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| David Byrne and Annie Clark of St. Vincent |
To quote the great-suited poet and Talking Head (see #3), it is a good place to hang around this weekend. Particularly if you like great music.
#5: Gerhard Richter Painting at UWM Union Theatre.
Why? Because you’ve seen the films of Jackson Pollack flinging and twirling, and the impish Picasso turn a fish bone into a ceramic sculpture. Corinna Belz’s documentary devotes 90 minutes to watching one of the preeminent artists of our time at work. Or perhaps “at play” would be a better description, for Richter—even in his late 70s—doesn’t so much wrestle with his art as frolic with it. And sometimes, the canvas wins out: “They do what they want,” he says of a group of recently completed paintings. “I planned something different.”
#4: Roberto Ferreyra’s “Entre Dos Aguas” at Latino Arts.
Why? Because Ferreyra is a Renaissance man for a global village—an artist, poet, activist, and dance and music producer. He’s exhibited and worked internationally, and made his mark in Chicago with his own gallery and work in the community. This exhibit showcases paintings that are inspired by both pre-Columbian images and the great muralists of his native Mexico, Diego Rivera and Jose Orozco.
#3: David Byrne & St. Vincent at the Riverside Theatre.
Why? Because their one-time (for now) album, Love This Giant, is out, and the reviews are stellar. Praised for its “brainy boldness” (NPR), and its horn arrangements that recall jazz greats like Charles Mingus (New York Times), the project has been at true collaboration, with Byrne and St. Vincent alternating vocals and generally suppressing their signature styles and sounds in the interest of a new collective whole. As the old song goes, this could be the start of something big.
#2: Alverno Presents’ Global Union at Humboldt Park:
Why? Because it looks to be a perfect day to spend in the company of a blanket, a couple bottles of wine and a bandshell, and Alverno Presents’ David Ravel always obliges with an eclectic collection of world music bands from several continents. We’re particularly psyched about Movits, the Swedish band made famous by appearances on The Colbert Report. But despite Stephen’s Wag of the Finger, we agree whole-heartedly with their Truthy claim: that hip-hop was invented in Sweden.
#1: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center.
Why? Felix Mendelssohn. That’s just about all you need to know about this crowd-pleaser of a program that opens the MSO’s 2012-13 season. Springy, sprightly, gorgeously lyrical and anything-but-autumnal, Mendelssohn will do wonders for those suffering from an early case of winter blahs. New Yorker critic Alex Ross recently called Felix “the most amazing child prodigy in music history” (yes, even more amazing than Mozart). This program concentrates on the more “mature” works, including the violin concerto, played here by MSO Concertmaster Frank Almond. Gilbert Varga conducts.
