Epoch Arts 11-20-2015

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The Hand of the Maker How artisans are changing the idea of sustainable fashion.

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Children’s Books Show the Way Here are eight children’s books featuring gratitude in varied situations.

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Inbal Segev

Climbing the on Mount Everest for Cellists

Inbal Segev plays J.S. Bach’s cello suite No. 4 in E flat major at the CORE club in New York on Oct. 15

By Milene Fernandez | Epoch Times Staff

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EW YORK—It was on her mind for at least 20 years.

Inbal Segev had been preparing, practicing, gearing herself up to consummate her musical career by climbing what she called “the Mount Everest for cellists.”

Recording J. S. Bach’s complete cello suites constitutes the pinnacle of her internal journey as an artist so far.

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COUR TE SY OF INBAL S EG E V

Inbal Segev

Climbing the on Mount Everest for Cellists

BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES

Inbal Segev continued from C1

She shies away from any mannerisms, while still creating a beautiful and expressive tone.

Cellist Inbal Segev with her 17th century cello at her home on the Upper East Side on Nov. 5.

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the performer, so you have to rise up to his intellectual level and try to figure out what he wanted,” Segev said in the documentary.

The Bach suites are the pure expression of what that instrument can do, one of Segev’s producers, Todd Landor said in the documentary. And because they are so pure, it also gives ample opportunity for the solo performer to project his or her style and character.

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Less Is More Style The time musicians live in invariably shapes the music they play. Being true to Bach did not mean imitating performers of times past, but instead bringing his music to life in the 21st century by interpreting it in her own way.

Segev described herself as “a lyrical understated kind of performer.” She shies away from any mannerisms, while still creating a beautiful and expressive tone.

Similar to her welcoming spacious apartment—unobtrusive, unpretentious, with an elegant simplicity and carefully curated furniture, art, and objects—she takes on a less is more approach to her interpretations.

“Sometimes the most moving things are when you are not throwing yourself all out there,” she said. “But it depends on the piece, with Dvorak I like to be more out there,” she added.

She released her album, “Inbal Segev: Bach Cello Suites” this fall. Her contagious laughter throughout the interview seemed to counterbalance her self-admitted perfectionism and a tendency to be too hard on herself. Then she said, “But I’m better now. … I put the CD on and I actually enjoy it.”

Although it would be interesting to hear how her interpretation of the Bach cello suites could develop in the future, she does not plan to do it again any time soon. She is committed to commissioning new music for the cello, working with composers such as Timo Andres, Avner Dorman, and Gity Razaz.

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The Bach cello suites are so challenging because, as Segev said, they are so simple and yet complex, so structured and yet so free. It is something that any great cellist is expected to accomplish.

Segev trained in a 19th and 20th centurycentric style. Despite her precise technique, like a thoroughbred racing horse, she had to abort her first try at recording the suites when the sound engineer gave her some truthful feedback—he sensed she was conflicted inside.

Talking about it now, after finally reaching the summit of her Mount Everest, she reflected on her life and musical career from the comfort of her spacious Upper East Side apartment.

Slightly laughing at herself, she said she still tears up a bit when she remembers her first attempt.

“There was so much pressure in succeeding,” she said, yet after years of painstaking research, preparation and practice, she still wasn’t ready.

“I was trying to come back 300 years in one month,” she said in a new documentary video that traces her two-year process of recording the six Bach suites—36 pieces of over two hours of music.

Before making her second and ultimately successful climb, she switched gears for about four months to stop overthinking. She performed in several concerts and had publicity photographs taken.

She realized she had been imposing ideas on herself, instead of interpreting the music based on her own decisions. She had to be truer to herself, to hone her own voice. “I really had to make decisions that I’m happy with, well educated decisions,” she said.

“Bach was one of the most intelligent composers. He’s always going to be smarter than

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Finding Her Voice Segev was immediately drawn to the sound of the cello when she heard it for the first time on the radio. She started playing at the age of 5 in Jerusalem where she grew up. Since then she hasn’t stopped—except for a nearly one-year hiatus at the age of 8. She called it her “little mid-life crisis” and guffawed.

At 15, the violinist and conductor Isaac Stern heard her play and got the ball rolling for her to receive a full scholarship at Yale to study under Aldo Parisot. At 16 she moved to the United States on her own. “It was really amazing and very scary,” she said. In Israel she had been very sheltered. “I was living in a bubble, I still live in a bubble in a way,” she said.

She found the level of the cellists at Yale School of Music unbelievable. She wasn’t the only top student winning all the competitions anymore, but she still felt quite sure of herself.

Then when she went to New York to study at Juilliard a few years later, she said, “That was a real shock. That’s where you really are nobody.

Nobody knows who you are. Nobody cares who you are,” she said laughing.

She decided to leave Juilliard to study privately on Cape Cod with the late cellist Bernard Greenhouse during the winters, because he would go sailing in the summers.

“He really saved my playing and he inspired me,” she said. “He talked about all the techniques to make music come alive … how to control the vibrato, shades of glissando (when you shift from one note to another), little details

that I was never taught before. We would talk about one phrase for a whole lesson easily.”

While Greenhouse taught Segev step by step what to do, after the three years of learning from him, it was time to move on.

“He had a huge influence on me. I lost some of my own way because he had such a strong personality,” she said.

Her playing fluctuated a bit as she became self-conscious but eventually came into her own, especially after she married and had children. Having a family helped balance her life, gaining a broader perspective. It was no longer only about playing the cello. She has two girls and a boy. The three of them play string instruments—the violin, the viola, and the cello.

Cello With a Distinct Personality Segev’s cello was made in Cremona, Italy, in 1673 by Francesco Ruggieri. She’s understandably very protective of an instrument that could be a museum piece. “I take it with me everywhere, even to the bathroom in restaurants,” she said. She knew what she was looking for and she knew her price range. After trying about 10 cellos in New York and London, she found the one she owns in Chicago.

