On Saturday, the pop superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter surprised the world with “Lemonade,” a concept album about the challenges of monogamous love. (In her case, this involves being married to the man behind “Big Pimpin’. ”) Launched through Tidal, the streaming service controlled by her husband, Jay Z, the album guides listeners though a catalogue of infidelities and indignant responses, ending with a nod toward forgiveness. The release was accompanied by a meandering hour-plus HBO special that brought to mind a Terrence Malick musical. A swaggerless Jay appears briefly, around the forty-one-minute mark, wearing a hangdog expression.

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