ARTS & CULTURE saturday, november 10, 2018 AGENDA REVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Shaabi music goes experimental ‘Abandoned Dwellings’ Sursock Museum, Ashrafieh Until Feb. 11, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. New suite of tunes Gregory Buchakjian presents performed by Praed a 9-year photography project Orchestra proves devoted to abandoned build- ings and houses in . surprisingly musical

PERFORMANCE By Jim Quilty The Daily Star ‘Vamos Cuba!’ Casino du Liban, Jounieh SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates: Nov. 23 to Dec. 1, 8:30 p.m. In the historic quarter of this emi- ticketingboxoffice.com rate’s capital city squats a square This Cuban dance spectacular honoring penmanship. Facing Cal- ligraphy Square is an ensemble of created by Nilda Guerra takes historic-looking single-story struc- viewers to the chaos of tures, part of a warren of contem- Havana airport. It’s a mix of porary art exhibition spaces – ren- traditional and modern dance ovated older rooms and state-of- styles including salsa, rumba the-art halls designed to conform to the old-town ambience of the place and reggaeton, with a live – owned and operated by the Shar- band led by Rodney Barreto. jah Art Foundation. Naturally the square is best- THEATER known not for its calligraphy, nor for the visual art it’s exhibited, but the musical events it’s hosted. ‘The Story of The Man In 2012 it was the venue for a Who Inhabited His Shadow’ beefed-up version of “Revisiting Station Beirut, Jisr al-Wati Tarab,” a 5-1/2-hour-long concert Until Nov. 11, 9 p.m. conjured up by sound artist Tarek Hashem Adnan and Fadi Atoui, featuring the cream of the international experimental music Toufic’s performance takes scene and a smattering of the audience on a tour of an classical players. Earlier this year, exhibition to explore installa- the square staged contemporary tions comprised of unfinished artist Wael Shawky’s “The Song of Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation work by a forgotten artist. Roland: The Arabic Version,” Hans Koch, foreground, and Martin Kuchen during the Praed Orchestra’s show. which saw the medieval European tale of Muslim-Christian conflict were all toppled toward something ART retold in a choral mode, specifical- distinctly unconventional – a line of ly fidjeri –associated with the Gulf’s dissonance not unlike electronic ‘The Visit’ pearl harvesting tradition. feedback, gasps, grumbles, the Galerie Tanit, Mar Mikhael Last Saturday, Calligraphy choking sound of a creaking door, Opening Nov. 20, 6 p.m. Square hosted an SAF-supported unintelligible cartoon chatter, and show by the Praed Orchestra. The throaty lower-register vocalizing Chafa Ghaddar’s series concert marked the debut of a suite that sounded vaguely Tibetan. attempts to merge natural of seven new compositions by the After some minutes of Wasser- painting techniques with con- eponymous Lebanese-Swiss duo – mann’s virtuoso solo work, key- temporary practices, such as aka Raed Yassin and Paed Conca – boards injected a monster movie- exploring Fresco with media. performed by them and an ensem- cum-sci-fi organ theme into the ble that included some of the more mix. Saxes and clarinet pitched in prolific experimental and improv discretely until vocals and key- ‘Anachar Basbous’ musicians on the scene. boards fell away, leaving room for Saleh Barakat Gallery, In addition to Conca and Yassin, some quiet percussion work from Clemenceau the players included Sam Shalabi Yassine and Zerang. Until Dec. 29, 11 a.m. (oud, electric guitar), Alan Bishop This discreet percussion duet pro- to 7 p.m. (saxophone, vocals), Maurice Lou- vided ambience to introduce a ca (keyboards) – a trio otherwise maqam-redolent oud improv by Sha- Sculptor Anachar Basbous’ known as The Dwarfs of East labi – the end of which marked the latest works are produced Agouza – as well as Nadah El-Sha- conclusion of the suite’s first move- and displayed as if from the zly (vocals, keyboard), Khaled Yas- ment, called “The Last Invasion.” inside out. This show displays sine and Michael Zerang on per- When a few tentative notes of his new artistic practices. cussion and drums, Christine Koch’s bass clarinet picked up Sha- Kazarian on electric harp, Hans labi’s chain, it