"Knaifel was one of the most prominent Russian composers of his generation, both at home and in the West. He played a key role in redefining Russian contemporary music after the fall of the Soviet Union, bringing religious themes to the fore and pioneering a radical minimalist aesthetic of contemplation." - Gramophone
Lisa Nandy, whose most recent position has been as shadow international development minister, will have her work cut out to catch up. She will be keen to make a success of a delicate role that, although it may appear to be low down the governmental pecking order is of huge importance. - The Guardian
"The Brera Modern will be inaugurated this fall, 52 years and 39 Italian governments after it was first envisioned. The new museum, just a few doors from Milan’s Brera Painting Gallery, will house more than 100 contemporary art works that belong to Brera’s collection that have mostly been relegated to storage." - AP
It seems counterintuitive in the age of neuroscience, but I increasingly think that how cognitively impaired you are is a function of the social context in which you find yourself. - The Guardian
"A little more than three months after Small Press Distribution abruptly closed, leaving some 400 independent presses without a trade distributor, publishers and distributors alike are moving forward even as damage assessment continues. Approximately 25% of the stranded publishers have found new distributors." - Publishers Weekly
Across that chasm of difference between bats and seals, whales and humans, the unlikeliest new intelligence of computers have been able to discover more that’s similar than might have once been supposed, though even Melville could recognize in the whale a kindred creature “both ponderous and profound." - 3 Quarks Daily
The project will include traffic-calming measures, new street fixtures and lots of lush plantings. The goal: "To get more people excited about South Broad (Street) and to attract more economic development … to give people a reason to come down and visit." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Prosecutors charged director Yevgeniya Berkovich and writer Svetlana Petriychuk over their 2021 play Finist the Brave Falcon, a cautionary tale about Russian women who were lured to marry ISIS militants in Syria and imprisoned upon returning to Russia. The production won two Golden Masks, Russia's highest theatre awards. - BBC
Barred from high school and college, they attend online classes, learn foreign languages with chatbots and e-books, and trade cryptocurrencies hoping for financial independence. They try to make up for closed cinemas and women's gyms and banned music with YouTube’s comedy shows, fitness classes and music videos. - The Washington Post (MSN)
As the conservative kingdom loosened up, Abdulaziz Almuzaini's show Masameer (often likened to South Park) got a fan base and he was feted as a star of Saudi Arabia's nascent entertainment industry. Yet he was convicted of promoting the very extremism that the series satirizes. - The New York Times
"The Devan era had its shortcomings. … But (they) shouldn’t overshadow (his) central accomplishment: He took an undernourished, traditional opera company, set in motion a period of artistic experimentation and financial growth, learned important lessons, got through the pandemic, and delivered it all to his successor in one piece." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
"The Biennale’s theater department was founded in 1934, following the establishment of its art, music and cinema branches. Its previous directors include Renato Simoni, Luca Ronconi, Franco Quadri, Carmelo Bene and Lluís Pasqual, and it is programmed yearly alongside major cultural events like the Venice Film Festival." - Variety
"Neumeier is 85, which might seem like a decent age to retire. But choosing to go was difficult for him. 'It was a rational decision, not an emotional one. … When I started approaching 50 years here, I thought, I don’t want a downward slide.” - The New York Times
Located at the historic Emigrant Savings Bank building in Manhattan’s Financial District, the HdL has begun hosting non-art events, including puppy yoga, pilates, and an immersive whiskey tasting with Irish storytellers. - ARTnews
Apparently, the struggle to find the right word is real and has been for some time, because the Oxford English Dictionary has its own category for these terms, labelled “thing or person whose name is forgotten or unknown”. - The Conversation
