In Tuesday’s (5/1) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), Steven Brown writes, “Matthew Weinstein had loved Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ ever since he was a boy. Now he was grown-up—an artist specializing in 3-D video. Disney’s mashup of symphonic music and animation was back on his mind. … The Charlotte Symphony, too, wanted to spark new classical-music experiences. It invited Weinstein to create a video inspired by ‘Bolero’—Maurice Ravel’s sultry orchestra showpiece—for its KnightSounds concert series. After a year of work, it premieres Friday. As Christopher Warren-Green and the orchestra unleash Ravel’s 16-minute crescendo, Weinstein’s video will unfold on a screen overhead. … The cast of ‘The Childhood of Bertolt Brecht,’ to be screened Thursday at Mint Museum Uptown with Weinstein on hand, includes a koi that talks and sings. Actress Blair Brown provides its voice. … With Ravel’s music taking the place of Blair Brown’s voice, Weinstein made the koi from ‘Childhood of Bertolt Brecht’ the protagonist of ‘Bolero.’ Thinking back to a talk with Warren-Green, who told him Ravel wrote the music partly with machinery in mind, Weinstein decided to have her make her entrance riding a conveyor belt. Then she encounters some of his other characters.” Visit SymphonyNOW later this week for more on the Charlotte Symphony’s “Bolero” program, including a special video sneak-peak.
Posted May 2, 2012
