Calm your wanderlust with foreign films and Transylvanian music

You survived the warmth of December and all the holidays adorned with its illumination. Now he is January, with less holidays, less lights, and far less overall cheer and cheer. cold, dark. Come to think of it, this is the perfect time to work on a new version of yourself. You are all wrapped in a cocoon, and no one will see that this has upgraded you until spring emerges.

So, to feed your mind, step into your city with a mission to spend this long period of self-improvement and drink whatever makes you a little more interesting: a film festival or two. , some new soup recipes in your culinary arsenal, new music taught by a really smart violinist, or spooky ghost walking with Edgar Allan Poe.

“Blue” (January 2-3)
“White” (January 2-4)
“Red” (January 2nd and 4th)
Brattle Theater
General Admission $14 | Student Discount $12 | Seniors & Children Under 12 $12 | Matinee (all shows until 5pm) $12

Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Three Colors” trilogy hits the Brattle Theater at the end of the year. The film series — thematic trilogy — are linked in French. In fact, the colors in question (blue, white and red) refer to the French tricolor, with each film/color theme corresponding to one of the French mottos: the values ​​of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Sunday 8th January
4:00pm – 7:00pm
boston synagogue
free

Professional violinist Zoe Aqua received a Fulbright Scholarship to spend 18 months in Romania and Hungary to supplement her skills and development as an artist of Transylvanian musical traditions. In the United States, she regularly appears in Boston synagogues, where she invites amateur musicians to bring their instruments and hold workshops to learn new songs. Aren’t you a musician? The floor is also open to observers, providing the most organic look at music production and fellowship.

Saturday, January 14th
6:30 p.m.
Nichols House Museum
Member $25 | Non-Member $30

For Rose Standish Nichols’ 151st birthday, step inside the historic Beacon Hill mansion and museum for an (art) history tour. Each of her three sampled wines is “paired” with artwork from the museum.

Thursday, January 19th
7 pm
harvard bookstore
free

Author Joshua Prager has spent hundreds of hours with Norma McCorvey.Norma McCorvey’s real name isn’t as famous as her pseudonym Jane Law in court. I will explain “The Family Roe: An American Story”. The book chronicles the lives of McCorvey and her daughters whom she put up for adoption.

Friday, January 20th
8 pm
Gore Place, Waltham
$21

The sprawling Gore Place in Waltham, the former country house of Senator Christopher Gore, lends itself to many things. Examples include historical tours, picnics, and corporate team building events. But this evening, you’ll be treated to an evening tour of the mansion’s rooms, learning about Gore Place’s long history, complemented by macabre storytelling inspired by Boston’s Edgar Allan Poe. Not recommended for children.

Saturday, January 21st
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Gordon Chapel of the Old South Church
Student $10 | Senior $20 | General $25

Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres, the setting for Jeremiah’s Lament, was originally composed for performance on Maundy Thursday, three days before Easter Sunday, and is associated with March or April. But tenors Zachary Wilder and Aaron Sheehan, and accompaniment Emily Wohlhout (viol) and Akiko Sato (organ) will deliver it to you in the middle of winter.Fitting, in a way darkness Latin for “darkness”, it gives its name to a service in which light gradually leaves the church, leaving the audience in a state of meditation. Happy January.

January 26-28
museum
Member $12 | Non-Member $15

The Museum of Fine Arts presents the Boston Festival of Films from Iran with a lineup that includes three new films and re-releases of Iranian cinema classics. Mahmoud Ghaffari’s ‘The Apple Day’ is about youthful optimism and family resilience. Directed by Ali Abbasi, Holy Spider is a crime film in which the director denounces not a single serial killer, but misogyny in the serial killer community. Saeed Golipur’s “This Is Not Me” chronicles a 16-year-old transgender boy and his 27-year-old transgender man about to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Also on display is Amir Naderi’s restoration of his 1984 masterpiece, The Runner, which depicts an orphaned child running and ravaging Abadan.

Saturday, January 28th
1:00pm – 3:00pm
online
Member $20 | Non-Member $30

Okay, okay. Sometimes it’s too cold to go outside and do nothing. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay home and do nothing.The New England Botanical Gardens has you covered in this virtual cooking workshop on soups. A trio of minestrone, tomato/corn chowder and carrot vichyssoise. is on the menu, and you’ll practice your knife skills and best seasoning practices to learn how to make a warm bowl in the bleak depths of winter.

Sunday, January 29th
2 pm
ICA
Students $15 | Seniors $17 | General Admission $20

The exhibition, “To Begin Again: Artists and Childhood,” runs through late February, but Manion Family Senior Curator Ruth Erickson presents this gallery talk as the artist spins through the depths of childhood with children. Provides more context on how to figure it out. their own work.