An evening of Bach and bluegrass
Greeting the crowd with good wishes for the 20th day of Oktoberfest, mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile took the stage at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, playing a set of Bach compositions intermixed with bluegrass, jazz, and gospel jams of his own and by others. Setting out on the evening’s program, he described the set list as “Bach, ill-advisedly broken up and played with bits of stuff in between.”
Igniting the Steinway
Yuja Wang, moving vigorously to music in a bright red dress and silver stilettos, was a ball of life in stark contrast against the still black Steinway; her rapidly movwing fingers pulling powerful strings of melodies from the grand piano. Her fervent movements threw her hair dancing and accented the notes she drew from an instrument that she had clearly mastered. In her musical interpretation, it was clear her Tweet quoting Mahler, “Tradition is tending the flame, it’s not worshiping the ashes,” was deeply embedded into her modern, energetic style.
Delicious, elephantine dishes
The Elephant Walk has locations in both Cambridge and Boston, and its most unique aspect is that it serves from an extensive menu of both French and Cambodian dishes. At the Cambridge location for a casual dinner, it took me a while just to read through the menu and choose dishes that would allow me to taste a variety of the restaurant’s offerings.
From MIT to Ice Rink
The Tech: When did you start ice dancing, and how did you keep up with it at MIT?
Breathing life into a long-gone European empress
Whether it is just another attempt by feminist revisionist historians to rehabilitate female historical figures by distinguishing their personal views and deeds from that of their husbands or fathers, or merely an expression of the personal and professional views of Evelyne Lever, a leading contemporary French historian and author, Marie-Antoinette in Her Own Words at the very least invokes sympathy for her gruesome fate, if not also empathy for her long suffering through a passionless marriage and the backstabbing of cruel panjandrums in the 18th century French imperial court.
Ice Theatre of New York graces Boston, starring an MIT alumna
The audience filled bleachers around the ice rink, wrapped in their coats in the chilled warehouse-like building, eagerly anticipating the show’s start. The Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) didn’t disappoint. After sneaker-clad Artistic Director Douglas Webster explained the company’s aim to “elevate dance on ice as a performance art,” ten dancers glided onto the ice to the familiar “Awake My Soul” by Mumford & Sons, mesmerizing spectators with their athleticism and grace.
Synth-pop beats of Scotland
Lauren Mayberry, Ian Cook and Martin Doherty, otherwise known as the Glasgow-based synth-pop band CHVRCHES, have entered the music scene with quite a fanfare. After the relatively unrecognized premiere release of their singles “Lies” and “The Mother We Share” in 2012, the band suddenly took over headlines in early 2013. BBC ranked them fifth in their poll “Sound of 2013,” after which the band released their EP Recover to positive critic reviews, and within a few months CHVRCHES were already touring around the world.
Overcoming failure to succeed, Pixar-style
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to interview Kori Rae, a producer from Pixar, about the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray release of Monsters University. Rae has been working at Pixar since 1993, and has contributed to films such as A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Up, The Incredibles and Monsters University.
Minimalism and transient intimacy realized
The José Mateo Ballet Theatre of Cambridge opened its 28th season with a performance of Shadows Fleeting, the first of five ballet repertory performances of the 2013–2014 season. Shadows Fleeting features three unique works — Dark Profiles (2001), Covens (2006), and Vanished Verses (premiering this season) — by José Mateo, the company’s impresario, choreographer and artistic director. The recurrent theme of the night was exploring the darker side of Mateo’s provocatively expressed repertory.
Admiring our musical peers
Last semester, I went to my first MITSO concert to write a report for 21M.011 Introduction to Western Music. I remember enjoying the concert very much and wishing that I had known about MITSO performances earlier. Since I had somewhat put western classical music in the back of my mind, I decided to start off my Columbus Day Weekend by attending the first MITSO concert of the 2013–2014 season, in hopes of refreshing my musical knowledge. While I was perhaps only partially successful in that regard, the student orchestra was once again nothing short of spectacular.
