NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC GIVES SNEAK PEEK OF ASIAN TOUR WITH BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 WITH YUJA WANG

MUSIC DIRECTOR-DESIGNATE JAAP VAN ZWEDEN TUNES UP FOR HIS FIRST ASIAN TOUR WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC

Photo: Chris Lee

by Dwight Casimere

NEW YORK-The excitement in the audience was palpable at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center when New York Philharmonic Music Director-Designate Jaap van Zweden took to the podium with the Beijing-born  soloist Yuja Wang to lead the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1. It was a scintillating performance and most apropriate as the orchestra was on the eve of its first Asian tour under its new leader. 

The svelte virtuoso quickly lived up to her reputation as one of the most electrifying performers on the concert stage today. Her velocity-defying octave trills in the opening movement showed off her phenomenal dexterity as did her emotive playing in the Adagio. Maestro van Zweden elicited a lush sound from the violins in the opening theme. Wang's  towering technique  then melded into the delightful rhythms expressed in the Hungarian Dance themes that drove the final movement to its thundering climax. Wang obliged the audience's effusive applause with a pair of encores; Mendelssohn's Song Without Words and in F sharp minor and Brahm's Intermezzo in C sharp minor.

Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 allowed the orchestra to stretch out and show its true mettle under Maestro van Zweden's firm hand. The Prokofiev showed the orchestra's superior capability and  dynamic range with van Zweden nimbly navigating the orchestra through the composer's contrasting passages. Soaring violins followed by sonorous cellos and majestic brass with solid percussion urging the entire ensemble to the exciting conclusion.

If this concert was any indication,  audiences in Beijing Kyoto, Tokyo, Nagaya and Taipei are enjoying a thrilling encounter with the New York Philharmonic during this week's tour. 

Monday, April 2 at 7:30 the orchestra returns to Brooklyn's National Sawdust for a Co-presentation of CONTACT! At National Sawdust with host Esa-Pekka Salonen. The orchestra returns to David Geffen Hall Wednesday, April 4 at 9:45 am for an Open Rehearsal with Guest Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen at the podium for a program of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with virtuoso Benjamin Grosvenor at the keyboard, followed by Beethoven's thunderous Eroica Symphony to be performed at 7:30pm Wednesday evening and again Thursday and Friday at 7:30pm and 8pm respectively. Visit nyphil.org for tickets and information.

35th MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL EXPLORES ISSUES OF RACIAL IDENTITY, IMMIGRATION, WOMEN IN MENTAL TURMOIL

LATINEGRAS: LOVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN PREMIERES AT 35TH MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL

Film Explores Identity Crisis Faced by Black Women of Latin Culture

Dwight Casimere with Yvonne and Yvette Rodriguez of Latinegras

The cast of LATINEGRAS: Love The Skin You're In with Director/Producer Omilani Alarcon (center-left)


by Dwight Casimere

Latinegras:Love The Skin You're In, a documentary film produced and
directed by poet, singer and filmmaker Omilani Alarcon, is a
heartfelt, poetic journey of self-discovery concerning the identity
crisis suffered by black women who are of Latin heritage. In lyrical
words, and stunningly in-your-face cinematography, Omilani acts as
both on-camera presenter and behind-the-scenes narrator, interweaving
the personal, revealing testimonies of about a dozen women from
various locations within the Latin and Afro-Latin diaspora: Puerto
Rico, Guatamala, the Dominican Republic, Peru,  Panama, and New York,
all expressing their continuing pain of identity. Broken down into
segments; Ghosts of Our Past, which charts the history of slavery from
the Middle Passage to the New World, The Politics of Blackness, which
recounts the establishment of the legal structuring of modern slavery
through the Louisiana Purchase and the Missouri Compromise, the One
Drop Rule, in which blackness is defined by the presence of one eighth
to one thirty-second of black blood in any person's genealogy,
Questions of Complexion and Skin Tone and the filmmakers own final
descent into self-confrontation in a final healing, almost Baptismal
journey to her own roots in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The film is brought
to its conclusion amidst the catastrophe of Hurricane Maria, yet, the
filmmaker finds that even in this calamity, there is reason for hope
and the promise of a new beginning. Latinegras: Love The Skin You're In
is targeted at a very specific audience, yet its message of universal
acceptance and hope is a lesson that applies to us all.

