Alex Ross on The Minnesota Orchestra: Words Fail

MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2013 8:01 am

The Minnesota Orchestral Association gives a dumbfounding report of its financial situation.

Bye-bye, Bye Bye Birdie

In today’s Wall Street Journal “Sightings” column, I take a look at a little-known survey that sheds light on the future of theater in America. Here’s an excerpt. * * * As theater lovers wait restlessly for Broadway to resume performances after the coronavirus pandemic has been brought under control, the revival of “The... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-21
Snapshot: Shirley Horn sings “Here’s to Life”

Shirley Horn sings “Here’s to Life” with John Williams and the Boston Pops in 1993. The arrangement is by Johnny Mandel: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) Continue reading Snapshot: Shirley Horn sings “Here’s... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-21
Almanac: G.K. Chesterton on rights

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.” G.K. Chesterton, A Short History of England Continue reading Almanac: G.K. Chesterton on rights at About Last Night.... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-21
“Central to the Museum’s Collection”: Arnold Lehman Blasts the Baltimore Deaccessions

This is the full text of a letter that was sent today by Arnold Lehman, former director of the Baltimore Museum, to Maryland’s Attorney General and Secretary of State [emphasis is his]: Dear General Frosh and Secretary Wobensmith: My name is Arnold Lehman and I was the director of the... Read more

Source: CultureGrrl Published on: 2020-10-20
Lookback: the veil of the past

From 2016: I remember quite a lot about my ten-year-old self and the town in which I lived—but not much about the rest of the world. Just the other day I looked up Wikipedia’s timeline of events in 1966, thinking that I might find a bit of fodder for a Wall... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-20
Almanac: Anthony Powell on fortune-tellers

“To have one’s fortune told gratifies, after all, most of the superficial demands of egotism. There is no mystery about the eternal popularity of divination.” Anthony Powell, The Acceptance World Continue reading Almanac: Anthony Powell on fortune-tellers at About Last Night.... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-20
Baltimore Museum Gets a Formal Letter Calling for a Halt to Planned Sales; Ex-Director Lehman Piles On

The list of opponents to the Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA’s) deplorable deaccessions keeps growing (now some 150 strong). One particularly notable addition is very well known to CultureGrrl readers—Arnold Lehman, former director of the BMA and, subsequently, of the Brooklyn Museum. Here’s his recent photo, as found on the... Read more

Source: CultureGrrl Published on: 2020-10-19
When Emmett Williams Squared the Alphabet . . .

In 1956, his color scheme was as bright as day. In the plague year of 2020 a color inversion is like the night.... Read more

Source: Straight|Up Published on: 2020-10-19
Just because: W.B. Yeats reads his poetry

W.B. Yeats reads and talks about three of his poems on the BBC. These recordings were made in 1932, 1934, and 1937: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) Continue reading Just because: W.B. Yeats... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-19
Almanac: Emlyn Williams on money

“Anyone can squander money, and anyone can hoard it. But the most difficult thing in the world is to know how to spend it.” Emlyn Williams, The Corn Is Green Continue reading Almanac: Emlyn Williams on money at About Last Night.... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-19
The critic and the vampire

In today’s Wall Street Journal I review a production of Conor McPherson’s St. Nicholas webcast from Dallas. Here’s an excerpt. * * * Prior to the coming of the pandemic, I traveled all over America to see and review regional theater productions. Thanks to the theatrical webcasts that I started covering in... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-16
Replay: André Previn conducts Bernard Herrmann

André Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony perform a suite from Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho at a 1979 concert: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) Continue reading Replay: André Previn conducts Bernard Herrmann at... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-16
Almanac: Emerson on light

“Light is the first of painters. There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature Continue reading Almanac: Emerson on light at About Last Night.... Read more

Source: About Last Night Published on: 2020-10-16
The Battle of Baltimore: Former Museum Trustees Strike Back in the Deaccession Wars

Any museum official tempted to exploit the (so-called) permanent collection as a fungible commodity for bankrolling pet projects (however worthy) and bolstering the payroll should read and take heed of this six-page letter deploring the Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA’s) planned disposals. Signed and dispatched yesterday by former trustees and... Read more

Source: CultureGrrl Published on: 2020-10-15
Bernard Herrmann’s “Whitman” — A Subversive Yet Inspirational Entertainment for Today

In 1944, Bernard Herrmann collaborated with the producer Norman Corwin on “Whitman,” a half-hour dramatic presentation invoking America’s iconic poet to rally the home front during World War II. It was heard by millions of listeners. It’s a classic exemplar of a forgotten creative genre: the radio drama. The clip... Read more

Source: Unanswered Question Published on: 2020-10-15
Hedda Hopper Could Have Used This Item

Dina Shore was arrested Tuesday under suspicion of getting bored with George Montgomery. She is alleged to have told Shirley MacLaine that George is as dull as a Dutch air base.... Read more

Source: Straight|Up Published on: 2020-10-14
Bob Kaufman: ‘Tin Pan Alley’

"No one has ever written a song about Coronary Thrombosis, / Even though its blessings have been widely recognized . . . / Even though it has saved many people from a lifetime of sorrow . . . / Even though it has rescued many people from bottomless pits of... Read more

Source: Straight|Up Published on: 2020-10-12
GC CUNY at the Center of the Conversation CHANGE: How Artists Lead the Way

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. A FREE ONE EVENT Featuring Vijay Gupta, violinist, founder of Street Symphony, a MacArthur Award-winner, and popular TED speaker; Hồng-An Trương, an artist using photography, sound, video, and performance, whose work has been shown at venues including the International Center for Photography, The Kitchen, and... Read more

Source: Straight|Up Published on: 2020-10-12