For those who did not spend New Year’s Eve getting blindingly drunk or contributing to air and noise pollution by setting off fireworks, PBS provided some great grown-up entertainment. “Live from Lincoln Center” featured some truly memorable performances that evening. Joshua Bell's playing of Fritz Kreisler's "Liebesleid" ("Love's Sorrow") was superb, but the standout was the New York Philharmonic’s version of Ravel’s chestnut “Bolero.” I tend to have mixed feeling about conductor Lorin Maazel, but under his baton the orchestra really made the piece come alive. I look forward to picking up a CD of one of Maazel’s recording of this modernist masterpiece.
