Westport Public Library MOVIE & MUSIC Blog

I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of one of the icons of our time, Mstislav Rostropovich. Rostropovich was not only a phenomenal cellist, conductor, accompanist, and teacher but an extraordinary humanitarian. As Daniel Wakin noted in his April 29, 2007 New York Times article, Rostropovich had an enormous amount of 20th century music written for him. Among the major composers who wrote and honored him as a "muse" were Benjamin Britten, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Rostropovich had the distinction of giving the first performance of pieces by such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutoslawski, Alfred Schnittke, etc. as well as having the pieces dedicated to him.

During his tenure as the music director of Washington's National Symphony, Rostropovich reinvigorated the sound and performances of the orchestra with his stringent standards and infectious expressiveness. His personal relationships with many of the world's composers added to his intensity, interpretation, and magnetism as the consummate conductor and soloist.

As a man of deep convictions and principles, he defied the Soviet establishment by defending and sheltering author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the late 1960's. Although he and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, lost their right to travel and their Russian citizenship, they eventually were welcomed back under the glasnost ideology of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

The Library invites you to check out the compact disc collection that highlights the genius and musicality of Mstislav Rostropovich.

Tonight is the final concert of the Composers Project sponsored by the Westport Arts Center. This series of chamber music concerts and talks grappled with the current state of 21st century classical music as seen through the eyes of composers and musicians.

Tonight's concert features Paul Moravec and Trio Solisti in Arnold Schoenberg's Transfigured Night, Felix Mendelssohn's Trio in C Minor, Op. 66 and Paul Moravec's Pulitzer Prize winning composition, Tempest Fantasy. Mr. Moravec, chairman of the music department at Adelphi University and facilitator of the Composers Project, is a prolific composer as well as recipient of numerous awards including the Rome Prize, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship. It is quite fitting to hear the Tempest Fantasy coming so close to the birthday of Shakespeare.

On May 12th the library will show Freedom Writers staring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank. This film is closely based on a true story about a teacher in a racially divided school who gives her English students what they need the most, a voice. It draws heavily from the published journals of the students themselves. The movie is 122 minutes long and rated PG-13 and will be presented in the McManus Room.

I grew up the daughter of a dedicated teacher, so I particularly love a good film glorifying this profession. The library’s collection is rich in such films. My favorite of all times is the perennial late night bloomer, To Sir With Love with Sidney Portier.

But don’t miss more recent films based in the LA area, Stand and Deliver and PG rated family fare, Raise Your Voice.

For opus lovers there is Mr. Holland’s Opus starring Richard Dreyfuss as a frustrated composer who channels his love of music into a teaching career. The culmination of his career is a performance of his opus by his students. And Meryl Streep portrays the real life Roberta Guaspari, who founded Opus 118 Music Center and teaches violin to Harlem school children in Music of the Heart.

For an international flair watch Les Choristes (The Chorus) a 2004 film about a passionate music teacher who arrives at a correctional boy’s school and helps transform lives through music. Ciao, Professore gives us a cultured Northern Italian elementary teacher sent to an impoverished town in Southern Italy who must learn to tame her truant conniving students. What results is a comic battle of wills.

Do you have a favorite "film" teacher?

We commemorate the birthday of William Shakespeare on this day. His oeuvre has inspired composers and musicians throughout the years. Here is a selected list of musical depictions of his plays:

Berlioz, Hector - Overtures (Beatrice and Benedict & King Lear)

Berlioz, Hector - Romeo et Juliette (Dramatic symphony)

Britten, Benjamin - Britten Conducts Britten Operas. II (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich - Fantasias after Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet)

Verdi, Giuseppe - Falstaff

"If music be the food of love, play on."
Twelfth Night (I, i,1-3)

Tomorrow marks the birth anniversary of Tito Puente, the internationally known icon of Latin music. The "Mambo King" or "El Rey" was an influential bandleader, composer, arranger, and percussionist who initiated the use of the timbal, a double tom-tom played with sticks, and the vibraphone to Afro-Cuban music. He not only played the alto sax, bass, piano, conga drums etc. but was an acclaimed dancer, whose Dancemania album sold over half a million copies since its issuance in 1957.

