BSO, reviewed by Ann-Sophie Stoermann

“Noooo, I didn’t cry! That’s a lie!” 
by Ann-Sophie Stoermann

Boston Symphony Orchestra. March 14^th, 7pm. The light goes down, when the director enters the stage and the string instruments start playing Mozart’s Symphony NO: 41 in C. After only a few seconds the orchestra already kept the visitors attention by playing “Jupiter” so beautifully in dynamic, feelings and emotion. Of course, Mozart is always great, but that was special.

The concert goes on with a world premiere. Augusta Read Thomas composed the Cello Concerto NO 3 “Legend of the Phoenix” and march 14^th was the first time her piece was performed live with an orchestra. Soon after the instruments started playing you were impressed by her composing talents. In her music she gave every instrument the chance to look great and to show what it can do. She made everything match and still it was so special and different. Every instrument was shown from their best side, especially the Solo Cello, amazingly played by Lynn Harrel. Modern music can be very special and crazy, but this one was different. It was amazing and I’m sure everyone will like it, you just have to be open minded to get to know something new. With standing ovations the world premiere of “Legend of the Phoenix” was celebrated.

After the intermission the highlight of the night began: Saint-Saens’ Symphony NO. 3 in C Minor took the breath out of everyone. And for some also the tears. Beautifully Saint-Saens brings us with the orchestra including a giant organ into another world. His symphony touched everyone with its slow and sad, happy and fast, and mysterious, almost dangerous parts. At some parts the organ starts playing loudly a big accord just into the middle of the piece. Is it to wake the visitors up out of their dreams about the music? Or is it to shock, to surprise them? We don’t know. And it doesn’t matter, because it is awesome.

During one part the orchestra turned their volume down and in the background you could hear the piano playing a little melody in the background. It almost seemed like it would sing. That was the break down for some. The tears were falling, it was just too beautiful.

Again with standing ovations and a long applause the visitors and the orchestra said “Bye and see you the next time”, because there is going to be a next time!!! 

Boston Symphony Orchestra, reviewed by Tommy Petroskey

The Perfect Composition by Tommy Petroskey

            I don’t know where to begin about the insatiable performance at the Boston Symphony.  Never before have I set foot in the Boston Symphony Hall before Thursday night, but needless to say I was blown away.  The captivating cathedral ceilings with the intricate golden crown molding added an essence to the music that was simply like no other.  There wasn’t s single bad seat in the house.  With two balconies that surrounded the entire Hall, the acoustics of the beautiful music traveled effortlessly to the ears of everyone.

            The set started out with 5 breath taking movement from no one else but the brilliant Mozart.  This was a fantastic commencement of the performance because it set the standard to what was about to come later on in the symphony.  The movements flowed fantastically and the conductor took perfect control of his orchestra.  For the second piece the symphony splashed a taste of contemporary music that was unique but fit nicely within the concert.  August Read Thomas composed the piece with a solo cello performer Lynn Harrell that was magnificent.  The piece beautifully scaled all parts of the musical spectrum as many forms of contemporary art do.  I specifically liked the range Thomas used in this piece.  He used easily the highest notes on the instruments and the lowest all in one composition.  The final piece composed by Saint-Saën was the best of the three symphonies in the concert by far.  It was a beautiful piece in the key of C minor that not only left the audience with an excellent impression but also wrapped up the show perfectly.  The piece was grand and moving that made the entire concert simply amazing.            

Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Dancing Orchestra by Holly Moniz

            “It’s important to remember that it’s all a dance,” Ms. Timberly Canale explained at Man in a Case’s post-performance question and answer last Wednesday evening at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut, and as I watched the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform yesterday evening, I believe that she couldn’t be more right. Sitting in the Boston Symphony Hall, listening to Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, Thomas’s world premiere of her Cello Concerto No. 3, and Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3, I was mesmerized by the orchestra’s music, but I couldn’t help but feel that I was watching them dance too.

             From the moment the first instrument vibrated through the air and the sound snaked its way into my ears, each performer bobbed and weaved in unison to the music they were making. At certain points in the performance, it was as though they themselves were a part of the air and the music vibrated through them too.  The cellists seemed to pick up their bows in preparation with the same flick of their hands and the violinists appeared to treat their instruments with the same delicate care as they played; it all just looked so choreographed!

Even conductor, Christoph Eschenbach, leading each instrumentalist looked like he was preparing to dance, arms moving in perfect formations as arms move in a ballet, body leaning from side to side as a body sways to and fro during a waltz. During the last movement of the final piece, Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3, I even caught Mr. Eschenbach jump up and down once or twice to the power of the organ and the crash of the cymbals.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s sense of togetherness was also notable in their playing. I felt as though I was listening to one extremely loud violin as opposed to twenty-something separate violins throughout the entire performance, and the same goes for each other instrument. Their sound was simply breathtaking and had brought tears to my eyes by the end of the night.

If you’re looking for a show to see, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will give you the best of both worlds: classical music and dance. Instead of picturing a ballet in your head to the music, you’ll have the ability to watch a seated one unfold before your eyes. 

