Feb 10 Conversation: Pianist Jonathan Biss By Tom LeGro 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… Continue reading
Feb 08 Conversation: Edward Gero on Rothko, 'Red' By Tom LeGro 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. Continue reading
Feb 02 The Life, Work of Poet Wislawa Szymborska By Tom LeGro 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. Continue reading
Jan 31 Adam Johnson Reads From His Novel, 'The Orphan Master's Son' By Tom LeGro Adam Johnson reads from his novel, "The Orphan Master's Son."… Continue reading
Jan 20 1927's 'Napoleon' Set for Grand Premiere By Tom LeGro 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. Continue reading
Jan 17 On the Angelina Jolie Press Junket By Tom LeGro 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… Continue reading
Jan 13 Conversation: Jake Shimabukuro Leading a Ukulele Renaissance By Tom LeGro 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. Continue reading
Jan 06 Conversation: Joan Didion By Tom LeGro 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… Continue reading
Jan 04 'How to Live' in 2012 By Tom LeGro 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… Continue reading
Dec 23 Conversation: The Year in Film By Tom LeGro As 2011 draws to an end, Jeffrey Brown talks to the New York Times' A.O. Scott about the year in movies. Continue reading