Access YouTube channel.
LAUREL GRAEBER

Classical music

When the Komische Oper Berlin is planning a season of musical dramas, it is often a pleasure to see that repertoire warhorses alternate with modernist works and joking rarities. The upcoming free concert by his orchestra on Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time will have a similar form (streaming on komische-oper-berlin.de, where the concert will last for a week after the live presentation).

The classic on offer is Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony. The modernist work is Webern’s Variations for Orchestra. The joking rarity? That would be Friedrich Gulda’s Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra – a piece full of transitions between jazz and rock influences as well as Austrian vintage dances (among other things, points of reference).

As a pianist, Gulda worked with Chick Corea and was a well-known interpreter for Mozart. But since the concert can also be registered as pastiche, it will be interesting to hear whether the conductor James Gaffigan – a New York favorite who will debut with this orchestra on Friday – can bring a sense of unity to the overall program.
SETH COLTER WALLS

Though her early career was rooted in the Washington, DC go-go scene, singer and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello has long since transcended regional and genre affiliations. For three decades, her records have moved freely between R&B, hip-hop, rock and jazz, provoking and challenging listeners with experimental forms and open politics.

As the curator and headliner of this year’s BRIC JazzFest, which is practically taking place for the sixth time this weekend, Ndegeocello is something of the spiritual leader of the festival. Like them, only a few participants are exclusively jazz musicians. On Thursday night’s program is Phony Ppl, an energetic Brooklyn fiver fed by funk and hip-hop (as heard on her latest single with Megan Thee Stallion). On Friday, Ndegeocello shares the bill with composer, singer and art world darling Justin Hicks. Robert Glasper, an inventive pianist with a Rolodex star staff including Kendrick Lamar and HER, will perform on Saturday.

Tickets for the streams, which begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Time each evening, start at $ 20 and are available at bricartsmedia.org. The prices increase according to the number of viewers per household.
Olivia Horn

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Lena Waithe on Them and Letting Black Artists Inform Tales

Image source: Getty / Aaron J. Thornton
Lena Waithe sets out to redefine what luxury means to the entertainment industry thanks to a recent Haagen-Dazs campaign entitled “That’s Dazs”. As part of the campaign, Häagen-Dazs donated $ 100,000 to the Hillman Grad Foundation’s Mentorship Lab from Waithe as part of a larger three-year brand loyalty of $ 1.5 million to underrepresented creators and flavor makers. The 10-month program provides “Opportunities for Marginalized Storytellers to Network, Grow, and Accelerate Their Careers in Television and Film” and consists of three separate titles: Writing on TV, Screening, and Leadership Development. In addition to providing access to the Hillman Grad Network of industry professionals, the program also provides the opportunity to shadow a writers’ room and a monthly speaker series with industry experts. “I think it’s a luxury to work in this industry, but I don’t think we can treat it as such. We have to make it more accessible to everyone,” Waithe told POPSUGAR. “People think that it is only for a select few to be in business, to work and to be successful. We try to say, ‘No, it is for everyone.'”

That doesn’t mean changing the narrative is easy, as the industry often requires people to work in jobs that they aren’t paid to do. “Not everyone can afford to do this. We’re trying to make it happen so they can come and work and learn,” she added. “You don’t have to be stressed about how to pay your bills or how to pay for classes.” It’s just gotten a lot easier thanks to Häagen-Dazs. “It’s about literally and figuratively really investing in the community. With the money they have given us, we can help pay for teachers and resources they may need and whatever else they may need shows up, “she continued. “Because the truth is, it’s the money part that challenges people because they say, ‘I don’t have the money to move. I don’t have the ability to intern and keep my lights on.’ “

“People think that only a select few are able to be in business, work, and be successful.”

The Mentorship Lab came about after Waithe and film producer Rishi Rajani each ran programs that left something to be desired in terms of skills and takeaways. “Because we work in the industry every day, we learn the things we learn on the fly with the next class,” she explained. “There are things we can’t teach because this industry changes for every new generation. I find it exciting that we learn from the mentees because they tell us, ‘Hey, we’re really stressed out on social media.’ And for me and Rishi, because we’ve lived with it for so long, we say, “Yeah, it just comes with it.” But for them, they freaked out because they check their social media every day and drag people for their work and So we try to tell them, “Don’t be afraid of it. It’s okay. It’s okay It’s a difficult time in our society. But even that is something I didn’t think of when I entered it. So we’re trying to tell them,” Don’t be afraid of it Industry came.

