When the music is Mozart’s, and the conversation is sublime

Where to begin with Mozart? Why not start at the top, with the Sinfonia Concertante. 12:00 p.m.

MUSIC REVIEW

Seven operatic doors and the secrets behind them

On Wednesday night at Flynn Cruiseport, Boston Lyric Opera presented a rare staging of Bartok’s one-act opera ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’ alongside four songs by Alma Mahler. 6:18 p.m.

BOOK REVIEW

Loss, feminism, snail metempsychosis, death: the best of Margaret Atwood in ‘Old Babes in the Wood’

The collection is nothing if not various, and it provides ample runway, in its myriad surfaces and angles, for Atwood to show herself as nothing if not vital and virtuosic. 6:03 p.m.

BOOK REVIEW

In ‘Dust Child,’ Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai uses a silken touch in a tale of those left behind after the occupation of Vietnam

The exquisite novel was sparked by a BBC story chronicling an American vet’s search for his Amerasian child. 6:00 p.m.

BIBLIOPHILES

Clint Smith on the poetry of parenthood and reading to his children

In his new poetry collection, “Above Ground,” the award-winning writer explores the transformative experience of becoming a father. 5:36 p.m.

BOOK REVIEW

‘Once We Were Home,’ by National Jewish Book Award finalist Jennifer Rosner, conjures the ravaged inner terrain of children displaced by World War II

In straightforward prose adorned with a poetic sensibility, Rosner intertwines three narratives about displaced children ping-ponging across Europe and Israel during the war and its aftermath. 5:06 p.m.

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

‘Echo: A Survey at 25 Years of Sound, Art, and Ink on Paper’; ‘Enheduana: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author’; and Kari Percival’s Ezra Jack Keats Award

Literary news from around the region. 4:44 p.m.

MATTHEW GILBERT

‘Great Expectations,’ and how to ruin a classic

Creator Steven Knight has added twisted, complex motivations, drug addiction, sex, and violence to Pip's coming-of-age story. What the Dickens? 3:44 p.m.

Blind teenage violinist Julia LaGrand uses ‘From the Top’ to celebrate young disabled musicians

The new Musicians with Disabilities Initiative, which LaGrand created with "From the Top," gives the show’s platform to disabled and neurodivergent young musicians. 3:41 p.m.

Odie Henderson Review | ★★★1/2

‘Reggie’ tells a parallel story of race and baseball

Alexandria Stapleton’s documentary on Prime Video traces the career of Reggie Jackson, a.k.a. ‘Mr. October.’ 2:54 p.m.

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

In ‘Accused,’ time works against one-off episodes

An hour — well, really, 40-something minutes — is not enough time to set up and look into some of the complex issues the writers are addressing. 2:00 p.m.

THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

In ‘Spin,’ Rebecca Caprara recasts the story of Arachne for a generation of young activists

“A large part of my character studies arose from thinking about her backstory [and] what would make a young woman brazen enough, bold enough, to stand up to a god,” she said. 12:51 p.m.

BOOKS

Local bestsellers for the week ended March 19

Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound. 12:49 p.m.

BOOKINGS

Author readings around Boston March 26-April 1

All author appearances are in person and free unless otherwise noted. 12:48 p.m.