I was just finishing up work yesterday when I turned on radio klassik Stephansdom and got something I didn’t think I needed. On a special broadcast to recognize the 50th anniversary of the death of Hans Swarowsky, the Vienna radio station presented a restored recording of the conductor’s St. Matthew’s Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach. I treasure my CD of John Eliot Gardner’s recording, but Swarowsky’s 1967 performance with the Wiener Symphoniker and the Wiener Akademie Kammerchor was absolutely stunning. You can listen to it yourself here. (For those of you whose German is a little rusty, just click on “Sendung nachhören.”)
radio klassik Stephansdom’s September Spendentag is coming up in just a few days and you’ll read more about it then, but the very fact that rkS will present a recording like this without commercial or other interruption — all three hours of it — is one of the many things that make rkS special. You needn’t wait until September 18 to donate, either. I wrote more about radio klassik Stephansdom here.
If in the next few months you hear the sound of grim laughter on New York sidewalks, it’s because three plays by the legendary grim laugher Samuel Beckett will be presented on Manhattan stages this fall.
First up is a production that I must admit I find a stroke of genius: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, of Bill and Ted fame, will be putting Vladimir (Winter) and Estragon (Reeves) through their paces in a Broadway production of Waiting for Godot. Starting previews this Saturday night, Jamie Lloyd’s production runs through January 2026, and good luck getting tickets for this one. Everything that I’ve read about this production suggests that the staging will be pretty straight-forward, but I’ve also heard rumors that the set itself — a tree, a mound — will also feature a distinctly non-Beckettian element. We shall see. Melena Ryzik spoke to the actors and the director in this New York Times profile.
Further downtown, Krapp’s Last Tape at NYU’s Skirball Center will throw its “strong white light” on the excellent Stephen Rea starting on October 8 for a limited engagement that ends on October 19. Directed by Vicky Featherstone for the Barbican, this production follows on the Irish Rep’s presentation of F. Murray Abraham in the same role last season. Collectors of Krapps will want to add this one to their galleries too. (If you’re new to this, you can start your own collection with Harold Pinter’s 2006 performance at the Royal Court Theatre.)
Later in October, Beckett enthusiasts will take the subway to the Irish Arts Center in Hell’s Kitchen (appropriate, this) for Beckett’s grimmest and most difficult tragicomedy, Endgame, in a production by Beckett expert Garry Hynes and the Irish theater company Druid. No big names here (with the exception of Hynes’), but it may not be a surprise to find this the most promising of the three. It opens on October 22 and runs through November 23.
It seems that Sam Beckett is newly new again in these fraught times. See you at the theatre.
When I need to spend a few minutes in Vienna (which is more often than I like to admit), I just pull out my iPhone and look up the latest video from Philipp Broinger, who under the handle of architectphilipp roams the streets of Austria’s capitol to present Vienna’s unique architectural gems and offer anecdotes associated with those gems. Herr Broinger is a personable, likable chap, possessed of a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge about the city and delighted to be sharing it with others. His videos have garnered over 4,000 followers on TikTok and 25,000 followers on Instagram, and no wonder.
Below is one of Herr Broinger’s videos, about the history of music at the Stephansdom; he interviews the Stephansdom organist Konstantin Reymaier. You can follow architectphilipp at either of the TikTok or Instagram channels linked above, and he’s on Facebook too.
Exploring the soul of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where history and music harmonize in every corner. From ancient organs to modern melodies, this cathedral has always been a place where sound fills the sacred space. Join me and cathedral organist Konstantin Reymaier on a journey through the cathedral’s rich musical heritage. Photocredits: Dombausekretariat St. Stephan, Wikipedia #stephansdom#wien#vienna#viennanow#architecturelovers#historylovers#organmusic
The week ends on a moderately high note: the Eagles won their first game of the 2025-2026 season last night, so a little cautious optimism is in order. You still have a few days to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra’s concert production of Tristan und Isolde. And a reminder that Pursuit, the new podcast series from the National Constitution Center, premieres next week.