Image source: Shayan Asgharnia
Between the possibilities with the Mentorship Lab and the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series You: BundWaithe has a lot going for it. “We have a couple of mini-scrolls that are going to open up, especially on Amazon, for these writers to sit in the room,” she said. “Obviously we have You: Bund Coming April 9th, which the streets are already talking about, produced and written by Little Marvin. And then The chi come back. We now have a release date, May 23rd, for the fourth season and then Twenties will start filming in May. So we have a few other things that we cook and look forward to. “

With the mentees, she would like to gain practical experience with projects in which she is involved. “We’re going to have them audition and see if there is room for an employee on one of these new shows. They really have full access to everything we do,” she added. “And then the writers in the lab will be finishing scripts very soon too, so the actors will come and be the readers of those scripts. They will get to know each other, they will learn from each other.” Voices and what they’re good at and things like that. It’s just going to be a really exciting time to build these people, grow and encourage them to be creative and do whatever comes to their minds and not suffocate them whatsoever. “

“That doesn’t mean that black people can’t tell stories about horror through the black lens just because they did it first.”

Waithe speaks of creative minds and is aware of the comparisons between Little Marvins they and Jordan Peeles Get out. “It’s just so funny because Jordan Peele obviously opened a huge door, but that doesn’t mean that as a black person, you can’t tell stories about horror through the black lens just because he did it first.”

She continued, “But I went to a showing of Get out and we were all obviously blown away by the movie. And then Jordan said to us: “Do you know what is interesting? I wrote this film before Obama even took office. ‘So when something comes out, it can often take years to start. “There was actually no plan when it came to the timing of theyPublication. “It was just the right timing,” she said. “It was about when it was finished, it was about when it was finished. This production was on COVID like many other productions, so there was a little delay. So when something comes out it often has very little to do with the subject But I definitely think our society goes through cycles. “

NEWARK, NJ - AUGUST 26: Lena Waithe visits Black Girls Rock!  2018 red carpet at NJPAC on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.  (Photo by Paras Griffin / Getty Images for BET)Image source: Getty / Paras Griffin
For Waithe, it is important to give an artist the creative license so that their work can stand the test of time. “If the work stands the test of time and says something about our society that wasn’t really said that way before, I think it’s valid and important,” said Waithe. “I just don’t believe in suffocating artists. We can never win if we do that. When we started telling artists what they can and can’t do, we are doing ourselves a disservice. Because the truth is, white.” Male Artists Get Chances All The Time Nobody tells a white guy, “Hey, don’t do this,” or maybe we are, but the truth is, black artists deserve to be free to tell the story they want to tell. At least we deserve it. “

Your statements are particularly true when it comes to the Twitter comment that took place on the trailer for they was published first. Immediately people assumed it was being tried Lovecraft Land or Get outIn reality, it is a far cry from either. “I can’t even explain to people what they’re going to see. Can you? It’s like Little Marvin’s brain is different from what I’ve ever experienced,” she revealed. (She’s right. After seeing the screeners for theyI still haven’t found words to describe what’s going on. “Even the pilot. I said, ‘Who are you? Where are you from?’ And that’s his first. I’ll go with him too. I’ve been there trying to hold his hand and say, “Hey, how are you? Get ready. Gird your loins. “And he just says,” Look, I’m half Indian, half black, gay man. I’ve gotten every name and hatred you can think of, “from people who don’t look like him and from people who do.”

they deals with a number of difficult issues including racism, death, mental illness and murder. With the rise in media-centric black trauma, why did Little Marvin feel the need to tell this particular story? “I hope you can understand why he did that or why he felt the need to tell this story. I don’t think he’s in any way trying to take advantage of anything or anything,” Waithe shared. “It’s really an artistic expression of what he’s been thinking about and what he’s thinking. And I think he has the right to be. These are the times that we are in and that we have to accept. I know this work is going to be last and that’s the most important thing. “

“Black artists deserve to be free to tell any story they want to tell. At least we deserve that.”