With his warm, engaging stage personality and superlative, classically honed musical skills, he appealed to all generations and had a huge following. His joyous renditions of dance music helped to popularize the cha-cha, mambo, and salsa. Some of the musicians that he collaborated with included Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Woody Herman, and Buddy Morrow. He performed at New York City’s Palladium Ballroom, hosted his own television show in 1968, appeared in a cameo role on The Cosby Show, guest-starred on an episode of The Simpsons, and had a role in the movie The Mambo Kings. His professional accomplishments included five Grammy Awards, Hollywood's Walk of Fame star, a U.S. Postal Service stamp cancellation mark, and the distinction of being the only non-Cuban invited to a Cuban government-sponsored "50 Years of Cuban Music" celebration in 1952 . He was a perennial figure at the Puerto Rican parade and was a source of pride for New York's Puerto Rican community.

The Library invites you to check out his music including The Complete RCA Recordings, Latin Romance, and Mambo Birdland.

One of the best reference sources for music education and enjoyment is Grove Music Online, a comprehensive research database that combines The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Articles appearing in the online Grove not only duplicate the text and bibliography of their respective print versions, but also include multimedia offerings, searching choices, and hypertext capabilities. An advantage of the online resource is the ease of updating information; when an article has been amended by the publishers, the new date appears in the upper right corner of the screen. Additionally, the "What's New" link on the homepage provides a clear delineation of all new additions and revisions.

This database, which contains over 50,000 articles and 2,000 links, provides four searching choices: "Advanced Search," "Special Features," "Browse," and "Explore." The "Advanced Search" option allows users to choose from "Full Text," "Biographies," "Links," "Contributors," and "Works Cited." The Special Features heading links to transcribed interviews and discussions by experts on timely subjects. "Browse" has an alphabetical choice of topics for the novice student. "Explore" offers "Research Resources" that provide access to print and manuscript sources and institutions holding significant archives.

This and other electronic resources are available from the Library's homepage under the heading "Research Online". Click on it to further your educational horizons. If you need assistance, please feel free to contact me or the Reference Desk at 291-4840.

According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, an opera is "a drama that is primarily sung, accompanied by instruments, and presented theatrically." Although operas are predominantly performed as high art and drama in theaters, they may be given on a smaller scale as a concert version with chorus, orchestra, and soloists.

One of Puccini's most beloved operas, Tosca, will be performed by the Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. Conductor Gustav Meier, Soprano Victoria Litherland, Tenor, Arnold Rawls, Baritone Todd Thomas, and Baritone Curtis Olds, will appear with the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut and the Fairfield University Chamber Singers for this event. Ms. Litherland will star as Floria Tosca, Mr. Rawls as her lover Mario Cavaradossi, Mr. Thomas as Baron Scarpia, and Mr. Olds as the Sacristan.

To get acquainted with this story of evil, love, murder, and vengeance, feel free to read the libretto or the story. The Library offers performances by Maria Callas and the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, or by Jane Eaglen and the Philharmonia Orchestra. If you would prefer to watch it, the Library has it on DVD starring Eva Marton and the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra.

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Coming Attractions! Westport Public Library Presents!

Showing on April 20, 2007 in the McManus Room at 2:00 p.m. - Water (PG-13) 117 minutes
Showing on May 12 in the McManus Room at 2:00 p.m. - Freedom Writers (PG-13) 122 minutes
Showing on May 26 in the McManus Room at 2:00 - Yellow Brick Road (ages 10 and up) 75 minutes

The Westport Library has initiated MovieLine as a way to showcase some of the excellent newer films released on DVD. The movies to be shown will be touching, thoughtful and well received by public and critics alike. Our films may be those you might have missed an opportunity to see, as most had a short run in local theatres or were not shown in the larger cineplexes. Like the old time town theatres, many of us loved and remember, our aim is for variety of experience rather than a thematic approach.

Please join us at any of these films. They are free and open to all.

