The Critic’s Notebook by the Editors. On American Abstract Artists, Caspar David Friedrich, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, a Tuscan estate & more from the world of culture.

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2 days ago · On Master Drawings New York, Hokusai, Beethoven’s quartets, a Long Island sarcophagus & more from the world of culture.

W he n Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation appeared in 1973, its impact, the author recalled, was immediate: “Like matter enveloped by antimatter, it exploded instantaneously!” The first translations into Western languages in 1974—just fifty years ago—proved almost as sensational. No …

Jan 10, 2025 · I went to the Metropolitan Opera last night somewhat nervous. Onstage would be Tosca.In two of the main roles would be veteran stars: Sondra Radvanovsky (Tosca) and Bryn Terfel (Scarpia).

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Democracy—the word itself means “people (demos) power (kratos)”—originated in late sixth-century Athens through the reforms of Cleisthenes.The Athenian popular leader transferred political power from the traditional tribal clans to the general Assembly of citizens.

Symposia and other matters. The New Criterion hosts cultural events throughout year.From lectures and tours to symposia on culture, politics, and the arts, these lively occasions are now recorded and often live-streamed for the benefit of viewers not able to attend in person.

Jan 1, 2025 · New Year’s Eve is not for Die Fledermaus alone. The Metropolitan Opera celebrated the occasion with Aida, in a new production.I will turn to the production soon enough—but prima la musica, first the music, which is a rule in opera (or should be, some of us think).. In the pit was Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met’s music director.

F re derick Seidel’s poems have been cranky, preposterous, but almost never stale, flat, or unprofitable. He enjoys that rare ability to surprise you with lines immediately memorable, yet unlike anyone else’s: Days of snow padded the sparking silence—still 1955—