“I was looking for a baritone sounding instrument, not a tenor, there’s different shades in between. Some cellos are very bright and carry very well over an orchestra, but you want the depth too. I didn’t want to compromise the darkness,” she said.

As she played snippets of various pieces in her home, including the first Bach cello suite, prompting goose bumps, her cello gave an incredibly full warm sound. It was like a deep burgundy, full-bodied cabernet sauvignon, with a slight hint of sweetness. Her pet parakeets started chirping excitedly. Segev laughed.

While every cello has its own personality, ultimately the musician affects the instrument.

“I sound very similar on different cellos. After a while, after I get used to it, it is my sound,” Segev said confidently.

When asked what music means to her, she said, “It transforms you on so many levels. It makes us better people. It’s beautiful because it’s good,” she said articulating “good” at length, smiling and then giving a hearty laugh.

Inbal Segev will perform next at Bargemusic in Brooklyn on Friday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. ”This Is New York” is a feature series that delves into the lives of inspiring individuals in New York City. See all our TINYs here: epochtim.es/TINY or follow @milenefernandez on Twitter.

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Theater Review

JOAN MARCUS

Political Battling Collides With the Common Good What does the monarchy mean today?

By Judd Hollander NEW YORK—Politics has always, it seems, been a form of theatrical entertainment, whether looking at the current race for the presidential nomination or to the past and any of Shakespeare’s historical plays. One would be hardpressed to find a more brilliant example now than Mike Bartlett’s “King Charles III.” Shakespearean in tone and billed as “a future history play,” the work illustrates the line between one’s personal wishes and that of the greater good.

In the not-too-distant future, the Queen of England has died after a reign of 70 years. Her son, Charles (Tim Pigott-Smith), ascends to the throne, and like any new ruler, Charles is eager to put his own stamp on the office.

His first meeting as king is with Mr. Evans (Adam James), the British prime minister, in which Charles refuses to sign into law a bill restricting freedom of the press, feeling it would infringe too much on the rights of that entity.

The content of the bill quickly becomes irrelevant. The question instead becomes can the king actually refuse to sign the bill or any legislation for that matter; and if he does refuse, can the bill still become law?

Detailed notes in the show program provide a fascinating glimpse into the actual power of the British monarch. While the position has devolved over the years, it still possesses some strong teeth.

Charles utilizes these teeth when it becomes clear parliament will not go along with his requests to “try again” in regard to the bill.

The results of his actions threaten to plunge the country into anarchy.

Expertly creating a background story of political scheming to actual events and people—which is what most of Shakespeare’s history plays did—“King Charles III” shows that Charles’s actions ironically unite both the ruling and opposition parties in parliament against him. All refuse to have their duly elected authority usurped.

An American analogy would be a perceived misuse of presidential power. In Charles’s case, he firmly believes in the correctness of his decision, but that alone may not be enough to sway things his way.

The main idea the play keeps coming back to is the sacrifice of one’s personal wishes when they come into conflict with the greater good.

The greater good is the people’s confidence in both the government and the monarchy, no matter who happens to be in charge.

Mostly we see evidence of working for one’s own aims. Mr. Stevens (Anthony Calf), leader of the opposition party in parliament, feels no compunction in continually pitting the king and the prime minister against one another for his own ends.

Similar maneuvering occurs in the royal family by Kate (Lydia Wilson), wife of Charles’s

What might happen if Prince Charles became king? Tim Pigott-Smith takes the title role in William (Oliver Chris), next in line for the throne, and his wife, Kate (Lydia Wilson).

“King Charles III” in just such a scenario.

The greater good is the people’s confidence in both the government and the monarchy.

Political theater in ‘a future history play.’

‘King Charles III’ Music Box Theatre 239 W. 45th St. Tickets 212-239-6200 or Telecharge.com Running Time 2 hours, 40 minutes (one intermission) Closes Jan. 31, 2016

Of Pirarucu Skins and Other Sustainable Things The challenges of merging tradition with innovation in the fashion industry

By Kati Vereshaka | Epoch Times Staff

Tote made from sustainable pirarucu leather, an Amazonian fish.

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Traditionally, we simply called what we wore, clothes, garments, vestments, and then, at some point fashion was born.

Trends change at an ever-increasing pace until we arrive at a point where, by the time a trend appears, it’s almost obsolete. The viral dissemination of fashion images on social media are making trends visually ubiquitous and therefore nearly obsolete by the time they hit the stores materialized as garments. Wearing such creations has become an exercise in precise timing even for those who simply want to wear well-made clothes.

Where do we, as a civilization, go from here?

The planet and some people who are listening to its needs are telling us to stop and reconsider our choices.

Simone Cipriani, the founder of the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), has undertaken the task of implementing more responsible and sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

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eldest son, William (Oliver Chris), who is next in line for the throne. Kate carefully works behind the scenes to protect the interests of her husband, her children, and those of the generations to follow.

These efforts basically are considered playing politics as usual by those around them.

Charles, on the other hand, who seeks to go outside the acceptable relationship between king and parliament, finds his judgment and authority under attack.

Bartlett also draws several parallels to King Edward III, who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry the woman he loved. His personal wishes ran up against the greater good.

In Bartlett’s text, Charles and Mr. Evans each say “something must be done” during their initial conversation over the bill; this is the same phrase Edward used when describing the plight of unemployed coal miners in Wales.

Edward’s comments were seen by many as interfering with the British political process of the time.

Also present is a parallel to Edward’s personal life via Prince Harry (Richard Goulding), who finds himself falling in love with Jess (Tafline Steen), a commoner and a bit of a revolutionary who would like nothing more than to see the British monarchy abolished.

Pigott-Smith is outstanding as the title character. He plays a man who has waited his entire life to become king only to find himself challenged almost from the start by those who want things to continue as they are.

Wilson is very good as Kate, who occasionally

channels Lady Macbeth. She also gets in some good points about a system that still doesn’t give women as much overt power as it does their male counterparts.

