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Weekend, March 8,9




Visual Arts

Don't Mess With Rodin Should museums be allowed to alter works of art in their care to create other works of art? James Fenton protests. "Tate 'conservators' have conspired with the exploding-shed-monger and brass-instrument-crusher, Cornelia Parker, to wrap Rodin's marble group, 'The Kiss', in a mile of string. They should not have done this. It should be a principle of conservation that nothing unnecessary is done to an original work of art in a public collection, and I don't care what the 'conservators' say about the care they took in executing this banal intervention. They wouldn't have dared do this to Brancusi. They shouldn't have done this to Rodin." The Guardian (UK) 03/08/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 1:01 pm

On The Trail Of A Stolen Dali Police say they're close to solving the theft of a Salvador Dali painting from New York's Riker's Island jail. The penal institution has enlisted the help of the artworl'd stolen art resources, putting it in the company of collectors and museums. "In terms of dollar value, art crime stands out among illicit industries, ranked just below narcotics and the illegal arms trade. Experts estimate that worldwide losses range from $2 billion to $6 billion a year." The New York Times 03/08/03
Posted: 03/08/2003 6:20 pm

Music

Where Are The New Protest Songs? Peace rallies trot out protest songs that are decades old. "Some mutter darkly that there are more songs out there but corporate radio is keeping them off the air. The notorious list of 'banned' songs - everything from John Lennon's 'Imagine' to the entire oeuvre of Rage Against the Machine - the radio conglomerate Clear Channel issued after Sept. 11 only adds fuel to such suspicions. But no one names a great song that's not getting played." Are they out there? Boston Globe 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 10:12 am

Fogel: Bad Times For Orchestras Going To Get Worse Orchestras across America are struggling to stay in business. And it's going to get worse, says Henry Fogel, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "The great economy and high stock market of the '90s helped mask some of the problems orchestras are now facing. And watch out - Fogel predicts that 'next year will be the worst year for orchestras, which by then will have suffered three bad years in a row'." Atlanta Journal-Constitution 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 9:58 am

  • The Savannah Symphony's "Death Spiral" The Savannah Symphony's demise was awhile coming - the orchestra has made a series of mistakes over a number of years. "Unable to make payroll, $1.3 million in debt, demoralized by dwindling audiences and backstage squabbles, the orchestra first canceled several weeks of concerts while attempting a "rescue" fund-raising drive. When no major patrons answered the SOS, the season was declared over. In hindsight, the SSO's death spiral started on two paths: budgetary promises made and later broken, and a triangle of acrimony within the organization." Atlanta Journal-Constitution 03/09/03
    Posted: 03/09/2003 9:54 am

Hickox Promises Diversity For Opera Australia Opera Australia's new director, Richard Hickox, says he's committed to presenting diverse work in Melbourne and building the company's stature internationally. "There is not an opera company in the world that is not under some sort of pressure and, believe me, the turmoil here is nothing like as great as most." The Age (Melbourne) 03/10/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 9:35 am

Houston Symphony Musicians To Strike Musicians of the Houston Symphony say they'll go on strike after Saturday night's concert, rejecting the orchestra's imposition of unilateral cuts in pay. The musicians had offered a compromise pay cut Friday, but the orchestra rejected it. "Our decision is a stand for the principles that we continue to espouse: that Houston deserves a world-class orchestra. It has one now. It stands to lose that now." Houston Chronicle 03/08/03
Posted: 03/08/2003 6:09 pm

  • Houston Symphony Rejects Players' Contract Offer The Houston Symphony has rejected an 11th-hour counterproposal by the players and "stuck with its 'best and final' offer of pay reduction averaging 7.4 percent across the orchestra." On Friday, "musicians in the 97-seat Houston Symphony Orchestra instead proposed a 4 percent payroll reduction achieved through a two-week unpaid furlough and an immediate one-week salary deferral to allow the society some breathing room as it approaches a $6 million debt ceiling imposed by major foundations that contribute annually." Houston Chronicle (AP) 03/07/03
    Posted: 03/08/2003 6:05 pm

