Is Manhattan Still King? Within New York's famously provincial cultural scene, the world has always begun and ended with Manhattan. Good things could happen in the other four boroughs, of course, but until you'd made it in Manhattan, you weren't really going to be taken seriously. So can it really be possible that Manhattan has suddenly become, well... uncool? "Is hipness a zero-sum solution? If Heath Ledger digs Boerum Hill and the Bronx is busy with poetry readings, does that mean Manhattan is becoming the plodding parent to these boisterous boroughs?" New York Daily News 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:29 am
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Taking The Art World To Task A prominent British pop artist is accusing the UK arts establishment of treating young artists like prostitutes and strippers, and of ripping off up-and-comers who don't know any better. "When I went into the art world, I didn't have any knowledge of the little systems, all of the details of the interaction between you and the dealer. I just thought, if you make great art, you can put it anywhere, the environment is irrelevant. But it's not about that, it's about the psychological exchange. The art world is really exactly the same as the sex industry: you have to be completely on guard, you will get shafted, f****d over left, right and centre. And you will also meet charming, wonderful people like a rainbow at the end of the day." The Observer (UK) 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:35 am
The New Yorkers, The Italians, And The Severed Head Officials in New York have returned the disembodied head of Dionysus, god of wine and revelry, to Italy, 23 years after the deity was rudely dismembered by thieves. (Okay, it was actually a statue of Dionysus.) Following its severing, the head "was acquired sometime before 1990 by a Japanese museum that went out of business several years afterward...
The head then appeared in the Christie's catalog," and was withdrawn when the auction house received information that it might be stolen goods. The NYPD got involved, and eventually linked the head to a list of missing Roman antiquities. The New York Times 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 8:45 am
Salivating Over The Next Big Van Gogh Sale "In the auction business, Vincent van Gogh is the magical name. With fewer than a dozen of his portraits in private hands, the two significant ones to have sold in the last 16 years achieved spectacular prices: $71.5 million for Self-Portrait Without Beard in 1998 and $82.5 million for Portrait of Dr. Gachet in 1990, the record for van Gogh at auction. So there is great anticipation about what L'Arlésienne, Madame Ginoux will bring on May 2, in the Impressionist and Modern Art sale at Christie's New York." The New York Times 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 8:37 am
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Was Bach Fronting For His Wife? "A study by an academic who has spent more than 30 years looking at Bach's work claims that Anna Magdalena Bach, traditionally believed to be Bach's musical copyist, actually wrote some of his best-loved works, including his Six Cello Suites... He points to what he regards as the uniquely symmetrical nature of the work, and to the fact that the manuscripts included many corrections and adjustments, suggesting that they were original composing scores." Scholars are intrigued, but several prominent performers are skeptical. The Telegraph (UK) 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:50 am
BSO Debuts Podcast Following in the footsteps of other American orchestras which have recently begun to embrace new technologies, the Boston Symphony is launching a free series of video podcasts as part of its two-year focus on the music of Beethoven and Schönberg. "The videos, which range in length from one to five minutes, discuss important works by the two composers, illustrated with still photographs, paintings, images of scores, video, and musical examples. They originated on the orchestra's ambitious web site as part of its three-year-old Online Conservatory project, but are now available through Apple's iTunes music store." PlaybillArts 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:39 am
Revenue-to-Expense Is An Ugly Ratio in Baltimore The Baltimore Symphony is the latest ensemble to be facing down a series of crippling deficits, and eyebrow-raising endowment raids aside, there don't appear to be any easy solutions. "The symphony's operating expenses have been more than twice its operating revenue... Paring debt will help expenses only marginally, saving maybe a million or two in annual interest, assuming whomever covered the deficits charged interest. What really matter are demand for the symphony's product and the cost to produce it, and in these categories symphonic orchestras are working at a disadvantage in the 21st century." Baltimore Sun 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:15 am
Overexuberance May Be Hazardous To Your Strad The music world abounds with stories of soloist mishaps, usually involving a broken string or something equally innocuous. But violinist/heartthrob Joshua Bell added an unusual chapter of his own last week in Chicago: caught up in the passion of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Bell took too large a swipe with his bow, and with a mighty thwack, knocked over the delicate bridge that holds up his strings. (Yes, the famous Strad Bell plays on is fine.) Chicago Tribune 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:07 am
Could ENO Actually Have A Hit On Its Hands? After years of absorbing seemingly endless criticism of its mission, its management, and its music, English National Opera may finally have scored a win with London's famously combative critics. A new staging of Monteverdi's Orfeo is "a magical mix of East and West which in no way impinges on the earthy drama of the score in all its filigree detail. The interaction of dance and music is, if anything, enhanced by their hieratic gestures, mirrored by the principals in more than usually convincing style." The Observer (UK) 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 9:44 am
Plane Crash Claims Five IU Musicians Five students at the prestigious Indiana University School of Music were killed Thursday night when the single-engine Cessna plane on which they were traveling to the school crashed just short of the Bloomington airport. Officials believe foggy conditions may have been a factor. Indianapolis Star 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 8:31 am
We Wouldn't Want Anyone Hijacking The Plane With An Endpin Any professional musician can tell you horror stories of trying to get his instrument onto a commercial airline in defiance of overzealous TSA screeners, overworked desk agents, and harried flight attendants. But Northwest Airlines appears to have hit a new low in musician relations: students from a Minnesota high school orchestra were shocked last week when Northwest refused to allow their insruments in the cabin, and charged $1600 to place them in the cargo hold, from whence several cellos and basses emerged broken and unplayable. The airline says it probably isn't liable. Minneapolis Star Tribune 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 8:21 am