Calf is perfect as the schemer Stevens, manipulating other people to do his work for him while he plots his own power ascension.

Goulding is quite enjoyable as Harry, nicely showing (thanks to Jess) his unabashed pleasure in discovering the simple things in life.

Connecting on multiple levels, watching “King Charles III” is akin to taking a political science master’s class. Filled with imagery and symbolism, the story is told in a perfect Shakespearian setting from the first moment of the play (a memorial service for the queen) to the last, which plays on the idea of “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

Rupert Goold’s direction is very strong throughout, taking the principal characters, many of whom are public figures as well as frequent objects of parody or caricature, and making them, if not always fully formed, completely interesting.

Many of the characters switch from almost wooden figures to ones with spines of steel and firm resolve.

Also in the cast are Nyasha Hatendi, Margot Leicester, Miles Richardson, Tom Robertson, Sally Scott, Peter Bradbury, Lucas Hall, Rachel Spencer Hewitt, Gordana Rashovich, and Harry Smith.

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.

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Poets Elizabeth Bishop (Becky Ann Baker) and Robert Lowell (Peter Scolari) support each other through a long and great friendship.

JOAN MARCUS

Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari as Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell do a remarkable job showing the subtlety of a delicate relationship.

Theater Review

Two Poets Communicate Art and Life

By Diana Barth

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EW YORK—In truth, I had set out to see a performance of the reading of two poets’ letters to one another, not expecting much. In fact, “Dear Elizabeth,” by Sarah Ruhl, proved to be one of the most moving and fascinating theater pieces I’ve experienced in a very long time.

The text is a compilation of a selection from the hundreds of letters (around 800) that noted poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell had written to each other over a long expanse of time.

The two were, at the least, great friends. Did they love one another? Yes, when one considers the many forms that love may take. They certainly had the highest respect for one another and each other’s work.

Robert appears to have loved Elizabeth romantically and proposed marriage to her at one time. Elizabeth, however, rebuffed him and made it clear that it would never be. But Elizabeth never ceased to love Robert, in her fashion, and supported him in every respect till he died.

Their correspondence began in a restrained fashion with Elizabeth making the first approach. She had admired Robert’s work and wanted to meet him, if that were possible. Robert, an admirer of Elizabeth’s work, was willing, and the two did eventually meet, shyly and formally.

As the two were often in separate locations, their relationship continued and grew stronger and more intimate by mail. Sometimes the content of the letters was mundane; sometimes

Their correspondence began in a restrained fashion.

‘Dear Elizabeth’ McGinn/Cazale Theatre (Women’s Project Theater) 2162 Broadway Tickets 866-811-4111 or WPTheater.org Running Time 1 hour, 30 minutes (one intermission) Closes Dec. 5

they treated more serious subjects.

The two would read each other’s works-inprogress, sometimes discussing them in detail.

Elizabeth once chided Robert because he had dared to mix fact with fiction, a dishonest and forbidden tack.

But primarily, each spoke of the other’s work with great admiration.

He urged her to attend Yaddo, the noted artists’ colony, which he had once attended. She finally went, but when she did, she found herself almost the sole attendee with only one very boring fellow whom she could hardly wait to escape from.

There came a very powerful development in Robert’s life. He had come to be attracted to fellow poet Elizabeth Hardwick.

According to one of Elizabeth Bishop’s letters, Hardwick set her cap for Robert. The two married. It’s implied by the placement of playwright Ruhl’s selection at that point that the marriage of Hardwick and Robert may have been the impetus for Elizabeth to set sail for Brazil, where she spent most of her life.

The letters contain a depth of intimacy that can only be found with people who have a similarity of soul-ness, if such a word can be invented. Then, too, there is something to be said for being able to express oneself more deeply in the written word than face to face, when there are deep or painful matters one must or wishes to deal with.

But as “Dear Elizabeth” is a theatrical presentation, physical elements must be mentioned.

The project was set up so that different pairs of actors portray the two poets for one week only.

I had the privilege of witnessing two remarkable actors: Becky Ann Baker and Peter Sco-

lari as Elizabeth and Robert. In the small offBroadway McGinn/Cazale Theatre (the new home for the Women’s Project), every flicker of the eye, every intake of breath can be seen.

And here every attitude, every mental state was on the mark.

Baker was alternately reticent, passionate, stubborn, and sad. Scolari presented a complex portrait of a man with dignity, subtlety, and a stoical masking of emotional pain.

Of course, these terrific results can’t be accomplished without the participation of an equally remarkable director at the helm. This has been realized with Kate Whoriskey, who not only guided her actors in their emotional journey but introduced small but telling physical details, such as having the onstage Stage Manager place a carnation in Robert’s jacket buttonhole during his “wedding.”

The Stage Manager is portrayed by Polly Noonan at each of the six week’s offerings.

The simple but provocative set by Antje Ellermann features two desks set downstage facing front, with an ill-matched assortment of battered suitcases, for the oft traveling poets, placed upstage.

By the time this review is published, Baker and Scolari will no longer be performing. But one will have the opportunity to see other pairs of notable performers during the weeks of Nov. 16 (Cherry Jones and David Aaron Baker), Nov. 23 (Ellen McLaughlin and Rinde Eckert), and Nov. 30 (Mia Katigbak and TBA).

Diana Barth writes for various publications and publishes New Millennium, an arts publication. She may be contacted at DiaBarth@juno.com

Essence of China

Heaven, Earth, and the Moral Foundatio XIXINXING/ISTOCK.COM

By Leo Timm | Epoch Times Staff

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Faith, the final Confucian cardinal virtue, is the root of all functioning relations in society.

he ancient sage Confucius, who advocated the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith, taught that the roots of benevolence lie in filial piety and brotherly love.

Confucian family-based ethics are well known around the globe as a cornerstone of the Chinese philosophical and social heritage.

These 2,500-year-old teachings drew from preimperial Chinese religious traditions, which sought harmony between man and the universe through reverence of heaven and earth.