Water is the story of Chuyia, an Indian girl that is married and widowed at eight years old and sent to live in a home with other Hindu widows. What follows is a look at how her feisty presence affects the other residents forcing them to confront their faith and society's prejudices. This movie is shown by popular demand of patrons and staff alike.

Freedom Writers staring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is a true story about a teacher in a racially divided school who gives her English students what they need the most, a voice. It draws heavily from the published journals of the students themselves.

Yellow Brick Road, an HBO documentary chronicles the heartwarming efforts of a Long Island based organization called A.N.C.H.O.R. (Answering the Needs of Citizens with Handicaps through Organized Recreation) as they mount a performance of The Wizard of Oz. Rising to the occasion, the cast exudes a sense of enthusiasm and dedication that reveals the positive impact of community-based efforts to bring joy and purpose to people living with disabilities. It is suitable for ages 10 and up.

This past weekend I saw the show The Blue Album by David Cale and Dael Orlandersmith at the Long Wharf Theatre. This two character show which was presented as a tracklist to a record album, had a wonderful ten minute vignette on Billie Holiday. The next day the New York Times had a review of Diana Ross' concert at Madison Square Garden and mentioned her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the movie Lady Sings the Blues. This occurrence led me to read Ms. Holiday's memoir Lady Sings the Blues, the 50th anniversary edition which includes a tribute compact disc. What a great way to immerse oneself in the life and music of a brilliant, compelling artist.

The Library has Julia Blackburn's With Billie, Donald Clarke's Wishing on the Moon: The Life and Times of Billie Holiday, Farah Jasmine Griffin's If You Can't Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday, and Stuart Nicholson's Billie Holiday. Our compact disc collection includes Billie Holiday: The Commodore Master Takes, The Complete Billie Holiday On Verve, 1945-1959, and Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday On Columbia 1933-1944.

Who is your favorite artist? Have you ever had an experience where one thing triggers a memory followed by another unexpected remembrance?

Is it me, or does everyone else think that the hype for the movie The Hoax is as over done as the original coverage of the bogus Howard Hughes autobiography actually penned by Clifford Irving? The Swedish Director, Lasse Hallström was interviewed by NPR and other outlets. Richard Gere, who stars as Irving has been popping up on every morning show.

Naturally this brings up thoughts of other movies featuring scam artists, cons and plots to steal a fortune. In John Huston’s acclaimed The Asphalt Jungle a criminal mastermind rounds up a gang to steal a million dollars. The French film Rififi features a gang of jewel thieves who turn on each other. No list would be complete without mentioning movies whose very titles betray the premise such The Sting, The Grifters and To Catch a Thief.

On the more comic side, Michael Caine master minds a gold bullion robbery in The Italian Job. And if you prefer your cons to be a bit bungled, why not revisit A Fish Called Wanda or Guy Ritchie’s (Madonna’s husband) Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?

There are lots of capers in the library’s collection and that’s no scam! What do you suggest?

Friday, April 6, 2007 marks the 80th birthday anniversary of the great jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. He was an influential figure in the history of modern jazz and contemporary music and was gifted as an arranger, composer, conductor, and performer. He played with such notable jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, etc. His accolades included twenty-nine consecutive Down Beat Readers Poll awards, a Grammy Award for his album Walk on the Water, a 1982 Connecticut Arts Award, the Viotti Prize, the Duke Ellington medal, induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame for the milestone album Birth of the Cool, The American Jazz Hall of Fame, the Down Beat Hall of Fame, and the Lionel Hampton School of Music's Jazz Hall of Fame.

Mulligan expanded the repertory of symphonic music for baritone sax by commissioning the Canadian composer Harry Freedman, to write The Sax Chronicles and by commissioning Cincinnati composer Frank Proto to compose The Saxophone Concerto. Mulligan's first composition for symphony orchestra and solo saxophone, Entente for Baritone Saxophone and Orchestra was performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. His first piece for orchestra alone, Momo's Clock, was premiered by the Concordia Orchestra in 1991.

One of his most memorable appearances was at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1992 with other famous saxophonists.

The Library invites you to try his music including Gerry Mulligan Quartets in Concert, Little Big Horn, and the 1969 All-Star White House Tribute to Duke Ellington.