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Category Archive
Conversation: Pianist Jonathan Biss February 10, 2012 |
Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas remain landmarks in music history, works that pianists in every generation have felt the desire, the inspiration, the need to take on. A new recording by Jonathan Biss is recently out, the first of nine to be released over nine years, that will eventually include the entire cycle.
Conversation: Edward Gero on Rothko, 'Red' February 8, 2012 |
Mark Rothko's life has been turned into art in the play "Red," starring Edward Gero, written by John Logan and directed by Robert Falls, now at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
The Life, Work of Poet Wislawa Szymborska February 2, 2012 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to Wislawa Szymborska's longtime translator, Clare Cavanagh, professor of Slavic languages and comparative literate at Northwestern University, about the poet's life and work.
Adam Johnson Reads From His Novel, 'The Orphan Master's Son' January 31, 2012 |
Adam Johnson reads from his novel, "The Orphan Master's Son."
Conversation: Rosenblatt's 'Kayak Morning' January 27, 2012 |
Jeffrey brown talks to Roger Rosenblatt about his new book, "Kayak Morning: Relfections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats."
1927's 'Napoleon' Set for Grand Premiere January 20, 2012 |
It's billed as the U.S. premiere of a film made in 1927. The film is "Napoleon," made by the great director, Abel Gance. The U.S. premiere with full orchestra will be at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in March. Jeffrey Brown talks to Kevin Brownlow, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker who's put it together.
On the Angelina Jolie Press Junket January 17, 2012 |
I might as well quickly get out of the way the most obvious detail: Yes, Angelina Jolie is an attractive human being, this day exuding more seriousness of purpose than glamor. But I left thinking less about her than about the strange experience of interviewing her.
Conversation: Jake Shimabukuro Leading a Ukulele Renaissance January 13, 2012 |
The ukulele has just four strings, a fairly limited range and, historically, a limited appeal. But Jake Shimabukuro has been out to change that, and he seems to be leading something of a ukulele renaissance in pop music.
Conversation: Joan Didion January 6, 2012 |
Mortality is a subject Joan Didion has grappled with in recent years, both in life and on the page. In the span of roughly two years, her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, and their only child, Quintana Roo, both died. Her new book is "Blue Nights."
'How to Live' in 2012 January 4, 2012 |
We're not making Art Beat into a "how to" or life advice blog. But I began the new year reading a delightful book: "How to Live, or A Life of Montaigne" by Sarah Blakewell -- part intellectual history, part biography and, yes, part philosophy of how one might live a better, fuller, richer life.
Conversation: The Year in Film December 23, 2011 |
As 2011 draws to an end, Jeffrey Brown talks to the New York Times' A.O. Scott about the year in movies.
Conversation: The Year in Music December 22, 2011 |
As 2011 draws to a close, we take a look at the the year in pop music and the big changes in the industry, including new cloud services like Spotify. Jeffrey Brown talks with Los Angeles Times critic Randall Roberts.
Conversation: The Year in Fiction December 21, 2011 |
What was 2011 like for fiction? And what was it like for books themselves? I recently talked with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles about the novels and authors who stood out from the others and about the business of publishing in a big year for e-readers like the Kindle.
A Warlord's Quest for Forgiveness Explored in 'The Redemption of General Butt Naked' December 19, 2011 |
A new documentary follows Joshua Milton Blahyi, aka General Butt Naked, an African warlord who renounced his violent past to become a Christian evangelist seeking forgiveness from his victims. Filmmakers Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion talk to NewsHour about making the film.
Conversation: Michael Ondaatje December 16, 2011 |
The fictional voyage in Michael Ondaatje's new novel, "The Cat's Table," is like one that he took long ago before becoming the much honored writer of such works as "The English Patient" and "Anil's Ghost" and "Divisadero." Jeffrey Brown talks with Ondaatje.
Friday on the NewsHour: Rita Dove December 16, 2011 |
An extended interview and reading with poet Rita Dove.
Conversation: Why Do Americans Protest Art? December 9, 2011 |
Art can soothe, it can inspire, but it also at times stirs heated passions and outright protest. Why does that happen and why in some cases but not others? That's the subject of the new book, "Not Here, Not Now, Not That!"
Conversation: Andrew Graham-Dixon, Author of 'Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane' December 2, 2011 |
Michelangelo Caravaggio was one of the great painters in the history of Western art. He also remains one of the most mysterious and elusive of artistic geniuses. A new biography wrestles with the man, his times and his work. "Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane" is by Andrew Graham-Dixon, an art critic, historian and television host of documentaries on art for the BBC.
Allen Gets 'Masters' Treatment on PBS November 18, 2011 |
A new film not by but about Woody Allen is coming to the PBS series, "American Masters." It's called "Woody Allen: A Documentary." It comes in two parts and airs on Nov. 20 and 21.
