Will Gompertz, the BBC's highly paid arts/news editor, is about to be put on the spot. A former Tate Gallery staffer who lives in freely admitted awe of its director Nicholas Serota, Gompertz has given large dollops of attention to the Tate and such favoured artists as Francis Alys, Louise Bourgeois and Yinko Shonibare - and that's in the past month alone. But when it comes to the big Tate issue, his reticence is stupefying. The Tate, along with other UK arts bodies, is facing … [Read more...]
The Record Doctor opens heatwave clinic
June 25, 2010 By
Stressed by the soccer championship? Swelling in the heat? Queuing at an airport? Suffering a seasonal cashflow squeeze? Stupefied by the holiday weekend? The Record Doctor is back on WNYC Soundcheck next Thursday for a special summer clinic to treat your most pressing ailments with an apothecary of tonal and non-tonal remedies. Email, tweet or text in now, or phone The Record Doctor Thursday July 1 at 1pm. Lines are forming outside the consulting … [Read more...]
Please can we have our crucifixion back?
June 23, 2010 By
The London Jewish Museum of Art last night opened an exhibition of crucifixion images, called Cross Purposes. It contains some extraordinary interpretations from varied collections, by artists Jewish, Christian and neither. The centrepiece is Marc Chagall's chilling 1945 analogy of Hitler's assassination of the Jews and their faith, along with a 1942 companion work by Emmanuel Levi in which a man in prayer-shawl and phylacteries is crucified beneath the sign 'Jude' in Gothic script. There … [Read more...]
The austerity Budget – good for the arts?
June 22, 2010 By
Before your brains get addled by the soundbite merchants from Government and Opposition, I've looked at one headline figure in the Budget and come to the conclusion that the arts are going to get off lightly - much more so than they would have done under Labour. In the months before the last election, major arts instutitions were told to plan for succession ten percent cuts over three years - that's 27.1 percent. George Osborne spoke to day of cutting government spending by 25 percent over four … [Read more...]
What are arts funders for?
June 22, 2010 By
Ahead of today's austerity Budget the Arts Council of England, which distributes government subsidy across the lively arts, has cut £19 million from its purse. Half of the money is being dredged up from 'reserves', but arts organisations have been strimmed for the rest. All 808 receipients of ACE grants receive a 0.5 percent reduction, spread evenly across the board. That means the Royal Opera House will lose £142,000 - that's about two-third of its chief executive's salary, not that he … [Read more...]
Breaking news: New boss (again) at EMI
June 18, 2010 By
The hedgetrimmers who own what was once the flagship of the music industry have appointed yet another corp-speak soundbite to head the ailing giant. His name is Roger Faxon and he comes from the music-publishing side, which he will merge with the recording business. He seems to think it's all about brand, but judge for yourselves. I attach his golden hello letter to fellow executives, along with the press release. If there are any bookmakers out there, you might like to give me odds … [Read more...]
What’s Ben doing on the box?
June 18, 2010 By
Ever since Labour lost the election and started collecting the dole, its former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has hardly been off the BBC, day or night. Switch on PM, and there he is. Slump in the sofa at Question Time, and Ben's back. What's going on? Bradshaw, an ex-BBC news reporter of no visible merit, was the most anti-BBC of the last five DCMS Secretaries, attacking the institution in venomous language, both verbal and bodily. Unpopular when he drew a BBC wage, he was roundly loathed … [Read more...]
Think before you fly
June 17, 2010 By
In my current conversation in The Strad, I raise the issue that most afflicts the lives of modern musicians: We fly to live. Anyone in classical music who is grounded for more than a month is commonly presumed to be hungry, heavily pregnant or halfway to oblivion. What are we to do about it? You'll have to buy a copy of the magazine, or subscribe, to discover the alternative models that I propose - but you'll also find a bonus between the same covers. The Strad has commissioned a survey of … [Read more...]
Bruno’s last babe
June 17, 2010 By
I was sad to read of the death of Maurren Forrester at 79, after a long, debilitating illness. I met her only once, during the Cardiff sessions for Gilbert Kaplan's first recording of Mahler's second symphony in July 1987. Although slightly over the hill, she had recorded the work in 1957 with Mahler's disciple, Bruno Walter, and brought along a kind of secondhand authority that she bore with consummate solemnity. 'Doctor Walter did it like this,' she pronounced in orotund tones, or 'Doctor … [Read more...]
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Good news-- thanks for bringing it to us Mr. Lebrecht.richard carlisle on Jackie Evancho sings ‘Ave Maria’ on Dancing with the Stars (video)
CJ, The 1958 youtube of Vissi d'arte seems magnificent to me -- the way she soars to her high range...william osborne on Rub your eyes: a Jewish orchestra has been invited to open the new Wagner Museum
The New Jewish Chamber Philharmonic Dresden has undertaken a wonderful initiative to revive the works of Jewish composers whose careers...cabbagejuice on Natalie Dessay – are we losing her?
@La Cieca I don't know if you're talking about me cherry-picking but if it is, I assure you my knowledge...La Cieca on Natalie Dessay – are we losing her?
My issue here is that a writer's pet theory of "how to sing properly" is backed up with cherry-picked data....Sixtus on Finisher of Mahler’s 10th takes Mahler’s former job
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@richard carlisle I have the Stassinopoulos and the Michael Scott books on Callas. The Greeks during the war did not...Norman Lebrecht on Auditor General attacks financial chaos at the Arts Council
It's an outstanding spin job by the ACE, burying financial incompetence in a flurry of Whitehall cover-ups. Any other org...Kit Baker on Just in: John Cage sells out on the Ruhr
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I would beg to avoid getting into disputes about Beverly Sills as her fans are as fiercely protective of her...