Faith, the final Confucian cardinal virtue, is the root of all functioning relations in society, while at the same time underpinning humanity’s spiritual connection to the divine. Daoist cultivators and philosophers understood this through the yin-yang binary, while Confucian scholars pondered how best to serve their parents and superiors and raise their children and subordinates.

The classic model for Chinese social philosophy as well as religious belief was the West-

A wise and knowledgeable person takes advice kindly, and conduct follows virtue.

‘Classic of Poetry’

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Book Review

Gratitude: Children’s Books Show the Way TWO LIONS

By Linda Wiegenfeld Around Thanksgiving, children hear a lot of talk about gratitude. However, getting a child to adopt this attitude is not easy because gratitude does not come naturally. It is a learned, very important way of understanding life.

The relationship between gratitude and happiness is well-known. Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, an internationally recognized expert in brain/mind health once stated that “if [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system.”

For gratitude to be effectively instilled so that it becomes a habitual response, a child needs to be exposed to the idea often. Books are a powerful way to show what gratitude looks, sounds, and feels like in different situations.

Here are eight children’s books featuring gratitude in varied situations.

‘A Turkey for Thanksgiving’ Not all books on gratitude need to be serious.

“A Turkey for Thanksgiving” by Eve Bunting is a humorous story about a turkey’s dilemma.

Mrs. Moose decides that she wants a real turkey for Thanksgiving since she is the only one who doesn’t have one.

The other animals all help her look and finally find a very fearful one. It seems that the turkey will meet his final destination, until the end of the book when the turkey discovers that Mrs. Moose wants him as a guest rather than as the meal. Mrs. Moose is a vegetarian.

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LEE & LOW BOOKS

“Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’”

by Eileen Spinelli.

“Gracias ~ Thanks” (English and Spanish Edition) by Pat Mora.

‘Gracias ~ Thanks’ “Gracias ~ Thanks” (English and Spanish Edition) by Pat Mora has a young boy expressing what he is thankful for in a typical day.

The boy’s words are written in both Spanish and English.

The boy is thankful for simple events such as a ladybug that lands on his finger, the chocolate syrup that melts into thick syrup over ice cream, and the cricket serenading him as he goes to sleep.

He is also thankful for the interactions with his family and friends such as running with his sister in the waves, fishing with his father, and having his family clap for him, even when he trips on the stage in a school play.

The illustrations in the book are bright and fun. This is a fantastic book in any language.

HMH BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

“A Turkey for Thanksgiving”

by Eve Bunting.

‘Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ ‘ I prefer the older version of “Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’” by Eileen Spinelli, which features people rather than wolves preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. I think children can relate better to people. Yet the message here is the same.

A series of funny mishaps prevents dinner from being ready in time. As the family stares at their empty plates, Grandmother says a beautiful prayer expressing her gratitude for her family. She stresses that being together is what matters and not what is on the platters.

After that, the family proceeds to have a wonderful dinner of leftovers and enjoys each other’s company.

CREATESPACE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING PLATFORM

“An Awesome Book of Thanks!”

by Dallas Clayton.

‘An Awesome Book of Thanks!’

“An Awesome Book of Thanks!” by Dallas Clayton is, well, awesome. Clayton wants children to think about what they have to be thankful for. The book begins by showing that in the beginning there was nothing, but today there is an abundance of things to be thankful for.

Clayton goes on to name nature, trees, trains, breeze, rain, your brain, and many more things in an extensive list. Children can add their own ideas as they read along.

I especially like the section where the author says to be thankful for bad things that can turn out to be good. He recognizes that even bad situations have some good aspects to them.

That section of the book especially requires deep thought.

“Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message” by Chief Jake Swamp.

‘Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message’ “Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message” by Chief Jake Swamp is a book written by a contemporary Mohawk chief that celebrates the gift of the natural world and the resources of the Earth.

The book shows Iroquois Native Americans saying a morning prayer that has been translated into easy-to-understand words. It thanks Mother Earth and all the beauty that she holds.

The original address, written in Mohawk, is included at the back of the book.

LITTLE PICKLE PRESS GREENWILLOW BOOKS

“What Does It Mean To Be Present?”

by Rana DiOrio.

‘What Does It Mean To Be Present?’

“What Does It Mean To Be Present?” by Rana DiOrio is a book geared for children, but it is also perfect for anyone who needs to be reminded to live each day to its fullest.

DiOrio wants you to savor the moment and not worry about what is happening next.

When talking about gratitude, she makes excellent use of multiple meanings when she says, “Today is a gift—that’s why we call it the present.”

“In Gratitude Soup”

by Olivia Rosewood.

‘In Gratitude Soup’ “In Gratitude Soup” by Olivia Rosewood, a fairy is grateful for the same things that an ordinary child would be grateful for. The fairy stirs all her grateful memories in a pot, shrinks the pot, and then holds the pot close to her heart. The fairy says that any child can do the same thing.

At the end of the book, there are little pots for the child to cut out and carry in a pocket to remember gratitude thoughts.

Also a companion arts and crafts book, “My Gratitude Soup: Create Your Own,” allows children to create their own artistic gratitude pots.

GREENWILLOW BOOKS

Thank every one of the ten thousand things: gratitude turns our world right-side-up.

Ezra Bayda, author

“Thanks a Million”

by Nikki Grimes.

‘Thanks a Million’ “Thanks a Million” by Nikki Grimes is a book that has poems ranging from haiku to a rebus to a riddle, and all express gratitude.

The collection of 16 poems reminds children to express thanks for simple joys such as sharing pie, beginning to enjoy math, and helping mom by watching a little sibling.

This book will expose the child to different written ways of expressing gratitude as well as different ideas about what gratitude is.

There are many more books that feature gratitude in different situations. The books that I have written about are just a starting point. Expressing gratitude will help children connect to something larger than themselves and to think about all that life has to offer.