Crystal Bridges: a New Home to American Art November 18, 2011 |
The Crystal Bridges Museum opened last week in Bentonville, Ark. The building was designed by Moshe Safdie, and the collection was amassed by Alice Walton of the Wal-Mart fortune.
Tuesday on the NewsHour: 'Midnight Rising' November 15, 2011 |
Tony Horwitz reads from his book, "Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War."
Conversation: Stephen Mitchell, Author of the New Translation of Homer's 'The Iliad' November 11, 2011 |
Stephen Mitchell is a poet and one of the preeminent translators and interpreters of ancient and modern classics. His works include "Gilgamesh," "Tao Te Ching," "The Book of Job," "The Gospel According to Jesus" and "The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke."
Conversation: Julian Barnes, Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize November 8, 2011 |
The Man Booker Prizeis given annually to a novel by an author in Britain, Ireland or one of the Commonwealth nations. It is highly prestigious, as well as often highly contentious and controversial. This year was no exception. This year's prize went to one of Britain's leading writers, winning for his first time, Julian Barnes.
Around the World in '100 Objects' November 7, 2011 |
In this extended conversation, Jeffrey Brown talks to Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum and author of "A History of the World in 100 Objects," about the 16th century double-headed, serpent turquoise mosaic and what it's like to run a museum.
Omar Offendum, Hip-Hop and the Arab Spring November 4, 2011 |
Born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents and raised in America, hip-hop artist Omar Offendum uses his lyrical talents to bridge his Middle Eastern roots to his Western upbringing.
Conversation: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to Grant $50 Million to Artists November 1, 2011 |
Last month, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced a major new program to assist artists. The Doris Duke Performing Artists Initiative will provide $50 million in grants to 200 artists in jazz, theater and contemporary dance -- the largest allocation of cash grants ever given to individuals in these fields.
San Francisco Symphony Celebrates 100 Years October 28, 2011 |
The San Francisco Symphony turned 100 this year. With a busy touring schedule and listeners around the world, the symphony has won some of the most prestigious awards in music.
Gibson Guitars Under Investigation October 27, 2011 |
An unlikely culprit has stirred up controversy in the music community: The Lacey Act, legislation aimed to curb illegal logging. Based on suspicions that the Gibson Guitar Corporation violated the act by importing illegal wood, federal agents raided the company's facilities in Tennessee in August, raising concern among musicians that their instruments could be at risk of government confiscation.
'Margin Call': Calm Before the Storm of 2008 Financial Crisis October 21, 2011 |
The 2008 financial collapse is a complex phenomenon to fathom. It's an even harder phenomenon to recreate in a cinematic narrative. "Margin Call," a film that opens in theaters Friday, takes on that challenge and offers a fictional account of the first 24 hours inside a Wall Street financial firm as it discovers that it's over-run with toxic assets.
Architect Moshe Safdie Uplifts the Skyline and Spirit of Kansas City October 14, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown speaks to Moshe Safdie, architect of the Kauffman Center in Kansas, about the moral purpose of architecture and the need for a building to reflect the cultural essence of its location.
Al-Bassam Theatre Takes Inspiration From Shakespeare and the Arab Spring October 7, 2011 |
Kuwaiti playwright and theater director Sulayman al-Bassam adapts Shakespearean plays to the modern Arab context to explore issues of religion and society in the contemporary Gulf. Art Beat spoke with al-Bassam on the phone from Brooklyn about the effect of the Arab Spring on his play and on art across the Arab world.
Transtromer, Swedish Poet With 'Tinge of Modernism, Surrealism,' Wins Nobel October 6, 2011 |
The 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature has gone to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, the first poet to win the award since 1996. Judges selected Transtromer because, they wrote, "through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
Weekly Poem: Remembering Taha Muhammad Ali October 3, 2011 |
Taha Muhammad Ali was born in 1931 in the Galilee village of Saffuriya. After fleeing to Lebanon during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, Muhammad Ali and his family settled in Nazareth where they have lived since. He and his sons have been operating a souvenir shop there for decades. Muhammad Ali died on Sunday, October 2 in Nazareth.
Conversation: A.E. Stallings, Poet and Translator Inspired by the Classics September 30, 2011 |
The MacArthur Awards were recently announced, and one of the winners this year was the poet and translator A.E. Stallings.
Extended Interview: Russell Banks Discusses 'Lost Memory of Skin' September 28, 2011 |
A squalid encampment under a causeway in an American city is the unusual and charged setting for a new novel, "Lost Memory of Skin," which explores some deep issues of American life rarely raised and rarely seen by most of us.
