“(She) believed that it was Soviet repression which made her so powerful and distinctive a composer, though it was only after the fall of Communism that she became well known in the West, … becoming, in her 70s, one of the most sought-after composers in the world.” - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)
The New York Times crossword editor and Sunday-morning NPR stalwart suffered two strokes a year ago. He came home from the hospital last April and has been hard at work on recovery ever since. New York mag restaurant critic Matthew Schneier tagged along for a therapy session. - New York Magazine (MSN)
“On Thursday, Dudamel and the Philharmonic will give the world premiere of the five-minute piece as part of a program celebrating the 150th birthday of Ravel. … The newly found piece, Sémiramis: Prélude et Danse, was written sometime between 1900 and 1902, when Ravel was in his late 20s.” - The New York Times
“Shelly C. Lowe, the first Native American to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities, has left her role at the direction of President Donald Trump. … The Senate confirmed her appointment in February 2022. The chair (normally) serves a four-year term, according to the agency.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
“Amid concerns about the scale of state-backed content after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, senior BBC figures believe it is ‘undeniable’ that the government should shoulder the costs of championing ‘western values’ via the financially strained World Service.” - The Guardian
“Madonna and Child by Antonio Solario was taken in 1973 from the civic museum in Belluno in northern Italy. Sometime later it was bought by Baron de Dozsa and taken to his Tudor manor house in eastern England. … It is now in the possession of Barbara de Dozsa, the late baron’s ex-wife.” - AP
Workers expressed fear that the cuts will threaten a collection of precious art housed in federal buildings across the country, including Alexander Calder’s 1974 “Flamingo” at the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago and Michael Lantz’s 1942 “Man Controlling Trade” outside the Federal Trade Commission building in D.C. - Washington Post
New York would be the company’s largest investment in a single location, requiring tens of millions of dollars and collaboration between nearly 500 artists and designers to fill a nearly 50,000-square-foot venue. - The New York Times
Nope, no studio is using AI to re-create Blanc’s rendition of the wascally wabbit, dastardly duck, put-upon pig and their Looney Tunes confrères. Why use AI when we’ve got Eric Bauza, whose gifts ae nearly as amazing as Blanc’s were? - The New York Times
According to survey results, Canadians already see “local news” outlets as a first resort in wildfires or a public health crisis. 79 per cent also regard large, trusted media outlets like the CBC/Radio-Canada as equally or more important in the age of social media. - Toronto Star
Unveiled in February, this year’s CFD will distribute a new record of $59.3 million—north of $1 million more than the previous record—in grants to over a thousand non-profits across the boroughs. Recipients span a wide breadth of cultural, arts, and historical organizations, from marquee NPOs to smaller, more specialized outfits. - BKMag
The Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Milwaukee Repertory Theater each received a gift of $5 million from philanthropists Ellen and Joe Checota, the institutions announced Monday. - WPR
Yes, there have certainly been cases of what one might describe as method acting, but being intoxicated on set is never good for actors who want to control their own performances, and these days especially it’s frowned on. Here’s how some actors handle the challenges of playing a character who’s sozzled. - The Guardian
Four works at The National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum in Athens were vandalised earlier this week, allegedly by a Greek member of parliament who described the contemporary pieces as “blasphemous” to Christianity. - The Art Newspaper
For most poets, pandemics could provide a context for poems, but rarely became a focus. A tome of significant poems about pandemics would only be achievable with considerable barrel-scraping – perhaps excluding poetry about AIDS, which of course devastated some communities significantly more than others. - The Conversation