As Ezra Bayda, an author about spiritual living, said, “Thank every one of the ten thousand things: gratitude turns our world right-side-up.”

Linda Wiegenfeld is a retired teacher.

Send any comments or suggestions to LWiegenfeld@aol.com

ons of Chinese Faith ern Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C.—770 B.C.), from whose rulers and people Confucius drew inspiration in his teachings. The fundamental guide for the Zhou kings was to govern with virtue and in awe of Shang Di, the emperor of heaven.

The king was referred to as the “Son of Heaven,” making clear his subordinate status before divine authority and guidance.

Faith in the laws of heaven were demonstrated through the nobility’s observance of rites or propriety; Among commoners, trust manifested itself as etiquette and filial piety.

These virtues were conveyed not just through official texts, notably the “Rites of Zhou,” but also permeated court and folk music. Representative of this culture are the odes compiled by Confucius into the “Classic of Poetry,” a work containing 300 lyrical pieces from different regions and social classes of the Zhou kingdom.

The section “Zhou Odes” in the “Classic of Poetry” was dedicated to the worship, prayer, and praise of Shang Di. The “Zhou Odes” mainly worshiped the dynasty’s founding kings Wen and Wu, then Emperor Cheng and Emperor Kang, as well as their legendary ancestors

Hou Ji and Tai Wang, themselves believed to be descendents of the heavenly emperor. Lyrics in the “Zhou Odes” speak to the respect with which these early monarchs served heaven, protected the people, and governed the country with virtue.

In concrete terms, religious piety meant that one was responsible for acting and living virtuously to fulfill the Heavenly Mandate to the extent required of one’s station. This principle is reflected in human interactions as “the three bonds” between ruler and minister, parent and child, and husband and wife.

Confucius believed that his collection of Zhou poems served as a moral guide. “When in the country, one can identify how people are educated. If gentle and kind, it means they have been taught with the ‘[Classic of] Poetry.’”

As evidenced by poems in the “Classic of Poetry,” the Zhou people believed that the will of heaven was to protect people from suffering and disaster, and that kings had been sent as their human agents to see to this task.

In the poem “Huangyi,” heaven instructs King Wen, who founded the Zhou Dynasty: “Heaven told Emperor Wen, ‘I long for people

with such virtue: he does not indulge in sensual pleasures and does not misuse punishment. He doesn’t say things he doesn’t know, and he follows Heaven’s rule sincerely.’”

In this way, the ruler who was pious and respectful before heaven would also act as a virtuous philosopher-king to his subjects and ministers, listening to their advice and heeding their needs. As opposed to the later imperial Chinese habit of amassing political power in the center, Zhou political and military authority was regionalized. The leaders of the many vassal states that made up the kingdom paid their allegiance to the king out of moral principle rather than forcible coercion.

The solid character and moral discipline of the early Zhou kings is reflected in the longevity of this flexible, decentralized dynasty: For over 800 years the Zhou royal family was at least nominally honored as China’s rightful sovereign, making it the longest dynasty in recorded Chinese history.

Actual Zhou political authority waned in the 8th century B.C. when King You failed to hold himself to the high standards of his predecessors. More concerned with personal pleasures,

such as spending time with his favorite concubine, than concentrating on enlightened governance, this king was small-minded and suspected his loyal ministers as usurpers.

Without strong moral bearing, trust between the king and his vassals declined, and as a result, when barbarian tribes attacked the Zhou capital, King You found himself without allies. The king lost his life and the royal house was forced to seek refuge to the east, founding the Eastern Zhou. Despite the name, feudal lords had in fact lost faith in the ability of the Zhou kings to lead. This gave rise to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, in which Zhou rulers held little sway over the slowly disintegrating kingdom.

As the “Classic of Poetry” warns: “A wise and knowledgeable person takes advice kindly, and conduct follows virtue. A senseless and ignorant person rejects sincere advice; he regards the advice-giver as harboring improper ambitions.”

For the ancient Chinese, faith in the divine was linked to trust and support between men.

Sincere benevolence draws upon steadfast faith, bringing this final Confucian cardinal virtue into unison with the first.

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November 20–26, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts SASCHA STEINBACH/GETTY IMAGES

Star Wars and the Power of Costume Through February 226 W. 44th St.

Featuring 70 hand-crafted costumes from the first six blockbuster “Star Wars” films, this exhibition reveals the artists’ creative process— and uncovers the connection between character and costume. $20–$27.50.

DiscoveryTSX.com

Costumes worn by Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala at the Star Wars Identities exhibition in Cologne, Germany, on May 20.

THINGS TO DO COMMUNITY EVENTS NEW IN MANHATTAN Salon Evening: The Passions of Andrea del Sarto Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

Music Room at The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St. The Frick Collection premieres a ravishing Salomé choreographed by Marcelo Gomes of American Ballet Theatre and inspired by the painting St. John the Baptist, currently on view in the special exhibition Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action. Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon will recite Robert Browning’s famous poem “Andrea del Sarto,” while Associate Curator Aimee Ng presents the artist as a man who loved deeply and imbued religious figures with an almost erotic beauty, proclaiming in paint their passionate faith. $40 public, $35 members.

Frick.org/salon Free Film Society Talks: Ron Howard Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 W. 65th St. Ron Howard will sit down and discuss his career in front of and behind the camera, as well as the making of this new film, “In the Heart of the Sea. The film is set during the winter of 1820 when a New England whaling ship was assaulted by a whale of mammoth size and will, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days. Free.

FilmLinc.org Folk City: New York and the Folk Music Revival Through Nov. 29, open daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. The multimedia exhibition features original instruments, handwritten lyrics, and video and film footage.

“Folk City” traces the roots of the revival, its growth in New York, its major players, and its impact on American politics and culture during the tumultuous 1960s. $3–$14. MCNY.org Justice in Film Series Dec. 4–Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.

New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West

This series will explore how film has tackled social conflict, morality, and the perennial struggles between right and wrong.

