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Quick Review Yuja Wang, the 22-year-old impresaria pianist, played the world premier of Jennifer Higdon’s Piano Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center last night. It was the second of three compositions, with Rimsky-Korsakov's suite from "The Snow Maiden" and Tchaikovsky's "Winter Daydreams" rounding out the evening. Before the performance of Higdon's piece, because it is rare that orchestras “get to touch a living, breathing composer,” guest conductor Andrew Litton brought Ms. Higdon to the stage and asked a few questions. He said technology allowed him to ask how many notes were in the piano part of the concerto. 19,861. I love the piano, and I was hoping for a delight. Honestly, as fun as it was to watch Ms. Wang’s hands dance over the keyboard, and she hit all of those notes, it did not thrill me. A technical marvel at that many notes in 30 minutes, I felt that Ms. Wang’s hands were performing in a new...
Opinion The Arlington Public Schools Board is going to have to put real thought into two options for easing capacity: build new schools or switch to a year-round schedule. We just do not have a enough space to continue on as we are, says a 98-page report by MGT of America Inc., a consultant the school board hired. Although the report does not suggest any option as a favored one, under all of their plans, the projected capacity of schools just looks bad. Given how stinking expensive schools are to build, I think the county really needs to give a close look at year-round schooling. In terms of capacity issues, it might just be the silver bullet. Which brings me to my first major aside: Why did MGT not show a chart of capacities if Arlington pursued year-round schooling? In their report, they basically went through a number of different models for eleviating crowding—the 6/7ths model, the programming model, etc., and then they showed the effect of each model on capacity per...
News and opinion about the BCCA, parks and money, and a NEW advertiser (thanks!): The BCCA holds elections Monday night... The Buckingham Community Civic Association will hold its bi-monthly meeting Monday Nov. 16 at 7p.m. at the Arlington Oaks Community Center, 4490 N. Pershing Drive.- right across from Culpepper Garden. The main topic of the night is the election of a president for the group. Rumor has it that Bernie Berne will step up to take the position to keep the group running. For the past few months, Buckinghamsters who follow this have known that Patrick Hope, the current president, would step down if he won the 47th seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, which he did in a landslide on Nov. 3. No one has shown an intense interest in the job of BCCA president. I'm feeling a little irritated, and it is late as I type this, but I cannot help but think "typical Buckingham." For years I have watched people care, but not enough to get off the couch. I used...
News and Analysis Tomorrow’s Arlington County Board Meeting Item #36 deals with not just affordable housing but garden-style apartments. If you’re a faithful reader of the HeraldTrib, you know that Buckingham is nothing if not downright slathered in affordable housing and garden-style apartments; you can’t swing a cat by the tail without hitting garden-style apartments in B’ham (not that I've tried). What’s more, Item #36 deals with the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. Although The Item deals with zoning, it also is keeping just a bit of power from the HALRB. (If you don’t think the HALRB has power, think again, and read here: Shopping Center Dies in HALRB Hands; and here: My Take on the Shopping Center; click then scroll down to see the story.) I’m guessing that those on the HALRB won’t really see it that way, but The Item will speed up the process of approval for developers who want to revamp garden-style apartments so long they include...
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