Mistral, reveiwed by Kalyn Lai

Artistic delicious food by Kalyn Lai

Walk into a classy restaurant with light green colored curtains draping the sides of high windows and an even higher ceiling that gives the restaurant a light and airy feel.  Candles placed on every table creates a slightly romantic touch while illuminating the table slightly; this is good because when the sun goes down, the ambiance in the restaurant makes it more difficult to see.  Nevertheless, the food made up for the dim lighting during dinner.

            Mistral is a beautiful French and Mediterranean restaurant in Boston.  The only thing better than the décor is its food, which is simply delicious.  The co-owner and chef, Jamie Mammano, first opened Mistral in 1997 and has had huge success.

            Our table ordered many appetizers to share.  Everything that we ate was delicious.  A personal favorite appetizer was the ricotta gnocchi that was perfectly cooked and tasted rich and full of flavor.  It was great to try a little sample of everything and try different things that I have never tasted before. 

For dinner, we each ordered separate things but again we all took samples from each other’s plates.  The halibut that I ordered was cooked to perfection.  It was juicy and moist unlike many other fish that can be overcooked and dry.  Again, all the samples of other dishes tasted wonderful.

Dessert was amazing.  Our table again decided to eat family style, and we ordered the first six items on the dessert menu.  Everything again tasted fantastic.  Mistral’s classic profiteroles lived up to their rave reviews.  The chocolate torte was rich and tasty although I only had a small spoonful.  My favorite was the apple crostada, a fruity and less dense dish than the other chocolate items on the menu.

The restaurant deserves its great reputation for wonderful food.  Everything that I tasted during the dinner was simply amazing.  I left feeling full, satisfied, and happy.  I would highly recommend people to dine at this restaurant if they are looking for a nice evening for a special occasion.

Raisin in the Sun/Clybourne Park, reviewed by Kara L'Heureux

You Can’t Live in a Principle 
by Kara L'Heureux

Where A Raisin in the Sun leaves off Clyborne Park picks up. The two plays connect but Clyborne Park takes it further showing how these problems occur over time and still are around today.

2012 Tony winner for best play, Clyborne Park takes place in the same house in two different times. One house is owned by a small white family in 1959 and the other, from the second act, in 2009 the same house in a now in a prominently black neighborhood. Though time has changed many things about the house and people who live near and in the house, those same problems and issues still occur.  The play centers on race and the change in race and race treatment over time. In this small house the audience can see from the story that time can change so many things but some things still stay the same.

In act one the house the owners are Bev and Russ, two middle class white citizens who are about to move to a new house. The unique circumstances of this story show the other side’s point of view of the family who lived in the house the Youngers from A Raisin in the Sun were moving to. Russ and Bev’s normal lives are confronted with a problem from the neighborhood committee when they learn a colored family wants to move into this white neighborhood. As if they need more trouble stopping them from moving to a new house to leave behind the memory of their soldier son who killed himself. We soon find out things in this neighborhood are not a nice as would have seemed with many people wanting the colored family not to move in and willing to pay them not to come.

The characters in this first story are split into several different groups, racists, non-racists, blacks, whites, activists and bystanders. Some of the characters care more about race then others, Bev and Russ don’t, and they simply just want to move. With butting heads and tensions high about who can tell who what to do chaos breaks out over the only thing Bev and Russ care about, their son and how no one cared for him. Between the normal banter and up to the climax of disagreement and the fight the actors in these shows play their character naturally. It is easy to see each character has their own goal and opinion and these strong minded characters butt heads easily. Also each actor gave their part clear defining traits which made the characters interesting. Each character was interesting and funny in their arguments which made the play enjoyable.

The second act may have a different plot line but problems are still the same and it still centers on moving and the same Clyborne Park neighborhood. Lindsey and Steve are a lovely white family expecting a child who want to rip down the old house and re build a newer one. And what starts our as petition to stop from ripping down the historical house turns into an argument about race when Kevin and Kathy let them know that this is a black neighborhood that is upset that they are changing the house show they are unwelcoming.

This act has many comedic touches as tensions grow over race. Threw crude race jokes the two family’s try to show they are not racist and don’t get offended by jokes like those. But it is obvious that something is unsettling. Thought the topics of the jokes are serious the comedic jokes make the argument seem less intense.

Both acts are connected through little genius clues like the second act characters family trees, who the story takes place at the same time of day, and how The Raisin in the Sun story’s characters are part of this play too . This play shows how discomfort with race still occurs even in the present day. This story also holds many elements that make the plot so rich like comedy, drama, a bit of mystery and an uneasy ending that leaves readers a bit haunted and unsure of what comes next.

Director M.Bevin O’Gara adds beautiful subtle touches to the play that make the differences of the show. The choice in using the same set but just destroying it for the second act ages the house and really shows time. Also the way he leaves the end of the second act is chilling and sticks in your mind.

This entire play never gives an answer to what comes next. Each story ends without revealing how moving works out for the characters but that is not as important as the bigger goal. This show shows that no matter what time period it is no matter where race will always be the thing that ties people together and defines people and in many cases will keep people separate. We can see that problems with race still survive through time and will never go away. These storys don’t answer the question if race problems will end but instead say that change will always occur and over time things will evolve. We can only infer what the story tells us our self.