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Donor Fatigue Comes To The O.C. Cultural business is booming in Orange County, California (a suburban enclave near Los Angeles,) but all the big plans may be too much even for the residents of America's wealthiest county. Non-profit organizations in the area are fundraising up a storm, and are hoing to raise more than $1 billion between them. The goals may be worthy, but donors are quickly getting tired of being solicited. Orange County Register (CA) 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:46 am
Suing The Arts Alfred G. Rava and Steven Surrey are becoming the hottest behind-the-scenes names in Southern California's arts world, but not in a good way. "Rava and Surrey's connection with the arts stems mainly from lawsuits, or the threat of lawsuits, they have filed against performing arts organizations and for-profit businesses here over the past few years." Most of the lawsuits stem from what the litigious pair claim is gender or age discrimination on the part of arts organizations which offer ticket discounts to women or young people. San Diego Union-Tribune 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 10:22 am
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The Toughest Museum Gig In America? The arts have had a tough time getting a foot in the door of the reconstruction effort at New York's Ground Zero. Two cultural organizations have already been driven out of the official plans by relatives of 9/11 victims, and plans for the official memorial museum are under constant scrutiny by countless interested parties. So why would anyone want the job of designing and launching such a museum? Alice Greenwald, who took the job, says it's all about bringing people together, and knowing that not all of them will be pleased. The New York Times 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 8:56 am
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Pulitzer Doesn't Often Launch Great Theatrical Careers The theatre world is buzzing angrily about the Pulitzer board's decision not to hand out a drama award this year. "But does it matter to Joe or Jane theatergoer? Though the Pulitzer carries a cash prize and a snoot-full of prestige, it's hardly a guarantee that your play is suddenly and immediately going to be staged across the country... In journalism, a Pulitzer Prize is a gold-plated invitation to write your own ticket... In theater, the small-but-tasteful crystal trophy that comes with the Pulitzer Prize makes for a great tchotchke to mark a thrilling moment. But a career maker? Not so much." St. Paul Pioneer Press 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:52 am
The Risk Of The Broadway Crossover Broadway stages continue to be cluttered with Hollywood stars. But are such crossovers really worth it for anyone involved? " For a variety of reasons -- challenge, prestige, New York media exposure, time on their hands, a desire to really act, for once -- these stars can be persuaded to work for not much money at all... But there are serious risks for all concerned. Celebrities may or may not be any good. They're under enhanced scrutiny. And if they embarrass themselves, a lot of people lose in a lot of different ways. And there's no big payday to wipe away the pain." Chicago Tribune 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:15 am
Young at Heart In many cities, the concept of children's theatre is a relatively new one. But in Toronto, where the Young People's Theatre has been going strong for 40 years. "Today, it is Toronto's oldest non-profit professional theatre and the largest in Canada dedicated to programming for young audiences, reaching about 80,000 young people annually... The alumni who've graced its stage are a veritable Who's Who of Canadian talent," and while the theatre had a rough time in its first few years, it is now one of Canada's enduring cultural institutions. Toronto Star 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 9:50 am
Rebirth of the RSC "Three years ago the Royal Shakespeare Company was in trouble. For all the aura surrounding its name, the company was in debt, its plan to replace its 1930's theater faced stiff opposition, it was without a London home, and its shows were often unexciting. Further, its long-time artistic director, Adrian Noble, stepped down amid a storm of criticism. It was hardly an auspicious moment for Michael Boyd to take over. Yet, in a surprisingly short time, Mr. Boyd has turned things around. And as a measure of the company's revived self-confidence, it is preparing to start its biggest project ever: a yearlong festival of Shakespeare's complete works, staged by its own directors and actors as well as by guest troupes from as far afield as India and Brazil." The New York Times 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 9:01 am
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British Library To Shift Its Intellectual Focus China and India - already braced to become two of the world's greatest economic powers - are now expected to become two of its most important academic powerhouses. The British Library - renowned for collecting books, journals and artefacts from across the globe - is set to shift its focus from Western Europe towards China and India, to ensure Britons have access to the most important research. Staff will outline the new strategy on Tuesday along with their predictions that the two countries could overtake the West as intellectual and cultural hotspots." The Observer (UK) 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:39 am
Start Your Conspiracy Generators Now DaVinci Code fanatics will have to wait a while longer for Dan Brown's much-anticipated sequel. The Solomon Key, which was originally expected to be released this spring, will now be delayed until sometime in 2007. The Globe & Mail (AP) 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:31 am
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What Is The iPod Doing To Film Cuture? As iPod's video capability continues to gain credibility in the marketplace, Ty Burr wonders where movies are headed. "This could be insanity. Or it could be the way our kids may someday watch movies: if not on an iPod, then on a similar portable device bigger than a postage stamp and smaller than a kitchen television. Rend your garments and wail over the death of the big-screen experience all you want, movies are slowly and unstoppably becoming disassociated from the theaters in which we've been seeing them for more than a century." Boston Globe 04/23/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 11:09 am
Turn Off TV? Why Would We Want To Do That? It's TV Turn-Off Week again, that time of year when the culture police beg us all to reconnect our brains and find something, anything, to do other than watching the tube. "Consider, however, before you reach for the remote, the holes you'd have in your education if you'd never watched television. From geo-politics to physics, through romance and relationship advice, to grand philosophical ideas and simple, helpful, practical hints, it's all there when you turn on your television." Toronto Star 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 9:42 am
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D.C. Yawns At Modern Swans The Matthew Bourne reimagining of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" has hit a wall of indifference in Washington, D.C. after successful runs in London, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Organizers have canceled the entire planned D.C. run of the show, which was slated to begin this week, due to sluggish ticket sales. Washington Post 04/22/06
Posted: 04/23/2006 9:12 am
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