Josmar16
MY BLOGS
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Reviews by Josmar Lopes
http://josmarlopes.wordpress.com/
Brazilian culture and history (as well as music, opera, the arts), films in general, sci-fi/fantasy/horror films in particular, TV, opera history, reviews and personalities, pop music, pop culture personalities, bossa nova, soccer. I was invited to submit my blog by Emma on Dec 6, 2012.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 426 )
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Lust in the Stage Dust — The Fire and Brimstone of ‘Tosca’ and ‘Trovatore’...
Vittorio Grigolo as Cavaradossi Sonya Yoncheva as Tosca in rehearsal for David McVicar’s new production of Tosca (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan... Read more
Posted on 17 February 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ (1954): Bathing Beauty and the Beast
Kay (Julie Adams) over-reacts to the Gill-man’s “embrace” in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)Though not part of Universal Picture’s original classic-monste... Read more
Posted on 10 February 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Alagna Hits It Out of the Ballpark! — The Met Revives David McVicar’s ‘Cav’ and...
Nedda (Aleksandra Kurzak) comes face-to-face with the jealous Canio as Pagliaccio (Roberto Alagna) in the Met Opera’s PagliacciBackground to RealismFunny how a... Read more
Posted on 27 January 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The ‘Best’ of the Rest — Recent Films I Enjoyed (or Not) in the Movie Theater...
Carmen (Macarena Garcia), the lady bullfighter, in Pablo Berger’s BlancanievesI know what you’re thinking: “Oh, boy, here comes another of those ‘Best of the... Read more
Posted on 14 January 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The ‘Jazz Samba’ Project: What’s Old is New (Part Three – Conclusion) — A Penny...
Let’s Discuss It!Drummer Buddy Deppenschmidt at the Jazz Samba Symposium, June 2014 (Strathmore Music Center)After Ken Avis’s introduction, Leo Lucini started... Read more
Posted on 09 January 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Casta Diva’ — Bellini’s ‘Norma’ Tries for a Comeback at the Met
Haunted by the PastAngela Meade as Norma at the Met Opera (Photo: Marty Kohl / Met Opera)It’s fair to say that the ghost of Maria Callas has haunted the... Read more
Posted on 25 December 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Quid Sum Miser’ — Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ and the End of a Met Opera Career
Verdi’s Requiem at the Met: Krassimira Stoyanova, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Ferruccio Furlanetto, with Met Opera ChorusTo hear a great musical... Read more
Posted on 10 December 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘And the Curtain Slowly Falls’ — The Passing of Classical Music Artists in...
Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017)In MemoriamWith the old year winding down and the new Metropolitan Opera broadcast season gearing up, let me... Read more
Posted on 04 December 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The View from the Chair — Walk of Life: An Analysis of Two Scenes from William...
The chariot race from William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959)Row, Row, Row Your BoatWhat adventures await Judah Ben-Hur! When last we left him, Judah had been condemned... Read more
Posted on 19 November 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Monsters, John! Monsters from the Id’ — The Brave New World of ‘Forbidden...
Scene from MGM’s Forbidden Planet (1956) – the Big MachineComplications, Complications — Always ComplicationsIt is night at United Planets Space Cruiser... Read more
Posted on 12 November 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Old Rockers Never Die, They Just Flail Away: ‘Sgt. Pepper,’ the Beatles, and...
Mind Blowing!Producer George Martin surrounded by the Beatles in Abbey Road Studios, ca. 1967From the modal beauty and formality of “She’s Leaving Home,” to... Read more
Posted on 04 November 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Mefistofele’ — ‘Ecco Il Mondo’: The Devil’s in the Details of Boito’s Opera...
So Close, Yet So Far …Margherita (Patricia Racette) Faust (Ramon Vargas) in the Act III duet, “Lontano, lontano, lontano” from Mefistofele (San Francisco... Read more
Posted on 29 October 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The Jazz Samba Project: What’s Old is New (Part Two) — Look Back in Delight
Music that Soothes the SoulVeronneau: Jazz Samba Project, with Lynn Veronneau and husband Ken Avis (far right)It was such a pleasure to have met and chatted wit... Read more
Posted on 22 October 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Mefistofele’ — ‘Ecco Il Mondo’: The Devil’s in the Details of Boito’s Opera, Ac...
“Who Dares to Claim: I Believe in God?”Act II, Scene Two of Mefistofele at Baden-Baden 2016 – with Erwin Schrott (Mefistofele) and Charles Castronovo (Faust)In... Read more
Posted on 15 October 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
More of the Same: Curtain Going Up on the Met Opera’s 2017-18 Radio Season
We Interrupt This ProgramScene from Laurent Pelly’s production of Cendrillon by MassenetNo sooner had one Metropolitan Opera broadcast season ended when the... Read more
Posted on 08 October 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
I Read It in a Book’: Having Your Own Personal Reference Library (Part One)
The “Story” of My LifeBooks! We have books!Many people have asked me how I acquired my knowledge of opera, theater, film, history, pop music, and the like. Read more
Posted on 01 October 2017 CULTURE, THEATRE & OPERA -
Met Opera Round-Up: The Season’s Last Gasp — ‘Tristan,’ ‘The Flying Dutchman,’...
Love-Death and TransfigurationTristan (Stuart Skelton) with Isolde (Nina Stemme) at the Met Opera (Photo: New York Times)The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast... Read more
Posted on 17 September 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Your Next Musical-Theater Project: Carmen Miranda — An Open Letter to...
The Brazilian Bombshell: Carmen MirandaDear Lin-Manuel,Are you ready for your next musical-theater challenge? Are you willing to hear about the artistic and... Read more
Posted on 09 September 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Met Opera Round-Up: The Season’s Last Gasp — ‘Tristan,’ ‘The Flying Dutchman,’...
Till “Love-Death” Do Us PartWagnerian Love Couple: Ludwig Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld as Tristan and Isolde (1865)Tristan und Isolde, Wagner’s singular... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
In Search of the Perfect Haircut: An Anecdotal Trip to the Barbershop
Close ShavesTypical Barber Shop ca. 1970sOh, brother! It’s that time of the month again, when one’s mane starts to look a bit straggly and those sideburns are i... Read more
Posted on 26 August 2017 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA