
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841), Stage set for Mozart's "The Magic Flute," 1815, showing the Queen of the Night
1,850 words
Editor’s Note:
I have illustrated this, the third and final Ursus Major piece on Mozart’s operas, with YouTube videos of some of its best music. Read more …
Blue-State Arcadia:
A Summer’s Eve in the Berkshires
3,035 words

Berkshire County in Massachusetts consists of the westernmost nine percent of the state that played such an illustrious role in the founding of our nation. Today, that county illustrates the irony confounding much of our nation: that we hear the loudest yelps for diversity among those who live in almost entirely white areas. Read more …