Category Archives: Music-Dance-Film

Best of 2016

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This is — count it! — the tenth year in a row that I’m writing a January post to review the books I read and the movies I watched in the previous year.

In 2016, I read 61 books and saw 14 movies; those numbers are close to the year before, though I read quite a few more books.  Again, I read almost twice as much fiction as non-fiction, 40 to 21. Fiction genres ranged from short story collections to historical and contemporary novels to sci-fi/fantasy to mystery/thriller.  The non-fiction books included history, biography/memoir, and social and environmental science.  Because they are rather idiosyncratic, I won’t submit my counts by category.

As happened last year, the number of movies I watched was way below a previously calculated seven-year average of 49, but that was again because I spent a lot of time watching downloaded TV shows (I’m repeating myself here).  The few movies I did watch included varied genres: biopic, comedy, adventure, animated, and domestic drama.

As in the past few years, I could not pick a top five or six titles as Best of, even though that’s what these posts are supposed to be about, so this year I’m again doing something a bit different for both books and movies.

For movies, because there were so few, I picked my all-around favorite, which was American director Cary Fukunaga’s feature film debut Sin Nombre.  As runners-up in the film category, I’ve chosen the Walt Disney animated movie Zootopia and Spike Jonze’s Her.

For books, I decided I would simply highlight the books that I felt were well worth reading but that might not necessarily be that well-known.  So even if this post is supposed to be “Best of,” the books list, alphabetically by title below, is not that.

  • Different take on American history focusing on trees – American Canopy
  • War novel about a war we weren’t supposed to fight – Billy Lynn’s Long Half-Time Walk
  • Gut-wrenching fantasy slash historical romance – The Incarnations
  • Real biography of a mythical figure – Lawrence in Arabia
  • Second World War memoir without too much blood – Shantung Compound
  • Contemporary political novel that probably isn’t fiction – The Orphan Master’s Son

Click here for the complete lists.  Enjoy, and I welcome your non-snarky comments.

Acadian-Cajun Celebration of the Winter Solstice

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I so thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Revels last December that I decided I must attend again this year.  Although I prefer not to be out after dark, I couldn’t manage to attend a matinée due to personal scheduling constraints, so I chose today’s 7:30 performance, a day after the actual solstice.  I arrived at the Square a bit early, so I window-shopped in the Coop and other stores for a while, then headed to Sanders Theatre just before curtain time.  This year I chose a very good seat, in the mezzanine level, and almost in the very center, behind the lighting system.

In his introduction to the program, Artistic Director Paddy Swanson paid tribute to the spirit and courage of this displaced French-Canadian community:  forced from their homes by political forces beyond their control, they continued to sing and dance and keep their traditions alive.  With 65 million refugees fleeing hardship and persecution today, the story of how the Acadians survived and adapted speaks to the power of music to heal and bind a community.

Led by Music Director Megan Henderson, this year’s production included traditional dances, instrumental pieces, carols, games, and drama. The cast this evening included Master of Ceremonies David Coffin, singers Josée Vachon and Lisa Ornstein, fiddler David Greely, professional players Steven Barkimer, Noni Lewis, Ross MacDonald, and Lola May Williamson, in addition to Les Voix d’Acadie Chorus, Les Petits Voyageurs Children, the Grand Pré Traveling Band, Le Grand Dérangement Dancers, the Middlesex 4H Fife & Drum, the Pinewoods Morris Men, and the Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble.  The striking set, featuring an enormous tree, was designed by Jeremy Barnett; lighting design was by Jeff Adelberg; costumes were by Heidi Hermiller.

Part 1 of the program included traditional French melodies, songs popular among the Québécois and Acadians, dances, poetry, the mournful Le Départ du Canada, carols, and hymns. Audience participation is a feature of Revels; we sang verses of Angels We Have Heard on High, the drinking song Vive La Compani’, and Lord of the Dance.  After a short intermission, Part 2 included more carols, dances, folk songs, a play, a Mardi Gras song, and a recital of the poem The Shortest Day.  We in the audience, together with the cast, again sang three numbers: the round Dona Nobis Pacem, the hymn Ave Maris Stella, and the Sussex Mummers’ Carol.

As was the case last year, I would be hard-pressed to pick any favorites.  I did enjoy the dancing (and I didn’t realize that the French-Canadians also do step-dances).  The longsword dance, choreographed this year by Gillian Stewart, was mesmerizing.  The most unexpected piece was the chicken fling (!), and the most entertaining the battle between the alligator and King Rex.  I can’t pick a favorite song this year, though I did enjoy Vive La Compagnie — I remember the song from my childhood but I don’t know where or when I learned it.