Yvonne and Yvette Rodriguez

35th MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL TACKLES RACIAL IDENTITY, IMMIGRATION WOES AND RELIGIOUS PHOBIAS

MIAMI FEST FEATURES TRIBUTE TO A FRENCH ACTING ICON AND HOSTS OSCAR-WINNING GREATS

by Dwight Casimere

The cast of Latinegras: Love The Skin You're In at its premiere with director/producer
Alimony Alarcon (center-left)

by Dwight Casimere

The 35th Miami Film Festival March 9-18 plays host to a dazzling array of international stars and directors and features films that tackle such issues as racial identity among women who are both black and Latina, the struggles of suburban mothers on the brink of mental breakdown and the tribulations of a young Mexican American couple coping with the changing landscape of US immigration laws while trying to preserve their fledgling marriage. Four-time Oscar nominated writer, director and producer Jason Reitman premiered his newest film Tully on Opening Night, with Oscar winners actress Charlize Theron and screenwriter Diablo Cody.  France's Oscar-winning national treasure  Isabelle Huppert,  is the subject of a Tribute Screening of her latest film Souvenir, at which she will receive the festival's Precious Gem-Icon Award and Spain's greatest living filmmaker Carlos Saura will receive the Precious Gem-Master Award at a screening of the new documentary on his career and family life, Saura(s).

Also featured was the directorial debut from two-time Academy Award-nominated Beninese-American actor Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) which takes us on a personal journey of spiritual reclamation. Demonized by Christianity, scarred by colonialism and crudely misrepresented in Hollywood movies, we in the West know nothing about voodoo. It is time to tell the story from an African perspective.

With In Search of Voodoo, Hounsou returns to his West African birthplace to visit sacred sites, witness rituals and interview scholars, adepts and politicians, who provide an accessible survey of voodoo’s rich history and reliance on nature as a guiding force in the lives of its practitioners.

The festival features 148 films of all genres from 50 countries including three for the first time in the festival's Official Selection category from Benin, Georgia and Swaziland. The festival wraps up with the Award's Night screening of Curro Velázquez’s smash hit Spanish comedy Holy Goalie (Que baje Dios y lo vea), with star Alain Hernández in attendance. The Miami Dade College 35th Miami Film Festival continues through March 18.

SIMPLY ITALIAN GREAT WINES AMERICAS TOUR 2018 A SHOWCASE FOR GREAT ITALIAN WINEMAKERS AND CHEFS

MIAMI'S STUNNING ADRIENNE ARSHT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER HOSTS
THE NEW AGE OF ITALIAN WINES, WINEMAKERS AND CHEFS

 RICCARDO RICCI CURBASTRO WITH SPARKLING WINE FROM FRANCIACORTA

by Dwight Casimere

New Italian wines are here and fantastic they are! The much anticipated  Simply Italian Great Wines Americas Tour 2018 descended on Downtown Miami's architecturally stunning Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts to present a symphony of wine aromas and flavors from Italy's great winemakers, who were on hand in person to pour their wines, and tastes from a collection of Miami's most outstanding Italian chefs and restaurants. The marathon tasting event was preceded by enlightening seminars from James Beard Award-winning wine lecturer and writer Lyn Farmerin a brilliant discussion of the dynamic sparkling wines from Friuli and a highly enlightening presentation by the "King of Franciacorta", Riccardo Ricci Curbastro on Italy's premium sparkling wines. This outstanding event was brought to fruition by IEM of Verona, Italy, and its US affiliate IEEM, based in Miami. Consumers and members of the wine trade and wine press were able to engage directly with producers and enjoy outstanding cuisine from prominent local chefs and restaurants in an unprecedented event.

 THE LOVELY LATRICE

ROBERTO PARESCE OF GOL ITALIAN RESTAURANT PREPARES GAMBARONI LIVORNESE

SHARI GHERMAN AMERICAN FINE WINE COMPETITION

ALAIN ETHEART, EILEEN REYNA, SARAH ETHEART OF WHOLE FOODS MARKET

NERO DI TROIA FROM BIOCANTINA GIANNATTASIO

SIMONE FAVARO FINCATI OF I"M FIL INC. NATURAL FINE WINES

RICCI CURBASTRO FRANCIACORTA

ANDREA BIASIOTTO OF AZIENDA AGRICOLA BIASIOTTO

 CRISTINA BIZZARI OF IMPERO WINE DISTRIBUTORS

HOUSEMADE  SAGE RAVIOLIS FROM ZUCCA

 PROSCIUTTO

LA LEGGENDA NEOPOLITAN PIZZARIA OF ESPANOLA WAY WITH FRIED CALZONE

SPARKLING WINES FROM ASTI

CLASSIC HOMEMADE CANNOLI

WHAT THE MONDAVI'S ARE DRINKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS; EMBLEM WINES FROM NAPA AND SONOMA

WINES OF THE WEEK: 
EMBLEM 2014 NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON-$38
EMBLEM 2016 SONOMA COAST CHARDONNAY-$35

by  Dwight Casimere

The Mondavi name is legendary in the world of wine. It follows that what wine the Mondavi family will share around the holiday table is a subject of keen interest. For Rob Mondavi Jr. and Dina Mondavi ,the brother and sister team that co-founded, along with their father Michael, the Michael Mondavi Family Estate, the choices are Emblem Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 ($38.00) and 2016 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast ($35.00).

