If you’re in DC or NYC, you’re in prime position to catch “By George: It All Comes Down,” a new film by H. Paul Moon for America’s Semiquincentennial.
On July 9, 1776, following the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, New Yorkers toppled a statue of King George III that stood in Bowling Green. Among other things, the statue was melted down into musket balls to defend the American cause.
You can learn more about this one-hour documentary and the context of its New York premiere (on July 9, 2026, 250 years to the day later), a special outdoor screening just about a stone’s throw from the former location of the actual statue, by following the link. If you’re interested, you’ll also be able to reserve a free ticket.
nyc.july9th.com
In the meantime, the film is showing in a special four-screen immersive version at Dupont Underground (beneath Dupont Circle), in Washington, DC. Hourly showings take place every hour on the hour, weekends through July 5.
You can learn more about that here:
dc.july9th.com
I know Paul has worked long and hard on this project. I’ve already reserved my spot at the Battery. I hope you will join me in supporting it!
Yet more information, with stills from the film, here:
https://zenviolence.com/bygeorge
Tag: H. Paul Moon
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By George! A New Documentary by H. Paul Moon
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Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty
Recommended viewing for Samuel Barber’s birthday: H. Paul Moon’s “Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty.” The award-winning documentary about the great American composer (world-famous for his “Adagio for Strings”) aired nationally on PBS back in 2017 and is now available for streaming on demand on Vimeo and elsewhere.
Watch the trailer here:
Barber makes a wish in 1977
Happy birthday, Sam! It’s a good day for a trip to the Barber. -
The Essence of Handel with Opera Essentia
On George Frideric Handel’s birthday, check out these H. Paul Moon films documenting four of the composer’s operas tailored for outdoor performance in New York community gardens by Opera Essentia. The company’s artistic director, countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum, manages to get each of them down to about an hour. The operas are rarely-heard. The abridgments are tasteful. The productions are no-budget, bare-bones, and beautiful. I posted about “The Queen’s Heart,” the distillation of “Radamisto,” early in January. Hear all four here:
https://zenviolence.com/handel
Happy birthday, Handel! -
Friedrich at the Met Last Chance
While I think of it, on a slow news day, I want to remind everyone that the exhibition “Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature” is now on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. But not for much longer!
For all us latent Romantics – by which I mean those of us with a predilection not for flowers and candlelit dinners, but rather withered trees, wan moons, ruined monasteries, wayside shrines, lonely seashores, and heavy woolen cloaks – Friedrich is the ne plus ultra of emo German painters. Anyone with an extensive classical music record collection or a long acquaintance with literary paperbacks will recognize his work, which has adorned many an album and book cover.
I’ve been waiting for this show for months, ever since I was tipped off about it by H. Paul Moon, who saw it in Germany in 2023 (and made a five-minute film about it). For one reason or another, I hadn’t been able to make it in to the city for anything other than a concert or work since the show opened on February 8.
The other week, all at once, I became conscious of the sands of the hourglass, as I realized my calendar for the coming weeks was filling up fast, AND I DID NOT WANT TO MISS IT! In a rare act of spontaneity, I hopped the train on a rainy Friday for a whirlwind round-trip, at the heart of which I was able to spend a couple of hours at the Met Museum. It was 100-percent worth it.
Hard to believe, for an artist whose 250th anniversary was last year, that this is the first comprehensive exhibition of his works in the United States. I loved it! If it sounds at all appealing to you, if your taste runs to E.T.A. Hoffmann, Byron, Poe, or Wagner, there’s still time to brood, but you need to act soon. Hie thee to the Met by May 11!
For more information:
H. Paul Moon’s pictures at an exhibition:
My earlier post on the subject:
I used one of Friedrich’s most famous canvases to illustrate this post from 2022 about a favorite television series from the golden age of A&E. Does anyone else remember “The Romantic Spirit?”
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2024494677717812&set=a.279006378933326
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