“Both Rachmaninoff and Liszt had legendarily large mitts. … Meanwhile, shorter digits haven’t impeded the success of other pianists, such as Daniel Barenboim (who can only reach a ninth on the keyboard), and Wael Farouk, who was born with unusually short ligaments and fingers.” includes video)
The Naked Pharoah: Countertenor Buffs Up And Bares It All
Anthony Roth Costanzo recounts how – from diets to workouts to (ouch!) full waxing – he prepared for the new production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten at English National Opera. (includes video and audio)
The Enormous Moving Panoramas Of 19th-Century America
“[A panorama] wasn’t meant to be viewed all at once. As a sort of pre-cinema film strip, it would be slowly turned for an audience as it immersed itself in the nautical narrative. Despite the huge popularity of such moving panoramas in the 19th century, very few survive. One of these rare examples is having a special viewing this month.”
On Whose Authority? Finding A Critical Voice
“Is it possible to write criticism—or even to write critically—while at the same time refusing the critic’s authority? Can a work be coherent, meaningful, and precise without its author dressing it as a piece of art criticism—or as an interview, a short story, a book of photos, a psychoanalytic case study, an autobiography?”
Watching A Violinist’s Brain At Work
“Laying motionless on her back in the MRI machine while her brain activity was being measured, [Jennifer] Koh was asked to imagine playing a series of classical works for solo violin by Paganini and Bach, to listen to them, or to read their musical scores. [Dr.] Overath then studied how Koh’s brain reacted to each.”
The Internet Of The Dead
“When websites such as the Wayback Machine archive websites for posterity and social media accounts linger on after our deaths, a new digital afterlife has been created, one that we can’t necessarily control.”
Anxiety And El Greco: Garth Greenwell On How He Finished ‘What Belongs To You’
“I wasn’t sure I could make it better, and as we inched our way forward I felt I was losing my ability to make my own judgments, or my ability to see the manuscript at all. As I worked through each page I laid it face down, using the overleaf for rewrites, adding scraps and post-its as necessary.”
When Hollywood Was New, Women Ruled
“In fact, there were more women working in Hollywood in its first two decades than there are now, or have been at any time since. If Hollywood is ever to achieve gender parity in its studios and boardrooms, it should look back to its beginnings.”
MTV (!) Salutes Nikolaus Harnoncourt, ‘Classical Music’s Punk Genius’
“‘This brave hero who had the courage to scale back vibrato’ is a weird thing to think, much less type. But in the context of 1950s classical music, historically informed practice landed like a pink wig and a Sex Pistols t-shirt. … No kidding – this stuff is still controversial today.”
Director Of The Hermitage Wants To Rebuild Palmyra
“Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum [in St. Petersburg], says that … his museum can help to rebuild the ancient city. … The Hermitage is working with its peers – informally, for now – to gather photographs, engravings and other archival documents that capture the ancient city from every possible angle.”
Christopher Wheeldon On How And Why He Made A Ballet Out Of ‘The Winter’s Tale’
“The Winter’s Tale was a suggestion that came to me from Nick Hytner. I said to him I’d really like to choreograph a Shakespeare and all the obvious ones have been done. He said: ‘Well, The Winter’s Tale has proved really challenging for directors. I’ve got a feeling it might work for dance. I think some of the problems may sort themselves out if there’s no-one actually talking!'”
Philosophy Isn’t In An Ivory Tower, It’s At The Center Of The Entire Modern World
Responding to a column earlier this year titled “When Philosophy Lost Its Way“, Scott Soames explains how, over the last century, philosophers have established the very bases of present-day computing, psychology, cognitive studies, physics, linguistics, and political science.
Why Do People Instagram Their Meals? Because It Makes Them Taste Better
“In short: Perhaps the only thing more irritating than the act of public food photography is knowing that those walking their $16 plates of eggs Benedict over to a window could be getting more out of their dining experience than you.”
The Museum/Gallery Cartel – Big Concerns About Conflicts Of Interest
“In today’s exploding art market, amid diminishing corporate donations and mounting exhibition costs, nonprofit museums have been leaning more heavily on commercial galleries for larger amounts of money — anywhere from $5,000 to $200,000 each time — to help pay for shows featuring work by artists the galleries represent.”
