Author Archives: Robbie

ASO: Donald Runnicles with Christina Smith

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There were two concerts for which I originally had tickets but did not attend; one of them was canceled due to weather and the other I decided to skip: they had the poor taste to tack some obnoxious gimmicks onto the performance that were created by two artists who clearly would have nothing of interest to say about the music. That would have detracted too much from the music for me to be able to enjoy myself so I figured that I’d exchange the ticket for one of the concerts that I’d originally not planned to attend. As such, even though I wasn’t excited about the program, I found myself at this evening’s Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert featuring all French composers under the baton of Donald Runnicles. Of the three pieces on the program, I really only wanted to hear one of them, but that one really made it worth it for me to bother with the trip to Symphony Hall.
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The Modern Atlanta Dance Festival

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According to the “About” section of the MAD Festival’s Facebook page, “The annual Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (MAD) presents the best of Atlanta’s modern/contemporary dance.” This year’s lineup, however, was bookended by a couple of choreographers from outside of the Metro area, Melissa Pihos and Sarah Wildes Arnette, both of whom are assistant professors of dance at Valdosta State University. If, perhaps, this goes against the mission statement of the festival, I think that there is enough value to creating the opportunity for Atlanta audiences to see artists from elsewhere in Georgia to justify the geographic expansion. I don’t think that it betrays the sense of the festival’s localness to look outside of the economic domain of the State’s largest metropolitan area, so long as it doesn’t stray too much beyond the boundaries of the State. That said, I’d love to see a separate Southeastern regional dance festival in Atlanta, though I wonder if there’s really a big enough audience for it or, for that matter, a good funding source.
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ASO: Vasily Petrenko with Stewart Goodyear

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Although I did not think that it was particularly great overall, there was a lot to like about this evening’s concert by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko. It began with a good-enough performance of Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem, “Don Juan.” There’s something about Strauss’ tone poems that makes my mind wander. It’s nothing bad – I’m not bored by them – it’s just good music for fantasizing and day dreaming. That is to say, I paid enough attention to know that it was an ok performance but not enough to say how it could have been better.
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Atlanta Ballet: Firebird

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The evening began with a rather mediocre performance of Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante.” The staging itself, I think, also detracted from the piece: I think that it would have looked better on a smaller stage or, perhaps, keeping the dancers closer to center. As it was, the stage often seemed to swallow the pastel and light-gray dancers. Had it been perfectly staged and performed, though, I’d still have found it dull. Like most people who enjoy ballet, I like a lot of Balanchine’s work but I also dislike a lot of Balanchine’s work. I suspect that there isn’t a perfect overlap between what interests a dancer about his work and what interests the audience and, with a large repertoire developed in near total absence of local competition, the disjunction between the two points of view leaves a lot of opportunity for audience disappointment.
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The Magic Negro and other Blackity Blackness, as told by an African-American Man who also happens to be Black

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There are three things that will stick with me from going to see Mark Kendall’s “The Magic Negro” last night at the Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage. Before the show, I found a stack of stickers in men’s room that said “Be patient, Atlanta! We’re all in it together.” and had a picture of an I-85 sign. Secondly, the existential depth of cookies and the fact that my companion for the evening totally scored some cookies. And, finally, that I was awarded and then denied an Oscar for my part in the show. I’d probably feel better if it went to “Moonlight” because everything about that movie is amazing, but it went to some random person in the audience, which left me wishing that Kanye West had been there to stand up for me.
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ASO: Robert Spano with Stephen Hough

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Today was pretty bad. Today I also learned about the death last evening of an old friend of mine from college. My bursitis has returned with a vengeance this week and has been waking me up at night and I was really aching today. I have been terribly concerned about world events and domestic politics. I’ve been dealing with a horrendous commute thanks to the I-85 bridge collapse. And I could go on and on about work. Thankfully, Maestro Spano and the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra were there for me this evening.
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Tara Ochs: White Woman in Progress

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“White Woman in Progress” is a one person show in which Tara Ochs, who also wrote the script, explores her own understanding of racism. Ochs’ role in the 2014 film “Selma” as Viola Liuzzo, who was murdered for her role in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, helped her realize her own lack of knowledge of the Civil Rights movement and her lack of understanding of the prevalence of racism, both in society and in her own behavior.
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