You made it out of the warmth of December and all of its illuminated holidays. Now it’s January, with far fewer holidays, far fewer lights, far less general cheer and spirit. It’s cold, it’s dark. Which, when you think about it, is a perfect time to work on that new version of yourself: You’re all cocooned, and no one will see this upgraded you until you emerge in the spring.
So, in an attempt to feed your mind, venture into your city with a mission to spend this period of extended self improvement by drinking up anything and everything that will make you a bit more interesting: a film festival or two, some new soup recipes in your culinary arsenal, new music taught to you by a really smart violinist, or some spooky ghost-walking with Edgar Allen Poe.
Kieślowski’s 'Three Colors' film series
"Blue" (Jan. 2-3)
"White" (Jan. 2-4)
"Red" (Jan. 2 and 4)
The Brattle Theatre
General admission $14 | Student discount $12 | Seniors and children under 12 $12 | Matinee (all shows before 5 p.m.) $12
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s "Three Colors" trilogy comes to the Brattle Theatre at the top of the new year. The film series — a thematic trilogy — is connected by the French Language. Indeed, the colors in question (Blue, White and Red) refer to the French tricolore, with the theme each film/color corresponding to one of the values of the French motto: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
Klezmer & Transylvanian Music with Zoë Aqua
Sunday, Jan. 8
4-7 p.m.
The Boston Synagogue
Free
Professional violinist Zoë Aqua spent 18 months on a Fulbright scholarship in Romania and Hungary, supplementing her craft and growth as an artist with the musical traditions in Transylvania. Stateside, she makes regular appearances at The Boston Synagogue, presenting a workshop where amateur musicians are invited to bring their instruments and learn a new tune. Not a musician? The floor is open to observers, too, who can witness music making and fellowship at its most organic.
Art Uncorked: a wine tasting tour of the Nichols House
Saturday, Jan. 14
6:30 p.m.
Nichols House Museum
Member $25 | Non-member $30
For Rose Standish Nichols’ 151st birthday, step into the historic Beacon Hill house-cum-museum for an (art) history tour. Each of the three wines sampled is “paired” with an artwork in the museum.
Joshua Prager discusses 'The Family Roe: An American Story'
Thursday, Jan. 19
7 p.m.
Harvard Bookstore
Free
Author Joshua Prager spent hundreds of hours with Norma McCorvey, whose legal name is nowhere near as famous as her pseudonym in the courts: Jane Roe. In a talk hosted by Callie Crossley, Prager discusses his new book, "The Family Roe: An American Story," in which he documents the life of McCorvey and the daughters she placed for adoption.
A (Sort of) Creepy Tour in Honor of Edgar Allan Poe
Friday, Jan. 20
8 p.m.
Gore Place, Waltham
$21
Waltham’s expansive Gore Place, the former country house of Sen. Christopher Gore, is good for a lot of things: historical tours, picnics and corporate team-building events, for instance. But on this night, an evening tour will take you through the rooms of the mansion, as you learn about Gore Place’s long history — supplemented by macabre storytelling inspired by Bostonian Edgar Allan Poe. Children not recommended.
Leçons de Ténèbres by François Couperin
Saturday, Jan. 21
4-5 p.m.
Gordon Chapel at Old South Church
Student $10 | Senior $20 | General $25
Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres, a setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, were originally composed for performance during Maundy Thursday, three days before Easter Sunday — thus, this is a piece associated with March or April. But tenors Zachary Wilder and Aaron Sheehan, with accompanists Emily Walhout (viol) and Akiko Sato (organ) are bringing it to you in the deep of winter. Fitting, in a way, as tenebrae is Latin for "darkness," and lends its name to a service in which light gradually leaves the church, leaving listeners in a state of contemplation. Happy January.
The Boston Festival of Films from Iran
Jan. 26-28
Museum of Fine Arts
Member $12 |Non-member $15
The Museum of Fine Arts presents the return of The Boston Festival of Films from Iran with a lineup that includes three new movies and a rerelease of an Iranian cinematic classic. Mahmoud Ghaffari’s "The Apple Day" is about youthful optimism and the resilience of family. Ali Abbasi’s "Holy Spider" is a crime film that exposes the misogyny that the director charges is not of a single serial killer, but of a serial killer society. Saeed Gholipour’s "This Is Not Me" documents the lives of a 16-year-old trans boy and a 27-year-old trans man as they seek gender-affirming surgery. Also presented is Amir Naderi’s restored 1984 classic "The Runner," featuring a child orphan roughing it, on the run, in Abadan.
Winter Soups Class with the New England Botanical Garden
Saturday, Jan. 28
1-3 p.m.
Online
Member $20 | Non-member $30
OK, fine, sometimes you’re too cold to go outside to do anything. But that doens’t mean you need to stay inside and do nothing, The New England Botanical Garden has you covered on that front, with this virtual cooking workshop about soup. A trio of minestrone, tomato/corn chowder, and carrot vichyssoise is on the menu, as you practice knife skills and best-seasoning practices to learn how to whip up a bowl of warmth in bleak midwinter.
ICA Gallery Talk: Ruth Erickson on 'To Begin Again: Artists and Childhood'
Sunday, Jan. 29
2 p.m.
ICA
Student $15 | Senior $17 | General admission $20
The exhibition "To Begin Again: Artists and Childhood" is on display until late February, but Manion Family Senior Curator Ruth Erickson is offering this gallery talk to provide even more context into the ways artists grasp onto the depths of children and childhood as they spin their own creations.