What Waithe would like to take away from the audience they, of which she is an executive producer, it’s complicated. “People ask, ‘What did you want people to take away from work?’ and I always say, “Whatever you make it do,” she announced. “Because if people come up to it and want to say, ‘I want to be angry about it,’ they will. If people want to come and say, ‘I want to be open and just see this as a beautiful piece of art,’ it will be. It just depends. ”

It remains to be seen what the audience thinks of they when it premieres on April 9th. “In ten years and in ten years and in ten years we will be living in a completely different society. That’s just the way it is,” she argued. “There are things that will be the same and there are things that will change. The audience evolves and changes, but the work is there. Therefore, all of the works that we revisit and that we carry on in life watch them classic because we keep them alive. “The audience isn’t the only thing that evolves and changes, everything goes back to the creators. For Waithe, Little Marvin, and the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab mentees, the hope is that the work will be something people won’t forget. “It’s the job that people want to go back and visit again,” she continued. “This is the kind of job I love because I know I always go back.”

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5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Brahms

In der Vergangenheit haben wir die fünf Minuten gewählt, die wir spielen würden, um unsere Freunde dazu zu bringen, sich in klassische Musik, Klavier, Oper, Cello, Mozart, Komponisten des 21. Jahrhunderts, Geige, Barockmusik, Sopranistinnen, zu verlieben. Beethoven, Flöte, Streichquartette und Tenöre.

Jetzt wollen wir diese neugierigen Freunde davon überzeugen, die Musik von Johannes Brahms (1833-97) zu lieben, dem Meister rührender symphonischer Ausrufe und launischer Klaviersoli. Wir hoffen, dass Sie hier viel zu entdecken und zu genießen finden. Hinterlassen Sie Ihre Favoriten in den Kommentaren.

Der Beginn von Brahms ‘Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 ist eine meiner Lieblingskonzerteröffnungen. Es hat Drama, Intensität und Emotionen – und das ist, bevor sich das Klavier überhaupt anschließt! Der Solist kommt fast vier Minuten lang nicht herein, während das Orchester eine lange, spannende Einführung hat, die die Themen des Satzes illustriert. Brahms nutzt das volle Orchester mit viel Größe, so dass der Eingang des Klaviers immer eine schöne Überraschung ist und sehr lyrisch und leise wirkt. Und nach so langem Warten!

Als mein Vater 1997 starb, beschloss ich, zwei Monate lang keine Musik zu hören. Und nach zwei Monaten sagte die Stimme meines Vaters zu mir: “Du musst jetzt Musik spielen.” Also schaltete ich das Radio ein. Ich brachte meinen Sohn zur Schule und als ich ihn einschaltete, hörte ich diese Melodie. Mein Vater spielte Geige und ich fühlte eine Verbindung, dass er mich zu diesem Lied führte; es stellte sich heraus, dass es Brahms war. Nicht lange danach arbeiteten wir mit Dave Matthews an „Supernatural“ und dieser Song kam wieder auf. Ich habe es mit Dave geteilt und als nächstes wurde es auf dem Album als “Love of My Life” veröffentlicht.

Im Gegensatz zu vielen modernen Musikern, die sich für diese Individualitätssache begeistern, gebe ich offen zu, gestohlen zu haben. Ich stehle. Und ich stehle viel von Brahms. Es gibt Zeiten, in denen es unbeabsichtigt ist, und Zeiten, in denen es ziemlich beabsichtigt ist. Das war 50/50. Ich habe Musik für „Ma Raineys Black Bottom“ gemacht und ein melancholisches Stück für Toledo, den Klavierspieler im Film, und das Streichorchester geschrieben. Ich schreibe die Melodie und habe sie im dritten und vierten Takt aufgelöst. Ich habe diese zweite Hälfte von irgendwoher gestohlen, aber es dauerte Wochen, bis ich herausgefunden hatte, wo. Natürlich habe ich es aus einem von Brahms ‘Intermezzos genommen.

Meine Einführung in Brahms erfolgte 1975 in der Carnegie Hall, wo Herbert von Karajan mit den Berliner Philharmonikern die Zweite und Vierte Symphonie dirigierte. Ich hatte gerade für ihn vorgesprochen; Er bat mich, das Sopransolo aus dem „Deutschen Requiem“ vorzubereiten, damit ich es am Ende der Tour singen konnte, und er lud mich zum Konzert ein. Es war ein unvergessliches Erlebnis. Ich habe später mit ihm und den Wiener Philharmonikern das „Requiem“ aufgenommen: Ich widme dieses Solo allen, die Angehörige verloren haben oder unter dieser Pandemie leiden, wichtige Arbeiter und Opfer von Konflikten und Tragödien auf der ganzen Welt.