If you find this a good weekend to cuddle up with a little British TV, you can start it off with the new season of The Great British Baking Show, which launches its new season on Netflix today. Also, I’ve come a little late in the game to Slow Horses, the spy drama which premiered on Apple TV a few years ago, but I highly recommend it. Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, a cynical, flatulent, foul-mouthed, and very likely alcoholic version of George Smiley who oversees a bunch of MI5 agents; they’ve badly screwed up intelligence operations in one way or another and find themselves languishing in a shabby London outpost of the intelligence service. (Oldman has played Smiley, too, in the 2011 film of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and he received an Oscar nomination for his performance.)
It’s a well-constructed and fast-moving thriller that enjoys delving into the eccentricities of its characters, not to mention dropping a few shards of social and cultural criticism along the way; it’s won some awards here and there, and Oldman himself has been nominated for an Outstanding Acting Emmy this year (it’s also been nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as Writing and Directing nods). As Lamb describes the men and women under his supervision, “I think they’re a bunch of fucking losers. But they’re my losers.” My kind of spymaster.
The Super Bowl winners the Philadelphia Eagles will open its 2025 season tonight hosting the Dallas Cowboys at the Linc, so it seems only appropriate that I repost the below note, which was first published here on the eve of the 2025 Super Bowl. As far as the Phillies go — well, I hope they don’t blow it this time.
When I was in Philadelphia late last year, preparing a move back to my hometown in the not-too-distant future, I was settling up my bill at the club, and just as I said my goodbye to Shannon, the bartender, she nodded at me and said, “Go Birds” — with a somewhat cynical, flat affect, a tone that’s not uncommon to Philadelphians. I hadn’t heard the phrase before (I hadn’t been in the city for quite some time), and sensing my confusion, she said, “It’s something we say to each other here, George. Go Birds. You’ll get used to it.”
Now that the Eagles have a good shot at the Super Bowl again — after having won in 2018 and lost in 2023 — I’m putting on my Eagles cap. As a native-born Philadelphian, I have an obligation to do so, though I’m more of a baseball than a football fan myself. (The post-season performance of the Phillies last year was a nightmare from which I’m still trying to awake.) More than any enthusiasm for the game, I’m loyal to a city that takes its sports teams very seriously, even if on occasion its sports teams and their corporate owners treat their fans reprehensibly.
The phrase has transcended its original purpose as an expression of fandom and become — well, become a sign of affection, especially for the city itself. In 2023, shortly after the Eagles lost the Super Bowl, Philadelphian Hannah Workman wrote:
Even though the Phillies just lost the World Series and the Eagles just lost the Super Bowl, I still have hope for the remaining Philadelphia teams. Losing those championships after being underdogs and making it to the finals was something that really captured the “essence” of Philadelphia. … Philadelphians and anyone who roots for Philly sports teams have a special connection, and seeing it come to life while away from family at college has been so special. I may miss home, but when I hear the phrase, “Go Birds,” I don’t feel quite as alone.
Even non-Philadelphians appreciate the feeling. “I don’t have any specific issue with Philadelphia as a city, but the general animosity I feel towards Philly sports fans and their … passionate reputation tends to color the city as a whole for me,” Ned Donovan wrote a few days ago on Medium. He continues:
It’s fascinating, then, how language and colloquialisms can evolve beyond their original meaning. “Go Birds” isn’t just a rally cry for a football team — it’s a Philadelphia love language. It’s a way of saying “I see you, I acknowledge you, we’re in this together.” In a city known for its hardened exterior, these two words serve as a handshake of solidarity, a gentle reminder that beneath the tough facade beats a heart of gold.
“I still don’t like Philadelphia. Probably never will,” Donovan concludes. Of course, former Eagles center Jason Kelce’s “No one likes us and we don’t care” is the only reasonable response to such a sentiment:
So yeah, I’ll be watching the Eagles take on the Washington Commanders next Sunday. Go Birds? Goddamn right, Go Birds.
