Westport Public Library MOVIE & MUSIC Blog

October 6, 2008

Grace Notes: Autumn

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As the summer heat and humidity have ebbed away, cooler breezes and falling leaves have become the norm. To free one's ...

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October 2, 2008

Grace Notes: Paul Newman

With the recent death of the inestimable actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman, my memories and thoughts turned to one of my all-time favorite movies, The Sting. Paul Newman and Robert Redford starred in this 1973 film ...

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September 26, 2008

Grace Notes: George Gershwin

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Today marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of Brooklyn-born composer, pianist, and conductor George Gershwin. His passion and talents for music became evident after his family got a piano intended for his older brother Ira. He became so enamoured with popular music that he left high school at the age of fifteen and worked as a song plugger for Jerome H. Remick & Co., a music publishing firm on Tin Pan Alley. His piano playing markedly improved, and he developed into a highly competent vocal accompanist. His ...

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September 25, 2008

Grace Notes: Metropolitan Opera

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On Monday evening, the Metropolitan Opera celebrated its 125th anniversary season with acts from three different operas that featured Renée Fleming. According to the September 24, 2008 review in the New York Times, she ...

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September 23, 2008

Grace Notes: Norwalk Symphony Orchestra

How often does one have the opportunity to hear a rising musical star before his or her name becomes a household term? On Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., 18 year-old Chinese virtuoso Hao Chen Zhang will perform Sergei Prokofiev's ...

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September 21, 2008

ClipNotes: The Women

The Women I’ve not seen the recent version of The Women, but the 1939 version is based on the 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce, The Women is a satirical look at the lives of a handful of wealthy Manhattan women, focusing in particular on Mary Haines (Norma Shearer), a cheerful, contented wife of Stephen and mother of Little Mary. Gossip flows more than hair dye at the salon these wealthy women visit where Mary's confidant Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) learns from a manicurist that Mary's husband has been having an affair with a predatory perfume counter girl named Crystal...

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September 19, 2008

Grace Notes: Oran "Hot Lips" Page (1908-1954)

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In conjunction with this weekend's Blues, Views and BBQ Festival sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association's, jazz historian and Staples High School graduate Todd Bryant Weeks will speak about the great unsung Kansas City trumpeter and blues singer Oran ‘Hot Lips’ Page ...

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September 17, 2008

Grace Notes: Vocal Scores

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If you enjoy humming a tune, listening to a beloved singer, playing the piano or guitar, singing along with the radio, or imagining yourself in the starring role of a Broadway show, you may want to consider the Library's collection of vocal scores ...

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September 11, 2008

Grace Notes: In Memory

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on this country. As we contemplate and remember ...

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September 9, 2008

Grace Notes: Musical Images

You may have heard the expression, "A picture is worth a thousand words." What would be the value of a musical composition that can evoke breathtaking landscapes and wistful scenes? ...

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