Dieses Intermezzo ist Clara Schumann gewidmet und emotional und intensiv. Es hat einen magischen Zauber, eine liebevolle Aura, die das Herz sanft berührt. Die Kraft dieser Musik versetzt Sie in eine Welt der Selbstbeobachtung und intimen Ruhe. Es ist ein Stück, das niemals stirbt; es spielt auf etwas an, das man niemals greifen kann. Du hörst auf seine Poesie und es zwingt dich, immer wieder zuzuhören.

Ich liebe die geräumigen, prüfenden, launischen Brahms; die Brahms von Breite und Tiefe; der progressive Komponist, dessen reife harmonische Sprache die Atonalität Schönbergs vorwegnahm. Aber Brahms, ein virtuoser Pianist in seiner Blütezeit, hat auch eine wilde Seite, eine auffällige Spur. Und keine Musik fängt ihn besser in diesem Sinne ein als das tanzende, schwindelerregende Finale seines Klavierquartetts Nr. 1 in g-Moll, das er als Rondo „im Zigeunerstil“ bezeichnet. Bei dieser aufregenden Aufnahme aus dem Jahr 1967 schließt sich Artur Rubinstein, damals knapp 80 Jahre alt, weitaus jüngeren Mitgliedern des Guarneri-Quartetts an.

Hier ist mehr von diesem fröhlichen Brahms: das Finale seines Violinkonzerts, ein Tanz mit einem Fuß in einem prächtigen Ballsaal, der andere auf einem heruntergekommenen Dorfplatz. Nach dem zarten langsamen Satz des Konzerts ist es eine unwiderstehliche Explosion. Die Solistin hier ist die silberfarbene Janine Jansen; Ich hörte sie nicht lange vor Beginn der Pandemie spielen, daher ist es für mich eine wertvolle Erinnerung daran, was vorher kam – und was danach kommen wird.

Brahms gab uns Musik von großer emotionaler Tiefe, die uns zum Innehalten und Nachdenken zwingt. Insgesamt ist sein musikalisches Auftreten ernst und wunderschön melancholisch. Sein „Deutsches Requiem“ lebt seit meiner Jugend in Südafrika bei mir, als ich es zum ersten Mal auf einem Kunstfestival hörte. Drei Jahre später würde ich mich daran wenden, wenn ich um den verheerenden Verlust meiner Großmutter trauere. Anstelle des traditionellen lateinischen Requiems stellte Brahms seinen eigenen schönen Text aus biblischen Quellen in einer Umgebung zusammen, die ihnen neue Bedeutungen gab. Vom Eröffnungsmotiv in den Celli bis zu den ersten vom Chor gesungenen Worten – „Selig sind die Trauernden“ – werden wir von Wärme, Trost und, wie man sagen darf, Liebe umarmt. Ich musste mich während dieser Pandemie erneut daran wenden, um leise über den Verlust enger Freunde zu trauern.

Als ich 11 Jahre alt war, wurde ich von Ohrenentzündungen taub. Nach einer Operation wurde ich zu einem Konzert gebracht, um mein erholsames Gehör auszuprobieren. Die Wirkung dieser Musik war überwältigend. Später wurde mir klar, dass kein anderes Musikstück so beginnt: in der Krise der kritische Moment. Über das beharrliche Pochen einer Trommel steigt das Orchester langsam nach oben, drückt sich gegen die Schwerkraft, kämpft so hart und fällt dennoch zu kurz. Es sprach mich schon als Kind an. Wie könnte etwas so herzzerreißendes so schön sein? Wohin führte dieser immense Kampf? Ich musste es wissen.

Brahms ‘intimste Gefühle manifestierten sich in seinen letzten Klavierstücken, Op. 116 bis 119. Meine Wertschätzung für sie wuchs mit jeder Begegnung: Erstens, als ich einige von ihnen als Klavierstudent im Grundstudium lernte; später, als ich die Gelegenheit hatte, sie in der Graduiertenschule zu studieren; und zuletzt, als die letzten Gedanken dieses Komponisten durch unser Haus hallten, als meine Frau Deborah die Op. 119 eingestellt. Diese Stücke fühlen sich persönlich und bemerkenswert ausgereift in ihrer Einfachheit an, voller Schönheit und komplizierter Details.

