Gerard Mortier’s Last Day in Salzburg (when Viennese Opera found its place on the lunatic fringe)
AJBlog: Condemned to Music | Published 2014-03-12
The Enigma of Acting, and Longing for Adelaide
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-03-11
The Met Aces A New Online Feature
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-03-11
Bruening: Part of the “New Joy” movement in Public Art
AJBlog: Aesthetic Grounds | Published 2014-03-11
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“More than one in four (27%) of adults from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds said they never read books themselves, compared with just 13% of those from the richest socio-economic backgrounds.”
“The same recession that brought misery to tens of thousands of families since 2009 has fueled demand for tales out of Greece — prompting the nation’s filmmakers not only to adapt to the new economic realities but also rack up awards in the process.”
“Higher salaries in North America are attracting an increasing number of British curators, and insiders warn that poor pay in London will lead to a “brain drain” from the city’s museums unless conditions improve.”
“Our audience is made up of many of the greatest scientists, computer engineers, cooks, urban gardeners, authors, environmentalists in the country, if not the world. They want their experience at the theater to reflect the complexity and thoughtfulness of their daily work.”
“Were there no female musicians playing instruments or do we just not know about them? The truth is that there were plenty of capable and talented ladies, but social expectations for the household matriarch did not include frequenting dance halls at night and touring around the country for weeks in a bus full of men.”
“The funding we allocate to the humanities through our government has never come close to the value the humanities add to individual lives and to the life of our nation. Even in times of austerity, especially in times of austerity, sound investments must be made.”
“More and more concert halls are being built that stand out by virtue of their eye-catching shapes, colors and materials.”
“I can think of no one more important than the crafty, brilliant Belgian impresario in making opera a uniquely telling, relevant, contemporary and meaningfully controversial art form in Europe. But it wasn’t only Europe and it wasn’t only opera in which Mortier’s influence has proven pervasive.”
Instead of referring to the electronic console as “television,” the group now embraces a more inclusive moniker — television means programming — in a nod toward the rise of disruptive new digital programmers, including Netflix.
“To be certain, the company’s January announcement that it was shutting down as a full-time performing troupe drew plenty of congratulations from some circles. But there was also a good deal of consternation about what this would mean for the folks in Boise.”
“Narrative fiction offers a rich context in which exposure to out-group culture and (a process of emotional) merging can occur,” the researchers conclude. “Supporting this notion, there is growing evidence that reading a story engages many of the same neural networks involved in empathy.”
“The basic idea is that every word you say represents a choice. So when you speak, you’re making a million choices that you’re not aware of. The differences aren’t meaningful to the speaker.” But they are meaningful to a program that can catalogue and index all the possible options.
“Vänskä might be asked to take a limited role as a principal guest conductor, leading perhaps eight to 10 concerts a season, but without administrative duties, two sources within the orchestra’s board of directors said Monday.” The same sources say that the board voted strongly in support of controversial CEO Michael Henson.
“Members of Save Our Symphony Minnesota have made it clear they’re not going away now that the lockout has ended. More importantly, they’ve made it clear to the board that they want Henson gone and Vänskä back … But understand, many of the board members are corporate heavyweights. Most corporate heavyweights don’t react well to ultimatums.”
For his short story collection Tenth of December, “Saunders, a former Guardian columnist, became the first winner of the £40,000 Folio prize, an award created by people in the books industry who felt frustrated by what they see as the shortcomings of the Man Booker.”
