WNYC's Rockwell Matters

Geezers in the Groove (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 19 May 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:00 GMT

John Rockwell has his finger on the still-beating pulse of a theme in current cinema: the elderly singing rock 'n roll. Whether as part of an inspirational community outreach ("Young at Heart"), or a Rolling Stones tour (Martin Scorsese's "Shine a Light"), the age of the participants only serves to highlight the vitality and vigor of the music.

Read the transcript

South Africana (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 12 May 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:14 GMT

Commentator John Rockwell examines two recent performances of South Africana: Pieter-Dirk Uys's "Elections and Erections" at Harvard and the revival of "Sizwe Banzi is Dead" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and looks into his own role in the field some ten years ago while at the Lincoln Center Festival.

Read the transcript

Dancing Up a Storm (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 05 May 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:06 GMT

Multiculturalism is heating up the dance communities, with performers of far-ranging descents bringing their traditions and styles to bear on our American scene. Commentator John Rockwell considers two excited cases: Taiwanese-born, Martha Graham-technique trained Fang-Yi Sheu and London-born, but of Bangladeshi-descent, Akram Khan.

Read the transcript

The Canned and the Dead (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 28 April 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:19 GMT

In Europe they celebrate, in America we mourn. Commentator John Rockwell remarks a national tendency to promote cultural achievements in less-than-cheerful circumstances, whether after a critic's divorce from its journal, or worse, after a musician's divorce from... life. In this instance, John considers octogenarian music critic Alan Rich's recent separation from LA Weekly and composer/conductor Gerhard Samuel's recent passing.

Read the transcript.

Satyagraha (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 21 April 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:29 GMT

Go see it! Or such is the subtext, sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit, of commentator John Rockwell's review of Philip Glass's 1980 masterpiece, the opera Satyagraha, which has come to the Met in an exciting, puppet-filled production. The opera is based on the early travels in South Africa of Mahatma Ghandi and the formation of his philosophy of non-violent resistance and is in limited engagement here in New York.

Read the transcript.

Shrewd Tactics or Cheap Gimmicks? (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 14 April 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:00 GMT

Thematic programming at concert series and festivals has always been a trick of the trade, but what does it really accomplish? Does it put a friendly, marketable face on unconnected elements or allow for mutually-enriching perspectives? Commentator John Rockwell considers the skeptical and the supportive sides, as he looks to the upcoming seasons of Glimmerglass Opera and Bard College.

Read the transcript.

South Pacific Returns (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 07 April 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:14 GMT

After nearly 50 years without a Broadway production of this Pulitzer-prize winning, Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Lincoln Center Theater ushers in its first Broadway revival with the vocal forces of Kelli O’Hara and Paulo Szot. Hear what commentator John Rockwell has to say, and find out why he gets teary-eyed throughout the performance.

Read the transcript

Everybody Loves Levine (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 31 March 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:15 GMT

Well… almost everyone. Commentator John Rockwell takes a look at the longstanding conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, weighing in on both the lush adulation and pointed criticism that have greeted Levine during his tenure at one of the world’s premiere musical institutions.

Read the transcript

Nico Muhly and the Artful Rocker (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 24 March 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:16 GMT

Do we not secretly think success disqualifies classical music from the heavens? Why is rock music automatically at a disadvantage in critical circles? Well, not anymore, argues commentator John Rockwell, as he looks into the rise of young, popular composers such as Nico Muhly who are bridging these antique divides.

Read the transcript

The Super Delegates of SNL (Rockwell Matters: Monday, 17 March 2008)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC New York Public Radio) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:18 GMT

Saturday Night Live has always reveled in the theater of presidential campaigns, yet for this election season, have the boundaries between spoof and propaganda begun to blur? Culture critic John Rockwell looks into the history and power of this often unhealthy but ever fruitful marriage of politics and popular culture.

Read the transcript