Ich denke an meinen Schwiegervater Ornithologen zurück und frage mich laut: „Wie konnte Brahms Musik schaffen, die nach der Weite der Natur klingt?“ Und zu meinem ehemaligen Lehrer, der darüber nachdachte, dass Brahms immer versuchte, Texturen zu schreiben, die für ein bestimmtes Ensemble zu groß waren. Ich höre den langsamen Satz des Klarinettenquintetts und höre auf mikroskopischer Ebene, dass er eine grenzenlose Welt erschafft. Es ist, als würde man die Sehne des Körpers sehen, die Adern der Blätter. Es gibt so viel zu sehen: Reichtum der Harmonien, Rhythmus von Duplets und Drillingen, die aneinander reiben. Sie alle versammeln sich, um die Traurigkeit und Schönheit dieser Offenbarungsarbeit zu binden.

Brahms ‘Vierte Symphonie erfüllt immer wieder die Plätze im Konzertsaal mit ihrem Charme und dem vertrauten Zusammenspiel von Streichern und Holzbläsern. Ich liebe es, weil ich mich dadurch fühle. Es ist ein alter Freund, der besucht. Gemeinsam gehen wir einen Waldweg entlang, lachen und erinnern uns in einem ständigen Dialog über all die schönen Erinnerungen an vergangene Sommerfestivals.

Als ich Mitte der 1980er Jahre zur Manhattan School of Music ging, ging ich in die Bibliothek, um meine Hausaufgaben zu machen. Eines Tages bereitete ich mich auf eine Lesung des Brahms Op. 40 Trio; Eine Version sah interessant aus, weil sie beim Marlboro Festival aufgenommen worden war, von dem ich wusste, dass es selbst als Neuling prestigeträchtig war. Der Hornist war Myron Bloom, einer der ganz Großen – obwohl ich keine Ahnung hatte, wer er zu der Zeit war. Der Pianist Rudolf Serkin und der Geiger Michael Tree waren ebenfalls Legenden. Diese Aufnahme veränderte meine Wahrnehmung davon, was klassische Musik ist – und wie schön das Waldhorn in den Kanon passen könnte.

“Musik für die Seele”, “Medizin für die Stimme”: Dies sind zwei der Kommentare meiner Sänger, als wir diese Aufnahme von “A German Requiem” machten. Tief in den Text einzudringen – seine Phrasierung, Diktion und Bedeutung – war Teil einer faszinierenden Reise mit diesem großen Chor und Orchester, die das instinktive Verständnis der Tradition genoss; der warme, samtige Chorklang; und die Virtuosität der Berliner Philharmoniker. Alles kam zusammen. Dieses Stück ist in Deutschland so bekannt, dass man das Publikum in seiner Fantasie mitsingen fühlen kann; Es ist Musik, die uns erhebt, wenn wir sie teilen.

Es ist nicht nur seltsam, der Wechsel von Dur zu Moll: Bei dieser atemlosen Fahrt mit einem Scherzo fühlt es sich gewalttätig an, mit existenziellen Einsätzen, da die beiden Modi mit der dringenden Dringlichkeit von Antagonisten, die auf einem außer Kontrolle geratenen Zug kämpfen, um Kontrolle kämpfen. Auch der Rhythmus wechselt stark zwischen Doppel- und Dreifachformen, selbst wenn der Schwung nach vorne läuft. Das Gefühl der Einheit und des treibenden Flusses, das aus dieser destabilisierenden Mischung von Elementen entsteht, ist unheimlich – Brahms von seiner berauschendsten und klügsten Seite.

War Brahms ein Klassiker oder ein Progressiver? Warum nicht beide? Wilhelm Kempffs zurückhaltende, kunstvolle Herangehensweise an die späten Klavierwerke erinnert daran, wie man alles zusammenbringt. Wunderschöne melodische Linien sind mit einer Gesangsqualität geformt; überraschende Brüche haben eine neckende Verspieltheit. Und nicht lange nach der Drei-Minuten-Marke in einer Aufnahme von Op. 119, Nr. 4, Kempff ehrt einige streunende, knusprige Low-End-Noten, die die ansonsten schiefe Passage stören – Brahms ‘Fremdheit mit seiner Anmut in Einklang zu bringen.

Mit und in der Musik kann man dem Chaos des Lebens standhalten und eine mögliche Harmonie wiederentdecken, die nicht von verlorenem Paradies spricht, sondern von gefundenem Paradies. Romantik ist eine Art zu sein. Es ist ein Kampf um die Ganzheit, um das Wesentliche. Es ist mit leeren Händen und offenem Herzen auf dieses Ziel zuzugehen. Musik ist Leidenschaft, die ihren Rhythmus gefunden hat. Bei Brahms kommt der innere Puls der Musik dem des menschlichen Herzens sehr nahe. Durch seine Unterschrift „Rückblick“, dieses Gefühl der Sehnsucht und des Rückblicks, wird seine Sprache unbeschreiblich ergreifend.