From Italy to Kresge
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, the celebrated Italian operatic composer, and in support of the relationship between Eni and MIT, the La Scala Chamber Orchestra performed a special MIT-exclusive concert at Kresge Auditorium on Oct. 7. The concert performance was proceeded with brief introductory remarks by MIT President Reif and Eni’s Chairman
Events Oct. 18 – Oct. 24
Events Oct. 18 – Oct. 24 Friday (5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.) Architecture/Computation Lecture: Pablo Garcia, “A Brief History of Drawing Machines, Since 1425,” — 7-429 (5:15 p.m.–6:30 p.m.) Ancient & Medieval Studies Speakers Series | “Form as Theory: the Case of Medieval Boethius” — 14E-304 (5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.) Rob La Frenais: Future of Transport/Transport of the Future — E15-207, Wiesner room (8:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.) Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre presents Shadows Fleeting — Sanctuary Theatre, Harvard Square (8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.) Celebrity Series of Boston presents Pianist Yuja Wang — Jordan Hall (11:59 p.m.) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (FREE, with shadow cast!) — 26-100 Saturday (8:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.) Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre presents Shadows Fleeting — Sanctuary Theatre, Harvard Square Sunday (8:00 p.m–11:00 p.m.) International Folk Dancing — Sala de Puerto Rico Monday (2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.) Bobby Few and Don Byas Featured on WMBR’s Research & Development Program — 88.1 FM WMBR Radio (7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.) ACT Lecture | Lovett/Codagnone: Re-adapting Cinematic Traces — E15-001 (7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.) Angels in America, an ITS ALIVE reading — 14W-111 Tuesday (5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.) Places in the Making panel discussion — E15, Bartos Theater (7:00 p.m.–8:15 p.m.) Australian Short Film (FREE admission) — 10-250 (7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.) Harmonix co-founder presents Rock Band and Beyond — Cambridge Innovation Center (8:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m.) Klezmer Contra Dance with live music! — W20-491 Wednesday (5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.) MTA Composer Forum presents: Martin Marks, MIT Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts — 14E-109, Lewis Music Library (8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.) Israeli Dancing — W20-491 Thursday (6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.) Architecture/Allen Lecture: William F. Baker, “Geometry, Structure and Architecture” — 10-250 (7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.) Urban Films: Good Fortune (2010) — 3-133 (8:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.) Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre presents Shadows Fleeting — Sanctuary Theatre, Harvard Square (8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.) Screening of “Three Colors: Blue” by Krzysztof Kieslowski — 4-231 Send your arts events to arts@tech.mit.edu.
‘An eagle in a dove-coat’
“What if Mick Jagger stopped singing ‘Honky Tonk Woman’?” asked MFA curator Erica Hirshler at the opening of John Singer Sargent Watercolors. By 1907, the renowned Gilded Age portraitist John Singer Sargent had effectively abandoned his lucrative career as a portrait artist in favor of landscapes and figure studies in watercolor. It came as a shock to the art world, as if Jagger had given up “Honky Tonk Woman.”
Taking off from the ground into flight
The word “aerial” has come to connote aerial silks, trapeze, lyra, and similar circus arts, and the performances often involve more acrobatics and gravity-defying tricks than dance per se. That’s not to say that aerial silks are not graceful or expressive, but that Cirque du Soleil has set a high standard for making audiences gasp.
‘I think I’m gonna like it here’
Fangirls and boys everywhere have been eagerly awaiting the return of Supernatural, a show about two brothers saving people and hunting all things supernatural, creepy, and deadly. The show made its ninth season return this Tuesday, Oct. 8 on The CW, and, as expected, Superwholockians have already begun to flood Tumblr with GIFs capturing key scenes, new fanfiction, and speculation about what the new season has in store.
