Westport Public Library MOVIE & MUSIC Blog

September 8, 2010

Grace Notes: Hurricane Music

As we are all batting down the hatch in preparation for Hurricane Earl, I wish to suggest some music to accompany ...

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September 2, 2010

Grace Notes: New Orleans Jazz

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This past week marked the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As the media has proclaimed, ...

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September 1, 2010

Grace Notes: Johann Pachelbel

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Can you guess who is celebrating a birthday today? He was baptized on this date in 1653 in Nuremberg Germany and indirectly influenced the eminent and prolific composer Johann Sebastian ...

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August 27, 2010

Grace Notes: Opera for the Asking

If you have always wanted to attend an opera but have been intimidated by the language, music or ticket price, you are in for a big treat. Beginning tomorrow night August 28 and continuing through September 6, the Metropolitan Opera presents ten nights of free high-definition screenings of recent opera performances. Three thousand seats will be available each night at the Lincoln Center Plaza ...

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August 24, 2010

Grace Notes: School is Back

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With the cooling of the weather and the rampant advertising in the stores comes the realization of the imminent arrival of school. As a child, I always wanted to stay on the beach, build ...

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August 18, 2010

Grace Notes: State of Affairs

Today, many people bemoan the end of classical music as we know it. They point their fingers at the aging audience, budgetary cuts in arts education, diminishing government funds, the drop in charitable donations, and the public's unease and unenthusiastic support of contemporary music. Orchestras and opera companies alike are facing drops ...

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August 16, 2010

Grace Notes: Freegal

In my previous entry, I waxed nostalgic for the old long-playing records (LP) and phonographs. Now, I am happy to tell you about a new free service for downloadable music at the Westport Public Library called Freegal...

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ClipNote: Invictus

Can rugby unite a country? Was Morgan Freeman, as many reveiwers suggest, born to play Nelson Mandela? Join me on Tuesday night, in the Westport Library's McManus Room (August 17 at 6:30) for a showing of Invictus to find out. Invictus is based on Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation (2008) by John Carlin. The film begins with the release of Nelson Mandela from prision and continues the inspiring story of how he joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country through the universal language of sport....

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August 11, 2010

Grace Notes: Vinyl Records

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In keeping with my nostalgic mood, I wish to remind everyone that tomorrow, August 12, is Vinyl Record Day. On that day in 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. Recognition of this fact may take us back in time to a favorite event, place or song. It allows us to reflect and remember the "good old days" and to share this memory with a loved one. Many of us ...

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August 9, 2010

Grace Notes: Elvis Week

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Elvis Presley is probably one of the most admired and beloved pop culture artists of the twentieth century. His devoted fans continue to worship him and ...

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