seemed the perfor- Alan Bishop, left, Raed Yassin and Paed Conca, seated. Koch and Martin Kuchen on vari- mance would linger over a contem- ‘Things That Shine and ous saxophones, Radwan Moum- plative mood, until an abrupt blast reverberating, word-free vocalizing turned to how Conca and Yassin and standout performances – Things That Are Dark’ neh (buzuq, synthesizer, vocals) and of sampled Arabic dance music was that amounted to an entertaining came to compose the pieces per- Wassermann’s opening solo, Shal- Beirut Art Center, Jisr al-Wati vocalist Ute Wassermann. released from Yassin’s laptop. lampoon of duet conventions. formed at the concert. abi’s oud solo, Moumneh’s hyper- Until Dec. 23 The SAF concert marked the Koch’s solo followed the contours The balance of the concert con- Yassin said the origin of Praed’s active buzuq work in the third Joachim Koester’s exhibition debut of this particular configura- of the beat and Conca’s clarinet soon tinued more or less along these latest tunes is ’s beat-heavy movement of the concert … but it tion of players but it wasn’t amateur added a third voice to the duet. lines. Each passage of completely shaabi music. Praed had a number of was Alan Bishop – powering is interested in using still and hour. All the performers have flour- By degrees the players superseded live performance alternated with these musicians lay down some of through the solo vocals of “The moving images and installa- ishing professional careers and the sample – Zerang and Yassine another that forced the musicians to their 4/4 beat sequences. These Nerves,” the piece’s final tune – tions to examine matters of nearly all have played together at elaborating on the percussive line, play with (or against) sampled Yassin and Conca dissected and used who stole the show. movement and identity. various concert venues over the past horns and electronics adding orna- beats. Each movement featured dif- as the basis of their instrumental Though it draws heavily on the decade or more. mentation, Wassermann and Bishop ferent clusters of musicians navi- composition. The decision to write talent, and the music, of this region, Wassermann commenced the vocalizing a tune that might have gating Praed’s compositions and for horns, Yassin said, had less to do this work sounds placeless. ‘The Third Window” evening with a solo master class in been lifted from one of the Egyptian ornamenting them with solo, duet with Egyptian shaabi music than the Experimental music is never Sfeir-Semler Gallery, transcultural vocal technique. sequences of Cecil B. DeMille’s and ensemble improvisation. composers’ love of soul and funk. more alive than during perfor- Karantina Standing, palms raised like a statue “The Ten Commandments.” In an artist talk the day after the It was great fun, the intersection mance, and the suite performed last Until Jan. 4 of the Virgin Mary, she launched As the suite’s beat-driven second Calligraphy Square gig, Yassin and of hybrid composition and excep- Saturday was strikingly digestible, 01-566-550 into what might have been the open- movement (titled “Doomsday Sur- Shalabi discussed their own experi- tional musicianship – sheer talent, at least to open-minded audiences. ing notes of a soprano aria before vival Kit”) wound down, Yassin and ences working in the experimental diversity and improvisational skill – Akram Zaatari’s show draws veering into a bit of tongue trilling. Bishop stood for a duet – actually an music scenes in Lebanon, Canada that met at Calligraphy Square. For more, see http://sharjahart.org/shar- from his study of pho- Subsequent bel canto outbursts exchange of howling, shouting, and Egypt. Naturally the discussion The show had several highlights jah-art-foundation/events/praed-orchestra. tographs and their histories while working with the Arab Image Foundation, specifical- ly the different transactions that leave material traces on the bodies of photos. Foy trades Queen Liz for volatile vigilante Lisbeth

