Maybe it’s just a coincidence. But after reading Norman Lebrecht’s recent column, The focus of each article is different. Lebrecht zeroes in on arts criticism, Osborne on arts Lebrecht writes:<\/P> No American newspaper dares venture past the first of these ps. …<\/P> An era of incorporation fostered a pontifical tone in American arts criticism. <\/P> Osborne wrote:<\/P> Germany has about 80 year-round opera houses, while the U.S., with more than three times <\/P> More power to Lebrecht. He quoted ArtsJournal’s Sam Bergman by name, as Not incidentally, McManus also writes:<\/P>
\nread William Osborne’s
\n
\nfunding. Nevertheless, Lebrecht cites American corporatization of the arts as one reason for “the
\npontifical tone” of U.S. criticism and counts the number of arts insitutions in London and New
\nYork to contrast them, much as Osborne cited American privatization of the arts and counted
\ninstitutions in Germany cities to contrast the U.S. and Europe.<\/P>
\n
\nEvery serious British newspaper carries two, three or more pages of arts
\ncommentary and criticism which report, reflect and review a razzle of activity in a style which may
\nbe ponderous, or provocative, or purely piss-taking.
\n
\n
Over
\nthe same era, America suffered the incorporation of many arts institutions. London has five
\ninternational orchestras, three year-round opera companies, two ballet troupes, three international
\nart galleries, two great engines of modern art at Tate and Saatchi, a National Theatre and too
\nmany smaller companies to count. New York has one monolith in each art form, two at
\nmost.<\/P><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
\n
\n
\nGermany’s public arts funding [as opposed to U.S. private funding] allows the
\ncountry to have 23 times more full-time symphony orchestras per capita than the United States,
\nand approximately 28 times more full-time opera houses. …
\n
\nthe population, does not have any. Even the Met only has a seven-month season. These numbers
\nmean that larger German cities often have several orchestras. Munich has seven full-time,
\nyear-round professional orchestras, two full-time, year-round opera houses (one with a large
\nresident ballet troupe,) as well as two full-time, large, spoken-word theaters for a population of
\nonly 1.2 million. Berlin has three full-time, year-round opera houses …<\/P><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
\n
\n
\nLebrecht have as great an influence on others as Osborne’s on him.<\/P>
\n
\nIs there investigative cultural journalism in America? If so, it’s slipped passed
\nme. More importantly, I think we should ask WHY we don’t have any investigative cultural
\njournalism in this country.<\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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