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Haiku Reviews: From Books to Buzzards (PHOTOS)

HAIKU REVIEWS: From Books To Buzzards | New York, Santa Monica, Pomona
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HuffPost Arts' Haiku Reviews is a weekly feature where invited critics review exhibitions and performances in short form. Some will be in the traditional Haiku form of 5x7x5 syllables, others might be a sonnet or a string of words together. This week Peter Frank, Marina Cashdan and Laurence Vittes give quick takes on performing and visual art. Is there a show or performance that you think people should know about? Write a Haiku with a link and shine a light on something you think is noteworthy too.

(01 of04)
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WHAT:Why Mahler? How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed the WorldBy Norman LebrechtHAIKU REVIEW: Ten symphonies, athousand vinyl jubilees,Now digitally?Norman Lebrecht has taken a shot at recasting the world in Mahler's larger than life size image and sound. With the ears of an acolyte, the British critic creates a fabulous world of comparative listening, which in the process encapsulates much of what he knows about the classical music industry and what he thinks are it remedies. Great lists for filling up your terabytes. Great fodder for classical music gossip hounds. Above all, Lebrecht would agree, go to a live concert, now. - Laurence Vittes
(02 of04)
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Photo credit:Untitled (Buzzard), 1968Wood, taxidermic buzzard, shoes, paint, metal, black-and-white photographs, string, Plexiglas, and wax51 3/16 x 42 1/8 x 19 11/16 in. (130 x 107 x 50 cm)Museum Moderner Kunst, Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna© The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New YorkWHAT: Paul ThekPaul Thek: Diver, a RetrospectiveWhitney Museum of American ArtOctober 21, 2010–January 9, 2011HAIKU REVIEW: Paul Thek’s works are grotesque in nature, struggling with a shiny exterior. The late Brooklyn-born artist worked during the time of transition between AbEx and Pop art and his works reflects this struggle — the sliminess of the 'meat' inside sparkling Plexiglass boxes in his ‘meat pieces’. He died almost unknown; perhaps because he was working against what was in trend at the time of his death, Pop art (using a Brillo box as the encasement for one meat piece is a poignant reference). Thek’s work is about the body and the body is a vehicle for a spiritual transformation, the anti-commercial. Thek anticipated artists like Damien Hirst, Robert Gober, and Mike Kelley, among others. - Marina Cashdan
(03 of04)
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WHAT:Gregor Piatigorsky: The Life and Career of the Virtuoso CellistBy Terry KingHAIKU REVIEW: He stood alone onHeights saw men violatePoor lost cellistGregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) was a giant who stood alone in the 30s as a classical music cellist. His best work was always in live concerts, far away from the recording studios. Terry King, now a master cellist himself, has captured his mentor's charm and generous personality in an amazing book. Would be number one on New York Times Reading List About Cellists. In public, Piatigorsky deferred to legends who had less heart and more ambition than he. In private, he deferred to no one. - Laurence Vittes
(04 of04)
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WHAT:Violins With Polish Soul CDKrzysztof Jakowicz playing on 15 Polish violinsMusic by Wieniawski, Chopin, Lipinski, Paderewski, Kreisler, Zarebski, Zarzycki, Szymanowski, Rimsky-Korsakov & RachmaninovHAIKU REVIEW: Polish violinsdelicate shape is standardsoft sound optionalAll the most beautiful Polish music for violin played on some of the most beautiful Polish violins ever made, like a summer concert in Plummer Park or Costa Mesa. Leonine Krzysztof Jakowicz finds in each fiddle a special vein of romance, from Chopin Chopin’s C sharp minor “Nocturne” to Juliusz Zarebski’s plaintive little "Kolysanka." Lots of pretty pictures, too. - Laurence Vittes

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