‘Sensible Expression’ Mark Hachem Gallery, ter believed to have died years ago. By Jake Coyle Snippets of flashbacks give a win- Mina al-Hosn Associated Press dow into the scars beneath Salan- Until Nov. 20, 10 a.m. der’s tattoos, while de rigueur action to 8 p.m. NEW YORK: No, “The Girl in the set pieces propel the movie slowly This retrospective exhibition Spider’s Web” isn’t a Spider-man along, as if it forgot to pick up a will showcase the exhibition spinoff about a young woman sense of suspense along the way. the reliefs and sculptures of ensnared by Peter Parker, but you’d (In one novel twist, Salander, in be forgiven for thinking the latest, mid-car chase, hacks into the other Alfred Basbous. iteration of Stieg Larsson’s thrillers vehicle and takes control of it. The has some superhero DNA. so-called Internet of Things may MUSIC Lisbeth Salander’s third big-screen sound the death knell for the pro- incarnation in nine years, has mor- longed getaway.) Swiss Quartet Jazz Concert phed the avenging Stockholm hack- Penned by Alvarez, Steven Knight er into a blander action hero, com- and Jay Basu, “The Girl in the Spi- Armenian Evangelical plete with a Batman-and-Robin-like der’s Web” is based on the fourth Church, Kantari band of white across her eyes. novel in the series and the first writ- Nov. 16, 9 p.m. Following the spikey Swedish ten by David Lagercrantz. (Larsson A Jazz show featuring Houry trilogy, with Noomi Rapace, and died in 2004.) They haven’t done Apartian-Friedli, pianist Oliv- David Fincher’s menacing and Foy, one of the most exciting actress- murky “The Girl With the Dragon es around, any favors in saddling her er Friedli, contrabassist Andre Tattoo,” with Rooney Mara, we can with a forgettable international espi- Pousaz and drummer Pius palpably feel Lisbeth (here, Claire onage tale. The superlative cast is Baschnagel will be performed. Foy) being lured out of the shadows wasted, generally, including Vicky and toward the movie mainstream. Krieps, Stanfield and Bang. In this latest chapter, Lisbeth As compelling as Foy is, she’s strives, like a Scandinavian 007, to also missing a quality that any Lis- keep a world-threatening atomic beth ought to have. It has nothing

Just a thought weapons program dubbed “Fire- AP/Reiner Bajo/Sony Pictures to do with shedding the primness of fall” out of the wrong hands. Foy in a scene from “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.” her Queen Elizabeth II for Salan- Directed by Uruguayan-born der’s jet-black hair and piercings. Fun can happen on the interior. Fede Alvarez (of “Don’t Breathe” detestable men is kind of appropriate plays an agent), a Russian gang after him, his young but brilliant The greatest tension in Larsson’s Nobody knows about it, but fame), the film smooths away some right now. In the first scene –the most called the Spiders (with Claes Bang) son (Christopher Convery) and “Millennium” series is how Salan- there are fireworks going on of the rough edges of a saga predi- comic book-like of them all – Lisbeth and the Swedish authorities. Salander. The investigative journal- der so bristles with unease in the inside your spirit when you hear cated on them, resulting in a com- strings up an offending husband like It begins when Salander is ist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gud- world, even while she expertly a great orchestra playing great petent but indistinguishable thriller. a fish while gutting his bank account approached by a former NSA agent nason in the part previously played manipulates everything in it. music. Lisbeth, a volatile cyberpunk vig- and, with a few clicks, transferring (Stephen Merchant) – who built the by Daniel Craig and Michael There’s no such conflict in “The ilante propelled by her own demons his savings to his victimized wife. software program and only now is Nyqvist) is around at times but Girl in the Spider’s Web,” a common David Ogden Stiers of abuse, remains a great character Batman could do no better. concerned that the ability to launch makes little impression. thriller for an uncommon heroine. (1942 -) in search of a decent plot. Such exchanges quickly recede in every nuclear weapon on the plan- The story also connects, we Actor It’s a shame, too, because a fear- favor of a larger conspiracy that et might actually be a bad idea. sense, somehow to Salander’s own “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is some woman meting out justice for ropes in the NSA (Lakeith Stanfield Soon, all manner of villain is past, her incestuous father and a sis- screening in Beirut-area cinemas.