The Mondavi Family in the vineyards, (l to r) Michael Mondavi, Dina and Rob. Jr.

Emblem Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is a complex, rich wine that deserves to be placed at the centerpiece of the holiday table right next to the Sage-roasted turkey and a nice Standing Rib Roast or slow roasted Goose. At under $40, it delivers complexity and flavor like wines costing three times as much. The Mondavi pedigree is all over this one. Sourced from estate vineyards nestled high above St. Helena, the smells of fresh dark berries and warm vanilla bean are the first to rush to the nose. Followed by the taste of ripe red plums, blackberries, soft, ripe strawberries and a hint of exotic spice from long aging in French oak, this is a standout. 

According to Rob Mondavi Jr., every tool of the master wine craftsman was set into play. Grapes were hand harvested and skillfully fermented to extract the colors, flavors, textures and aromas naturally from the skins. After 14 days the grapes were gently pressed and the remaining juice was transferred to 66% new French oak barrels and aged for 18 momths. This is what gives the wine its magnificent taste and structure. With a blend of 79% Cabernet, 8.5% Petit Verdot, 7% Petite Sirah, 4.5% Syrah and 1% Zinfandel,this wine gives credence to the long-held Mondavi philosophy that wine is food. It certainly is the perfect companion to a festive holiday meal.

For Dina Mondavi, the choice is Emblem Sonoma Coast 2016 Chardonnay ($35).Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from the historic Petaluma Gap, a sub region of the Sonoma Coast appellation, this is wine that is the beneficiary of the Sonoma Coast's ideal wine producing characteristics; consistent morning fog followed by sun-drenched days and cool nighttime breezes that grow vines capable of producing wines of the highest quality.  

Emblem 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is brimming with the flavors of fresh, crisp fruit. Little green apples, Bosch pears and hints of lemongrass and the subtle taste of vanilla, gives this wine  a mellow feeling in the mouth. Careful aging in French oak for 9 to 10 months enhances the delicious flavor. The pairing possibilities at the holiday table are endless. Turkey, duck, pheasant and honey roasted ham are just a few of the main dishes that come to mind. Apple pie, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Cinnamon-dusted pureed broccoli are among the side dishes and desserts that make this wine a standout. Celebrate the holidays like a bona fide Mondavi with Emblem wines!

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE THE PERFECT WINTER GETAWAY THROUGH DEC. 2

by Dwight Casimere

Jimmy Buffet (c) joins the cast for the curtain call encore of the title song

Broadway In Chicago's Escape to Margaritaville, at the Oriental Theatre now  through Dec. 2, is exactly as the title implies, the perfect escape from Chicago's infamous "Hawk" and the winter chill and all of the holiday shopping madness of State Street and the Magnificent Mile. Based on the beloved slacker-inspired song classics of Jimmy Buffet, who made a surprise appearance to reprise the musical's title song during the curtain calls, its a lighter than froth on a Ramos Fizz musical comedy tropical retrreat. 

Set in a mythical,  tropical paradise with a dormant volcano, the musical brings together a Gilligan's Island grouping of misfits and world-weary escapees from society's humdrum in search of  their inner drunk. With cartoonish sets and a likeable roster of life-sized cutout characters and a breezy score dominated by Buffet's beloved classics (the titled Wastin' Away in Margaitaville, Come Monday, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Volcano, and more), the evening goes down easy like a well-crafted umbrella drink at  the swamp bar.

In spite of the breezy, purely here-to-entertain nature of the show, there are some sterling performances. Don Sparks (Broadway's Take Me Out, La Jolla Playhouse) plays a whizzened version of Buffet's alter-ego as J.D. and Drama Desk nominee (Broadway's Bright Star) is in superb voice and flashy guitar-playing style as the younger version of the show's namesake inspiration.

With a songbook by Emmy winning Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl, Raising Hope, and Emmy nominee Mike O'Malley (Survivor's Remorse, Shameless) and  Rockettes-kicking choreography by Tony nominee Kelly Devine (Come From Away, Rock of Ages) and spot-on directing by Tony nominee and La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley (Come From Away, Memphis),  this is the play to see to chase away those winter and Holiday blues. 