Arts Events OCT. 11 – OCT. 17
Arts Events OCT. 11 – OCT. 17 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Second Fridays at the MIT Museum: Chain Reaction! — MIT Museum (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Architecture Lecture: Alex Miller, “Internal Logic” — 7-429 (7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.) LSC presents World War Z — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) MISTI Foreign Film Night and WGS: Girl Rising — 32-155 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Critical Band Plays Steve Martland — Kresge Auditorium (8:00 p.m.) Opening night of “The Power of Duff,” by the Huntington Theatre Company Oct. 11 through Nov. 9 — South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA Saturday (7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.) LSC presents World War Z — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Symphony Orchestra Concert — Kresge Auditorium Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) International Folk Dancing — Sala de Puerto Rico (8:00 a.m.) John Singer Sargent Watercolors Exhibit opens — Boston Museum of Fine Arts Monday (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Jason Adasiewicz, Garrison Fewell, and Eddie Harris featured on WMBR — 88.1 FM Radio Tuesday (8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Folk Dance Club presents Contra Dance with live music — W20-491 Thursday (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Join Michelle Finamore, curator of fashion arts, talks about new exhibit “Think Pink” — Boston Museum of Fine Arts (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Lecture: Kathrin Aste and Frank Ludin, “Constructing Topographies” — 7-429 (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Chris Marker: Guillaume-en-Égypte opening reception — MIT List Visual Arts Center (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Work-In-Progress Film Screening: Women Take Over 888 Memorial Drive — E25-111 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Beaubourg (1977) presented by Department of Urban Studies and Planning — 3-133 Send your arts events to arts@tech.mit.edu.
What happened to Pu Pu Hot Pot?
Unless you are a freshman, you likely recall walking down Mass. Ave. toward Central and seeing for the first time the large white and blue sign that proudly declared “Pu Pu Hot Pot.” While I never set foot inside Pu Pu Hot Pot, when I saw that the banner had been replaced by a sleek new sign, I felt bereft. The walk to Central would never be quite as funny as it used to be. However, I had a hunch it might be tastier, as the new sign announced that a new restaurant would be taking its place, Patty Chen’s Dumpling Room. I love a good dumpling, and dislike going all the way to Chinatown to get good ones. The thought of homemade dumplings close by was incredibly enticing, so I headed over as soon as it opened.
An American version of The Magic Flute
Imagine Mozart and his librettist Schikaneder enlisting the help of a contemporary dramaturg to pitch their singspiel The Magic Flute to the American public. This unlikely premise was exactly what Boston Lyric Opera was going for with their world premiere of a new English adaptation of Mozart’s famous opera. Bolder than most, the new production featured a more comprehensive backstory, altered geographic setting, clearer symbolism, and delightful English lyrics. The stage décor was enchanting, the costumes eye-catching, and the singing breathtaking. 222 years after its premiere, Mozart’s opera sounds incredibly fresh in this ingenious reimagining, delivering its potent mix of jovial humor and nuggets of wisdom with a renewed vitality, and a surprising up-to-date relevance. Attending the BLO’s production of The Magic Flute made for a spectacular night at the opera, at once entertaining and inspiring.
When I dream of Jiro Dreams of Sushi
After every Netflix binge that inevitably includes an all-too-frequent viewing of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I am always left looking for a way to satisfy my cravings for raw fish. After determining that a flight to Tokyo isn’t the most efficient or economical option, I turn to the choices that Boston and Cambridge have to offer. If you too suffer from recurring bouts of hamachi withdrawal, I’d recommend giving either (or both) of my go-to places a try.
The Passion of the Capt’n
In case you have not seen the trailer — because if you have, you already know the whole plot — Captain Phillips is a movie about how Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks) sailed a U.S.-flagged merchant ship, Maersk Alabama, too close to the coast of Somalia, and was hijacked by four Somali pirates with machine guns. The pirates were not too competent in the operation and had to abandon the ship, but not without taking the good Captain with them as a hostage. A few days later, the pirates were killed, and the Captain was rescued by a team of Navy SEALs. That’s it.