Conversation: Francisco Nunez, Choral Conductor for Kids September 23, 2011 |
Nunez is the artistic director of the Young People's Chorus of New York City, which he also founded in 1988.
R.E.M. Breaks Up (Everybody Cries) September 22, 2011 |
After 31 years as a band, R.E.M. announced Wednesday that they're calling it quits.
'Last Train Home' Goes on Long Journey With Chinese Migrant Workers September 21, 2011 |
This week on the NewsHour, "Last Train Home," a documentary that looks at the annual migration of millions of factory workers for the Chinese New Year, will be airing as part of our partnership with The Economist Film Project. Jeffrey Brown talks to director Lixin Fan.
Conversation: Tom Piazza, Author of 'Devil Sent the Rain' September 16, 2011 |
Tom Piazza's works of fiction include the novel, "City of Refuge" and those of non-fiction include "Why New Orleans Matters." His new book is a collection of essays on a wide array of topics, titled "Devil Sent the Rain."
Conversation: 'Rebirth' Tells Stories of Healing After Attacks September 9, 2011 |
From 2002 to 2009, director Jim Whitaker and a film crew chronicled the lives of five people who were directly impacted by the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11 for a new documentary, "Rebirth."
Preview of 'America Remembers 9/11': Reading by Poets Billy Collins, Nancy Mercado September 8, 2011 |
For our "America Remembers 9/11" special program, we invited two poets -- Billy Collins and Nancy Mercado -- to each read a poem to mark the anniversary.
Conversation: Amy Waldman, Author of 'The Submission' September 7, 2011 |
What if a jury selected a design for the new 9/11 memorial and then discovered that its architect was a Muslim? Ten years after the terrorist attack, the actual memorial is just about to open. But an alternative history is imagined in the new novel, "The Submission."
'Engineering Ground Zero' Explores Architectural Challenges of Honoring 9/11 September 7, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks with Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker and Professor at the Parsons New School of Design, about the architecture and construction of the memorial.
The Art of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi September 2, 2011 |
As we speak, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and would-be heir to Moammar Gadhafi, is on the run and still vowing not to surrender to the rebels in Libya. Under very different circumstances in 2002, he staged an exhibition of his art in London.
In 'Salvage the Bones,' Jesmyn Ward Tells Personal Story of Hurricane Katrina August 26, 2011 |
"Salvage the Bones," a new novel by Jesmyn Ward, tells the story of a Mississippi Gulf Coast family in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in the U.S. now six years ago this week.
Philip Glass Composes New Arts Festival August 19, 2011 |
The Days and Nights Festival of the Arts, led by composer Philip Glass, begins its inaugural season this weekend.
Monday on the NewsHour: Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh August 15, 2011 |
Actress Cate Blanchett came from the theater, and to the theater she's returned. Now artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, she and her husband Andrew Upton have brought a new production of 'Uncle Vanya' to Washington.
Conversation: Esmeralda Santiago, Author of 'Conquistadora' August 12, 2011 |
Set in the 1800's, Esmeralda Santiago's epic novel, "Conquistadora," tells two coming-of-age stories: one of its heroine, Ana Cubillas, the daughter of Spanish aristocrats who becomes head of a plantation in the new world, and the other of Puerto Rico itself.
Pulitzer-winning 'Clybourne Park' Returns to Woolly Mammoth With Story of Race August 5, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to Howard Shalwitz, artistic director and co-founder of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, about Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Clybourne Park."
Conversation: Norwegian Author Anne Holt on the Lessons of Oslo July 29, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to crime writer Anne Holt about the situation in Norway in the aftermath of the July 22 attacks by Anders Behring Breivik. Holt is one of Scandinavia's most successful crime writers, but she's also had quite a career before that.
Conversation: Amy Winehouse, 1983-2011 July 25, 2011 |
A conversation with writer Sophie Heawood about the life and career of Amy Winehouse.
Conversation: Imagination in Education July 22, 2011 |
This week, the Lincoln Center Institute in New York is holding what it bills as the "first national conference focused on making imagination an integral part of American education."
Preview: Pianist Leon Fleisher July 14, 2011 |
More of Jeffrey Brown's conversation with conductor and pianist Leon Fleisher.
Historian David McCullough's 'The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris' July 8, 2011 |
More of Jeffrey Brown's conversation with historian David McCullough, author of "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris."
American Painter Cy Twombly Dies at 83 July 5, 2011 |
Celebrated American painter Cy Twombly, whose paintings featured scribbles, graffiti and unusual materials and who invigorated American post-War art alongside Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, has died. He was 83.
Monday on the NewsHour: Josh Ritter July 4, 2011 |
Josh Ritter reads from his novel, "Bright's Passage," and performs his song, "Girl in the War."