Be in for some delightful surprises along the way, including a cadre of high stepping zombie insurance salesmen who transform into the aforementioned glitter suited Rockettes clones and an Act One finale that rocks the house--literally, and the most original use for beach towels yet imagined. Amidst amidst a rainstorm of tropical Beach balls, Jimmy Buffet himself made a surprise appearance onstage with the cast, the make an appeal for hurricane relief and to lead a singalong of the  title song. The audience danced out of the door oblivious to the falling temperatures outside. Now though Dec. 2. Visit BroadwayInChicago.com for tickets and information.

55TH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL HONORS FILM LEGENDS OLD AND NEW THROUGH OCTOBER 15

RICHARD LINKLATER'S 'LAST FLAG FLYING' OPENS NATION'S OLDEST FILM FESTIVAL



by Dwight Casimere

 Dwight Casimere at the NYFF Opening Night

 Laurence Fishburne waves to the enthusiastic opening night crowd

 Director Richard Linklater and the cast of Last Flag Flaying on Openin Night (below) stars Steve Carrell and Laurence Fishburne on the Red Carpet

The New York Film Festival opened with Oscar nominated director Richard Linklater's latest searing drama Last Flag Flying starring the stellar talents of the ever-superb Steve Carrell as the film's central character Larry 'Doc' Shepherd, a former Navy doctor in the throes of grief after losing his only son in the Iraqi war. Already suffering the unhealed wound of his wife's death, Doc is an abyss of grief. He seeks out his old military buddies Sal, the cynical and unrepentant alcoholic Bryan Cranston and Richard 'The Mauler' Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) an ex-Marine bad mouth who has since reformed to become a self-righteous, color-wearing man of the cloth. Both the Fishburne and Cranston characters are sterling examples of the adage 'once a Marine, always a Marine.' Linklater and co-scriptwriter Darryl Poniscanb, who also wrote the book of the same title upon ewhich the film is based, do a terrific job of letting the characters speak for themselves, with an abundance of attitude and expletives in abundance. Doc is an endless black whole of grief who hijacks his old buddies into a seeminlgly wrong-heade scheme to give his son what he thinks is a proper send-off.  The book and the film are a sequel to Ponicsan's 1973 film The Last Detail, directed by Hal Ashby. Linnklater successfully injects the film with his own deft style of character development and story-telling using the characters own words and the interplay of their personalities to move the story along. Particularly telling is a scene in which the three spend a light-hearted mooment spining a dirty penis joke to its absurd limit. The scene is a window into the life of former combat buddies who no doubt passed some perilous times together, distracting their attention away from imminent danger with mindless humor. 

Part buddie film, part road-trip movie, the film mixes in a heavy dose of humanity that will have you choking back tears at the end. Cecily Tyson makes an all-too-brief appearance as the mother of one of the men in their unit who didn't survive. The facts reveal that the circumstances of his death were less than heroic, and Cranston leads the charge to unveil the truth. Confronted with the still grieving mother,  the three decide to swallow their pride and allow the grieving mother to cling to her glorious fantasy.

Last Flag Flying is a protest film of sorts against war, but it doesn't hit you over the head with it. Instead, it allows the flawed humanity in the characters and that desire to do at least one thing right in the sea of mistakes we humans all make, to shine through. With all their faults, Linklater's characters just dry out for love and we, the audience, willingly give it to them.

by Dwight Casimere

Human sex trafficking is a hundred billion dollar industry, with profits exceeding those of Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks and Google, combined. Up to a hundred thousand sex slaves like in the U.S. alone with millions enslaved worldwide. From Epic Pictures comes the film Trafficked, which had its world premiere at the United Nations, which charts the harrowing saga of three young girls, fStarring Arom Califonia, Nigeria and India who are trafficked through an elaborate global network to a brothel in Texas where they are exploited, tortured, and eventually escape. 

Starring Academy Award nominee Anne Archer and featuring Golden Globe nominee Ashley Judd, Elisabeth Rohm,  Sean Patrick Flanery, Madison Wolfe and Patrick Duffy, the film is the culmination of the work of Harvard professor and sex trafficking expert  Siddharth Kara and is based on her book Sex Trafficking.. The film is not only a depiction of a harrowing adventure in which the human spirit rises to conquer a social evil, but a call to action for strong initiatives on a global level to end sex slavery and child labor.  

In addition to serving  as screenwriter to Trafficking, Siddarth Kara is a tireless soldier in the fight against slavery, having researched and advocated against trrafficking for the past two decades. In additoon to serving as a senior fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, he is a senior fellow at Harvard Schol of Public Health and is the author of numerous books and articles on modern slavery, including Sex Trafficking: Inside the Busiiness of Modern Slavery, and Bonded Lbour; Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia. This is a film that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Its intent is to spark action. Few will remain unmoved after entering the stunningly visual world created by Director Will Wallace and Director of Photography Thomas L. Callway.