Wenn Ihnen jemals jemand sagt, dass Brahms langweilig oder emotionslos ist – und das muss verblüffend passieren -, antworten Sie einfach mit einem der drei Intermezzos seines Opus 117. Nach dem ersten kommt ein Wiegenlied von vernichtender Schönheit auf Platz 2 B-Moll. Es ist auch ein Schlaflied mit einer leisen Melodie – so einfach wie die Zwei-Noten-Phrasen, die seine Vierte Symphonie eröffnen -, die aus sanft fließenden Läufen hervorgeht. Trotz der kaskadierenden Architektur ist es weniger eine leidenschaftliche Ausgießung als eine Einladung von einer einsamen Seele zur anderen für fünf Minuten tief empfundener Intimität.

Ich habe lange gebraucht, um Brahms zu lieben, dessen Musik mich einst als allzu schläfrig empfand – „herbstlich“, wie wir Kritiker es oft nennen. Erst als die Zeit mich zwang zu lernen, dass Leben zu verlieren bedeutet, denke ich, war ich besessen von der dunklen Seite seiner Partituren: der Trauer und Trauer, der Einsamkeit und Schuld, der Verzweiflung, sogar der Wut. Nirgendwo ist diese Dunkelheit so verschlungen wie in seiner vierten und letzten Symphonie, einem Werk mit Wut im Herzen, egal welches Gesicht es zu bewahren versucht. Und kein Dirigent hat seine Schrecken verzehrender gemacht als Wilhelm Furtwängler.

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Entertainment

Past WandaVision and Justice League: Superhero Streaming for Each Style

‘Iron fist’

The martial arts series “Kung Fu” from the 1970s with David Carradine crossed the martial arts film action with the themes and the tone of a superhero show. The restart of the CW “Kung Fu” won’t premiere until the beginning of April, and the MCU’s first Kung Fu film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, won’t arrive until September. Until then, you can quench your appetite for flips and sidekicks with the Netflix Marvel series “Iron Fist”. Fair warning: Finn Jones’ Danny Rand, a white, rich Manhattan kid who wore the mighty iron fist as the chosen one, is the least likable of the defenders – casting him instead of an Asian actor sparked a lot of controversy – and the series don’t have the same finesse as other Netflix Marvel shows. Still, Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing and the machinations of the evil ninja mafia, the hand, should be enough to satisfy a martial arts lover until “Shang-Chi” and “Kung Fu” are added. Streaming on Netflix.

Seen? Check out the popular cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (Netflix, Amazon).

“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD”

Let’s say you’re more interested in the new James Bond movie than Marvel or DC. That’s fair: there’s nothing wrong with preferring pizazz over forces, and one thing that’s missing from most superhero films is good old human ingenuity. The SHIELD team is at the back of every MCU movie. But here the group, hosted by Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), is brought into the spotlight, while the narrative is explicitly woven into the developments of the MCU films.

Seen? “Black Widow” will be the next great superhero-spy genre crossover when it comes out. Until then, you can watch “Marvel’s Agent Carter” (Disney +) and the “Kingsman” movies. (Rent them on YouTube and Amazon.)

“Luke Cage”

The original Luke Cage, who appeared in comics in the 1970s, wore a short bum, a chain belt, and a shirt with large lapels and plunging necklines. He was a hero from a blaxploitation movie. The Netflix version of the character, played by Mike Colter, turned him into someone less “right on, funky” but retained his attachment to black culture, history and life in Harlem. Streaming on Netflix.

‘Lucifer’

Contrary to popular belief, Satan doesn’t always stay in Hell. Sometimes he shows up in comics, like in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, in which this polite rendition of the Fallen Angel first appeared. Lucifer got his own spin-off comic and appeared in other corners of the comic book world before landing his own TV series. Tom Ellis is a devilish charm embodied as the protagonist in “Lucifer”. He’s bored with all the fire and brimstone and moves to Los Angeles, where he opens a swanky club. In typical buddy cop TV fashion, he accompanies Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), who is both the straight (wo) man and the love interest for the irresistible devil. Streaming on Netflix.