Entrance to the film series is included with Museum Admission during New-York Historical’s Pay-as-you-wish Friday Nights (6–8 p.m.)

No advanced reservations.

Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6 pm.

NYHistory.org

VISUAL ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN The Luxury of Time: European Clocks and Watches Nov. 16–March 27, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art Time is all around us, displayed on our phones and computers. Today, almost nobody needs to own a watch or a clock to tell the time. Access to the right time is not the luxury it once was. Yet the fascination with clocks and watches persists, and the thriving market for mechanical timekeepers is deeply aware of their history. $12–$25 suggested.

METMuseum.org

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style Nov. 19–Feb. 21, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art This Costume Institute exhibition will focus on the internationally renowned style icon Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, whose originality and elegance established her as one of the most celebrated fashion personas of the twentieth century. $12–$25 suggested.

METMuseum.org Masterpieces of Chinese Painting Through Oct. 11, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art Over the last forty years, the Metropolitan’s collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy has grown to be one of the greatest in the world. Replete with masterpieces dating from the Tang dynasty (608– 917) to the present, the collection encompasses the vast historical sweep of the brush arts of China, from serene Buddhist scriptures

to bombastic court portraits to lyrical scholars’ paintings.

This exhibition, presented in two rotations, will highlight the gems of the permanent collection in a chronological display, with an emphasis on works from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271– 1368) dynasties. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org Fabergé From the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection Through Nov. 27, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art Louisiana heiress and philanthropist Matilda Geddings Gray (1885– 1971) acquired her first object by Fabergé in 1933.

An artist herself, with a refined aesthetic sensibility, she was a sophisticated collector, while the name of the Russian artist-jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé (1846– 1920) was almost unknown in the United States. Over the following years, Matilda Geddings Gray amassed one of the finest Fabergé collections in the world, and Fabergé’s art has become widely known and internationally sought after. $12–$25 suggested.

METMuseum.org Cerámica de los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed Through Jan. 2017 National Museum of the American Indian This bilingual (English/ Spanish) exhibition illuminates Central America’s diverse and dynamic ancestral heritage with a selection of more than 150 objects. Free. NMAI.si.edu

ENDING IN MANHATTAN American Realism: Past and Present Through Nov. 30 Cavalier Gallery, 3 W. 57th St., Fourth Floor In presenting this extraordinary survey of American Realist works, the Cavalier Gallery has created a historic show that highlights the importance and diversity of the American Realism Movement.

CavalierGalleries.com

ONGOING ELSEWHERE American Sabor: Latinos in

US Popular Music Through Dec. 12 Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Staten Island A re-mounting of an exhibition on Latino popular music in the early years of recorded sound, radio, and sound film (1900-1930s).

A “poster show” of photoenlargements of early record company promotional material, published music, arrangements and photographs, it can be shown in lobbies and corridors. Free.

LincolnCenter.org

classic production, perhaps his most beloved staging of all. From $25. MetOpera.org

ENDING IN MANHATTAN Tosca Through Dec. 1 Metropolitan Opera, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza The many facets of Puccini’s eternal diva are explored by a quartet of charismatic sopranos: Oksana Dyka, Angela Gheorghiu, Maria Guleghina, and Liudmyla Monastyrska. From $25.

MetOpera.org

PERFORMING MUSIC ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN NEW IN MANHATTAN Radio City Christmas Spectacular Nov. 20–Jan. 3 Radio City Music Hall 1260 Sixth Ave The Rockettes bring all of the joy of the holiday season to you and yours at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. $49–$250. RadioCity.com Brigadoon Nov. 20 at 8 p.m.

St. Jean’s Auditorium, 167 E. 75th St. Brigadoon is the story of two hunters from New York who encounter a mysterious Scottish village that seems to be stuck in the 18th Century. Come enjoy the fun when Scottish lass Fiona takes American city boy Tommy to her sister’s wedding. Featuring the hit songs “Almost Like Being In Love”, “The Heather On The Hill”, “Come To Me Bend To Me”, “My Mother’s Weddin’ Day.” $25 for adults, $15 for seniors. 917-907-3193 Dance on a Shoestring Nov. 20–21 at 7 p.m.

New York Theatre Ballet & Ballet School NY, 131 E. 10th St., Second Floor An intimate evening of music and dance held in our studio, The Dance Gallery.

From ballet to Broadway, the Dance on a Shoestring series showcases NYTB’s diverse repertory with selctions from the current season and seasons passed. $15.

NYTB.org La Bohème Nov. 23–May 5 Metropolitan Opera, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza Puccini’s unforgettable tale of love, youth, and tragic loss returns in Franco Zeffirelli’s

Jorge Avila, Steven Huter, Arthur Fiacco Nov. 21 at 8 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Halll Violinist Jorge Avila and cellist Arthur Fiaco, joined by pianist Steven Huter, perform an evening of chamber music masterpieces by Ludwig van Beethoven. Mr. Avila, known to New York audiences as a soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician, joins his longtime collaborators in a program that includes the “Kreutzer” Sonata and the “Archduke” Trio. $35.

CarnegieHall.org Tutti, Love and Harmony Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Led by nine-year-old cellist Justin Yu, the Joyous String Quartet has been together for four years—half of their lives. In the Tutti, Love and Harmony series, these young musicians will perform works

by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Piazzolla with the New York International Chamber Orchestra. $30–$50.

CarnegieHall.org La Musica de Camara Nov. 24 at 8 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Azlo Productions is a New York-based cultural exchange project between Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Azlo was created with the main purpose of promoting Latin American music and musicians abroad, and to contribute to the unification of the Americas through art. $25–$55. CarnegieHall.org Irony and Courage: Schnittke, Brahms, Shostakovich

Nov. 25 at 8 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Russian-born violinist Leonid Yanovskiy has performed recitals in the United States, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Korea, and Russia. A former student of Berlinsky, Steinhardt, and Tree, he is Director of Strings at the University of West Florida and concertmaster of the Pensacola and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestras. Pianist Read Gainsford has performed on five continents as a soloist and collaborator. $30–$45.