When Donald Trump Produced A Broadway Show
“The show was a flop, and its closing brought an abrupt end to Mr. Trump’s career as a Broadway producer. But his approach to producing … foreshadowed his approach to other businesses.”
Are Women Still Being Discriminated Against In Orchestras?
“While string sections are largely gender-balanced, the same could not be said for the woodwind, brass and percussion players. Women were also under-represented in principal roles. … [BBC] Radio 3’s Tom Service looked into the issues behind the statistics.” (audio)
Washington Ballet Chooses Its New Artistic Director
“Julie Kent, one of the most celebrated American ballerinas of her generation, who retired from the stage last summer after a 29-year career at American Ballet Theatre, has been appointed the Washington Ballet’s new artistic director, the company announced Monday.”
The Cross-Dressing Nobleman Who May Have Been Shakespeare’s Lover
“Little is known about the pair’s friendship, but it has been speculated that they had an affair during 1592 and 1593, when Shakespeare left a plague-ravaged London and began writing longform poetry and sonnets.”
What I Wish I’d Read As A Gay Teenager
“We asked some of today’s most powerful voices in LGBTQ literature to create a list of books they wanted to read as teens. While there are some recurring titles – who hasn’t had their world rocked by Audre Lorde? – most of the books are quite different from one another.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.07.16
What is failure?
What is failure? How do you define it? Is it really the worst thing that can happen? Does fear of failure prevent you from innovation and opportunity? … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-03-07
10 Reasons We Fail
There are a myriad of reasons that we fail, from plain bad luck to miscommunication or organizational shortcomings. In this article, entrepreneur Caroline Cummings, offers a set of ten reasons why … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-03-07
Fail Better
Best selling author Seth Godin shares what we all know to be true: we all fail. So, how do we make the most of it? … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-03-07
The Story Behind Toy Story
Why are Pixar’s movies such a huge success? Creative successes might be more related to failure than you think. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-03-07
Art Museums as Shakedown Artists: NY Times Front-Page Report on Dealers’ Support for Exhibitions
If museum exhibitions of contemporary art are increasingly looking like extensions of the commercial gallery system, it’s because they are. Those who have paid attention to the funding credits for museums’ contemporary shows during … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-03-07
Monday Recommendation: Laurence Hobgood
Laurence Hobgood, Honor Thy Fathers (Hobgood.com) It’s not that Laurence Hobgood was buried during his 18 years as Kurt Elling’s musical director. Indeed, he was one of the most admired supporting pianists in modern music. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-03-07
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Stores That Sell Physical DVDs And Music Are Actually Doing Pretty Well
“The trend is clear – just as the internet has demonstrated that accessibility and convenience are key to selling entertainment, physical stores are demonstrating that if you put entertainment in front of people, they will buy it.”
Virtual Reality Ballet Is Here
“The effect of the 360-degree filming is exhilarating, allowing the audience to view the performance as it ebbs and flows on all sides, with dancers so close you can observe the minutiae of their movement with a level of detail that even a front-row seat couldn’t allow.”
Who Tells Their Story – And Who Gets To Study It?
“Even as enthusiasts have called for more ethnic-studies programs—and the debate rages on over making the identities of black, Asian, Native American, and Latino students the centerpiece of class instruction—notably absent was data linking culturally relevant pedagogy specifically to measurable student gains. This changed this year.”
Give This Mezzo A Time Machine, Please
Sarah Connolly: “I’d love to meet George Frederick Handel, and sing with him conducting from the harpsichord. I’d also love to transport him to this century and ask him what he thinks about the way his operas are performed today.”
It’s Time For Colonial-Era Stolen Art To Go Home
“If development was just about economics, the whereabouts of ancient relics wouldn’t matter unless they had a particularly high monetary value. But it is not. Development is about culture, the strength of national, tribal and regional identities, the elevation of all countries to the level of international respect hitherto accorded only to a handful.”