Arts

(Talk Like An Opera Geek attempts to decode the intriguing and intimidating lexicon of the opera house.)

It's been about three decades since pre-Baroque music began to be revived in a big way. A whole constellation of big-name vocal superstars has evolved, with Anonymous 4, The Tallis Scholars and the late Montserrat Figueras among the firmament.

For his third symphony, the 26-year-old American composer Mohammed Fairouz decided to incorporate text in three languages. Poems and Prayers, which had its debut Thursday in New York, features passages in Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic.

The symphony was commissioned by Northeastern University, where Fairouz teaches. The idea was to write something exploring the conflicts in the Middle East, so for inspiration, Fairouz delved into the region's poetry — both ancient and modern.

• The contentious Russian presidential election is fast approaching on March 4th, and both Anna Netrebko and Valery Gergiev appear on a list of 499 celebrities endorsing Vladimir Putin (link in German).

The Beloit International Film Festival is underway.  The event, which runs through February 19th, is holding some events on the Illinois side this year.