Conversation: Eleanor Henderson, Author of 'Ten Thousand Saints' July 1, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to Eleanor Henderson, author of "Ten Thousand Saints," a novel that's garnering strong reviews for its treatment of teens, an underground youth culture and troubled family relationships.
Conversation: What Next for Ai Weiwei? June 30, 2011 |
Internationally known Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was released from prison last week after a three month detention. Jeffrey Brown gets an update on Ai's situation from Alison Klayman, who has been working on a documentary about him, "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry."
Brooke Gladstone's Graphic Commentary of Media's 'Influencing Machine' June 24, 2011 |
Brooke Gladstone is the long time co-host and managing director of WNYC's On The Media. Her new book about media in society is "The Influencing Machine," a comic book illustrated by Josh Neufeld.
Preview: Director Robin Hessman Explores Last Soviet Generation in 'My Perestroika' June 21, 2011 |
This week on the NewsHour, "My Perestroika," a documentary that looks at the last Soviet generation, will be airing as part of our partnership with The Economist Film Project. Jeffrey Brown talks to director Robin Hessman.
Conversation: Summer Movies May 27, 2011 |
Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday joined us by phone to discuss the strong roster of films at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and, as we kick off the season this holiday weekend, what we can expect and look forward to in theaters this summer.
Conversation: Bob Dylan Turns 70 May 24, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to David Hajdu, author of "Positively 4th Street," about the career and influence of Bob Dylan, who on Tuesday turned 70.
Conversation: McQueen's 'Savage Beauty' May 13, 2011 |
An exhibition of the work of designer Alexander McQueen has just opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City.
30 Years After Bob Marley's Death May 11, 2011 |
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of music legend Bob Marley. The Jamaican reggae star died young in 1981, at just 36 from cancer, leaving behind a legacy that reaches across all musical genres, ages and around the world.
Conversation: Karen Russell, Author of 'Swamplandia!' May 6, 2011 |
Karen Russell's novel, "Swamplandia!" centers around the Bigtree family, which runs an amusement park in the Florida everglades. But this isn't a Disney-style park -- alligator wrestling is the major draw.
Conversation: 2011 Tony Award Nominations May 4, 2011 |
Critic Linda Winer of Newsday discusses the 2011 Tony nominations in a year of many strong new productions.
Conversation: More Reflections on Writing from Roger Rosenblatt April 29, 2011 |
We've invited Roger Rosenblatt, author of 'Unless It Moves The Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing', back to our newsroom to continue a conversation we began in January.
Conversation: PEN World Voices Festival Director Laszlo Jakab Orsos April 28, 2011 |
Now in New York until May 1, more than 100 writers from around the world have gathered for the annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature.
Tonight on PBS, Remaking a Life in the Made-up World of 'Marwencol' April 26, 2011 |
Mark Hogancamp's therapeutic imaginary world is the subject of 'Marwencol', a documentary by Jeff Malmberg that airs on "PBS' Independent Lens":http://www.itvs.org/films/marwencol on Tuesday.
Conversation: Denis Villeneuve, Director of 'Incendies' April 22, 2011 |
Jeffrey Brown talks to filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, director of "Incendies," which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was released in theaters Friday.
Conversation: Howard Jacobson April 15, 2011 |
British novelist Howard Jacobson was the winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for "The Finkler Question." Jacobson's touring now with a novel called "The Might Walzer," which is being published for the first time in the United States.
Conversation: Mike Daisey's 'The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs' April 14, 2011 |
Obsession, lust, a bit of espionage, a lot of laughs, and some serious questions of ethics and working conditions are all questions raised by one man, sitting at a table for an hour-and-a-half monologue titled, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs."
Conversation: Creed Taylor Looks Back at Influential Jazz Label, Impulse! Records April 13, 2011 |
A new CD collection, "First Impulse: The Creed Taylor Collection," celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of Impulse! Records, the influential and important jazz label. Jeffrey Brown talks to Creed Taylor, the great music producer and founder of Impulse.
Conversation: Marina Abramovic April 8, 2011 |
Marina Abramovic is a pioneer of performance art, capped off most recently by her retrospective last year at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 'The Artist Is Present,' which drew widespread acclaim.
Iowa Writers' Workshop Turns 75 April 7, 2011 |
More of Jeffrey Brown's report on the Iowa Writers' Workshop, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
Conversation: Tea Obreht, Author
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For the Depression-era Murals of Coit Tower, Great Recession-era Neglect
1927's 'Napoleon' Set for Grand Premiere
Conversation: Joan Didion
Zach Condon Takes Beirut on a Journey Home
Conversation: Why Do Americans Protest Art?
Conversation: Mark Morris
Weekly Poem: 'Around'
Weekly Poem: 'Tale'
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