CarnegieHall.org New Music for Strings and Piano Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Saint Peter’s Church, 54th Street & Lexington Avenue The New York Composers Circle announces its second concert of its 2015-16 season. Suggested donation $20. NYComposersCircle.org Between Orient and Occident Nov. 19, 8 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall French violinist Virgil Boutellis-Taft makes his Carnegie Hall debut with the pianist Tara Kamangar.

They offer a program of works that represent a voyage between the Orient and the Occident, including the world premieres of a commissioned work by American composer Drew Hemenger, Magatama, and Tara Kamangar’s Once There Was and Once There Wasn’t, which was written for Virgil. $35. CarnegieHall.org

ENDING IN MANHATTAN White Light Festival Through Nov. 22 Lincoln Center Lincoln Center’s musical intersection between art and spirit across a number of disciplines. Expect performances from Mark Padmore and Paul Lewis, Dialogos and Kantaduri, and New York City’s very own jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.

WhiteLightFestival.org

Dear Readers If you have an event to suggest, please send details to NYC_Arts@ EpochTimes.com in the format you see here.

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November 20–26, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES

STYLES of RO C K EFEL L ER C ENTER

By Ingrid Longauer | Epoch Times Staff

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SIMON MEIN/UNIVERSAL PICTURES/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

MIDTOWN EAST business corridor’s old and gray, towering buildings may not seem particularly inspiring, but personal fashion thrives there.

There was always some interesting detail peeking out from the columns of gray—a flash of burgundy, a striped coat, red lipstick.

It was beautiful to see personalities expressed through even an office uniform. As somebody wise once noted, there are many types of black. It just depends on how you wear it.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

‘Legend’: The Cray-Cray Kray Brothers Tom Hardy Plays Both of Them

By Mark Jackson | Epoch Times Staff UNIVERSAL PICTURES/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

(L–R) Ronnie and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) in “Legend,” from director Brian Helgeland (“Mystic River”).

‘Legend’ Director Brian Helgeland Starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Tara Fitzgerald, Taron Egerton, Christopher Eccleston, David Thewlis, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Bettany Running Time 2 hours, 11 minutes Rated R Release Date Nov. 20

[Urban Dictionary cray-cray: really crazy]

T

he Kray brothers were British gangsters who menaced London’s East End and Soho nightlife in the Swinging ‘60s. One brother was bad; he was very, very bad.

The other brother—he was worse. Tom Hardy plays both.

Why do we tell endless gangster tales in America? Aside from liking violence too much, we like to see just exactly where the monstrousness sets in and imagine we’d personally put up a better struggle against it than these guys.

But the only real reason to see “Legend” is to see Tom Hardy be a dashing leading man and a malevolent character actor at the same time. If you’re a Hardy fan (and I am), two-thirds of it is quite fun. The last third is rather depressing.

What the Cray-Cray Krays Did They ran nightclubs and banked on the fact that aristocrats and gangsters have a lot in common (they bore easily, for one) and therefore like to rub shoulders with one another at places where the champagne flows. The well-bred like the whiff of danger and the lowlifes like to feel uplifted by high society.

But the Kray operations didn’t end there; they plied enough of the gamut of gangland trade that America’s notorious Meyer Lansky eventually wanted to ride the Kray coattails to a piece of the pie across the pond, sending one Angelo Bruno (Chazz Palminteri) to make the overtures.

Leslie Payne (David Thewlis) is their obfuscator of corrupt financials (accountant). And all ‘round the comings and goings, the law is naturally in hot pursuit.

Love and Marriage for Reggie The film is narrated by Frances, Reggies wifeto-be (Australian actress Emily Browning).

She’s the little sister of one of Reggie’s men.

Handsome Reggie’s the glad-handing extrovert schmoozer and lady-killer. This is Hardy at his most alluring and charming; a way we don’t normally see him.

Theirs is a sweet romance, but immediately one spots the seeds of a man who loves his “profession” (read murderous “calling”) above all else, as Reggie leaves his date sitting alone at restaurant tables while tending to “business.”

That would be the business of face-punching minions caught skimming.

Once married, at Frances’s behest, Reggie considers ditching the life. Can a leopard change its spots? Can a Kray un-cray-cray?

No Love for Ronnie Ronnie’s the full-on cruel, promiscuous ber-

serker who’s done time in a mental hospital and needs pills to function halfway normally.

However, curiously, he’s also got the air of a matron, content to putter about in slippers, tending to his aging mum, and with a connoisseur’s interest in the art of tea.

With no wife attempting to sow a bit of shame in the clearly barren landscape of his soul, Ronnie’s a lurid, unstable, bellowing, bull-in-achina-shop Shrek of a man.

Plot No plot. When we meet them, the boys have already “made their bones,” albeit as small-fry gangsters at the film’s outset, and the movie simply follows them up and back down the mountain of their misdoings, while not giving us much insight to their motivation.

What makes them fascinating for the first part of the film is their prodigious lack of fear. It’s a hugely charismatic thing—a lack of fear. Both boys boxed in their youth, and the clear relish for brutal beat-downs is mesmerizing, as when, beaten beyond recognition, Reggie manages to still pull a Hannibal Lector type trick out of a hat, on a big brute of a prison guard.

Hardy’s Handiwork Even though they were twins, as mentioned, Ronnie Kray was a paranoid, psychopathic schizophrenic, while Reggie got all the genetic marbles in the form of looks and charm. Relatively speaking. Tom Hardy’s got all the genetic marbles. The actual Reggie Kray, not nearly so much.

A personality is much like putting something in a burlap bag—you can tell from the outside if there’s a beach ball or a cardboard box in there. Thus, in portraying Ronnie, Hardy shapes the crazy soul-innards, makeup-wise, with bad teeth, ‘60s dark-framed spectacles, puffy nose, and puffy cheeks slightly a la the king of gangster portrayals—Marlon Brando in “The Godfather.” It’s an acting tour de force, if a bit scenery-chew-y.

Speaking of chewing, the deep Cockney accents of both brothers are nearly unintelligible early on, like speaking through a mouth full of marbles. Hardy either leans less on the accent, later on, or we become acclimatized to it. Either way, it’s a bit like Brad Pitt’s over the top unintelligible gibberish in “Snatch,” and while at times frustrating, lends a bit of authenticity.

Furthermore, speaking of chewing (as in Tyson-type ear chewing), they have a brotherly knock-down-drag-out bar fight that’s at once brutal and funny, with the normally deadly stoic and glumly sarcastic Ronnie betraying

his true leanings with some hilarious highpitched shrieking. This is a CGI tour de force.

Moral?

As I said in a recent review, “You know how it’s always slightly disappointing, at the end of a biopic, when they show the photo of the real person the movie is about? Never as dashing as the actors portraying them?”

In “Legend” we don’t get to see the real Krays.

But you should Google-image them. Because if Hardy looked like the real Krays, it’s doubtful we’d watch any of this movie. Hardy sheds a little light on the rapidly dwindling humanity in the Krays, but the reality of it is, if there’s such a thing as reincarnation, the Krays used up the very last of their nine lives.

(Left) Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) and Frances Shea (Emily Browning) in “Legend.”

(L–R) Ronnie and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) in “Legend.”

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November 20–26, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts INSTITUTO-E

INSTITUTO-E

LYNDA CHURILLA

Harvested jute ready to be spun into yarn.

(Right) An artisan handweaves organic silk in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

INSTITUTO-E

INSTITUTO-E

Handweaving eco-jute into fabric.

Tanned pirarucu leather from the Amazon.

STUURMAN/EFI

Simone Cipriani, founder of the Ethical Fashion Initiative.

INSTITUTO-E

Nina Almeida Braga, director of Instituto-E.

The Osklen Spring/Summer 2016 collection using e-fabrics such as silk straw, stretch silk, and pirarucu.

Of Pirarucu Skins and Other Sustainable Things Sustainable Things continued from C3 Cipriani was recently in New York, where he has collaborated with The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to launch The Hand of Fashion—a new series of conversations addressing sustainable practices for the fashion industry.

According to him, traditionally, fashion has been about the artisans, materials, processes, and impact—all these things together in a single product. But modern fashion industry has divided these tasks so that each process is carried out by different people in different places.

Through the subdivision of labor “we lost

Can makers of fashion merge tradition and innovation?

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The Hand of the Maker “We are going back to artisans because consumers want to see the hand of the maker,” said Cipriani. This time, he added, the fashion industry is going back to artisans with new materials, new processes, and innovation.

On Oct. 29, Cipriani discussed sustainable materials and artisanship with Nina Almeida Braga, director of Instituto-E of Brazil at FIT. Instituto-E is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote human sustainable development. Braga shared stories of how the company’s artisanal partnerships have been changing the livelihoods of impoverished communities. She also spoke about the creation of some new materials that are starting to pique the interest of the fashion industry in Brazil and beyond.

In partnership with sustainable fashion brand Osklen, Instituto-E launched a project called e-fabrics to research new raw materials that could be renewed in a sustainable way, as well as looking for innovative processes. Braga traveled all over Brazil for two years looking for raw materials.

“We want to change the face of the fashion industry, to show that this is viable for any fashion brand,” Braga said at the talk.

An Unexpected Treasure Among the more u nusua l raw materials found

by Instituto-E and Osklen was the skin of the giant Amazonian fish called pirarucu. It is a protected spe- OSKLEN cies that has been managed by local populations who have helped the species regenerate. Locals still hunt it in traditional ways for its meat; and although they use its giant scales as nail files, they used to throw away its skin— until Braga got involved that is.

Nowadays pirarucu skins are used to make fine leather for fashion garments and accessories. This creates extra revenue for local fishermen who are the caretakers of the fish stocks as well. The tannery, which is three hours from Rio de Janeiro, is run by 30 women who would have moved to the city had they not found employment.

Braga emphasized that through InstitutoE initiatives they try to achieve a 50 percent social and 50 percent environmental balance. But sometimes in Brazil, the social is

more important.

Organic cotton, for example, involves 906 families that grow and process the cotton and live in the northeastern part of Brazil. Without it, those families would not have any work at all and would also move to the city where living conditions are worse.

The initiative works with different regions in Brazil to also manufacture organic jute and organic silk, and recycle plastics and cotton.

Beside the obvious economic benefits of small local industry, there are also bigger questions that need to be answered.

Journey of Sustainability Cipriani emphasized that sustainability is not a recipe, but a journey that must grapple with deeper questions such as: Can makers of fashion merge tradition and innovation?

The issue of cultural misappropriation is another elephant in the room, something that both Cipriani and Braga are keen to resolve when they connect local communities with fashion brands. Fashion design is rife with counterfeit reproductions. This amounts to intellectual property theft, according to Cipriani.

It remains to be seen how designers can navigate the dire straits of inspiration and citation of traditional motifs without crossing that line that is not always so clearly defined.

The Hand of Fashion continues through spring 2016. The series is free and open to the public.

We want to change the face of the fashion industry, to show that this is viable for any fashion brand.

Nina Almeida Braga, director, Instituto-E A bag from the Osklen Spring/ Summer 2016 collection made from sustainable pirarucu leather.

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the holistic vision of the product,” said Cipriani. “This is when the artisans started disappearing from the industry.”

Artisans have been replaced by often underpaid workers who are merely responsible for performing the same task every day, often in poor working conditions.

This is also why in his opinion, today’s fashion products have lost their value. But perhaps consumers are no longer content to simply covet and pay for products unless they can also justify the purchase because, if Cipriani is to be believed, they want to know more about what they’re buying.

A pirarucu fish in Rondônia, Brazil. The skin is being made into leather to be used for fashion and accessories.