Theatre

Striking Broadway Musicians Grateful For Actors/Stagehands Support Broadway theatres were quiet over the weekend as a strike by musicians closed down musicals. "But live music filled the Theater District when hundreds of orchestra members and their supporters marched through the streets, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong show of solidarity among key unions." New York Daily News 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 1:37 pm

New Hope For Old Vic The Bristol Old Vic is the oldest working theatre in Britain, its main house, originally the Theatre Royal, built in 1766 by William Halfpenny. You happen upon it like a jewel that has strangely parted company from a ring. But dilapidation - however severe - is not the theatre's most pressing concern. For the truth is - although everyone is too polite to be forceful about it - that the Bristol Old Vic has been an artistic casualty for years now, suffering from underfunding and weak leadership." But now, finally, things might be looking up... The Guardian (UK) 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 1:13 pm

  • Previously: Spacey's Plans For The Old Vic Saying he was "born to run the Old Vic" Theatre Kevin Spacey talks about his plans for when he takes over next year. "He exudes a passionate enthusiasm mixed with a kind of awed delight as he contemplates his task when he becomes the troubled theatre's artistic director in the autumn of next year; but there's a lot for him to do before then." The Telegraph (UK) 03/03/03

Broadway Shuts Down Musicals As Musicians Strike After Broadway musicians went on strike Friday, actors and stagehands refused to cross picket lines, and producers decided to close down all musicals. "Broadway producers announced that all musicals — except for 'Cabaret,' which operates under a different contract — would be shut for the weekend. Dramatic plays without music and Off Broadway productions operated as normal." The New York Times 03/08/03
Posted: 03/08/2003 6:14 pm

Publishing

Authentic England - As Told By An American So UK voters in an online poll vote American Bill Bryson as the author who has best defined contemporary England. "What makes Bryson a curious choice is that, if there is one thing the English enjoy more than a bit of self-mockery, it's laughing at foreigners, especially Americans, whom we've traditionally considered as lacking our refined wit, culture and learning. But one of the claims made repeatedly for Bryson, as if it's the greatest compliment he could hope to receive, is that, having lived in England for 20 years, he - and his humour - have become sufficiently anglicised to give him honorary status and a licence to laugh at us. But is it true that, as Bryson suggests, England spent the twentieth century 'looking on itself as a chronic failure'?" The Observer (UK) 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 1:17 pm

Censorship Or Taste? Do some books cause more harm than they're worth? Critics are asking the question in regards to a Canadian book that resurrects details of horrible crimes committed a decade ago. "Karla Homolka, a diabolical criminal will be a free woman in 2005, after serving only 12 years for heinous crimes against schoolgirls in a quiet Ontario town." Should the public know more about Homolka "before she disappears into Canadian society, perhaps to commit more crimes under the camouflage of a new name and an altered appearance?" But in dredging up details, "the families of the victims are publicly traumatized once again" and some booksellers have declined to carry the book.
The Globe & Mail (Canada) 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 12:52 pm

The Poetic Politics Of Poet Protest As thousands of poets protest a war with Iraq, some wonder why poets have taken a lead on the issue and what effect their art might have on the issue. Robert Pinsky: "What poetry does have is the ability to speak memorably in the breath of each reader. Poetry's strength was the inner universe. The power of poetry has to do with its intimacy and human scale. The poems that were presented to the President were an idiosyncratic mix: wildly various in content, point of view, cogency, literary distinction... That variety represents a certain power, more than a weakness. It reflects something profound about both American culture and the art of poetry". The Age (Melbourne) 03/10/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 9:44 am

Media

Is December The Only Quality Movie Month? All the movies nominated for this year's Best Picture Oscar were released in December. "If this becomes the only way to get an Oscar nomination, it could mean Hollywood solely releases its 'quality' movies in December from now on. But if that occurs, what will happen the other 11 months? "Jackass" knockoffs?" Denver Post 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 12:43 pm

One-Stop Media - A Good Idea? Should media companies be allowed to own newspapers, radio and TV stations in the same market? In America, the Federal Communications Commission is considering the idea. In radio, relaxing limits on how many stations one company can own has resulted in mass consolidation of the industry. Critics are concerned: "I don't think it exaggerates a bit to say that fundamental components of democracy are at stake when the airwaves belong to the public. This is about how we discuss issues and how we disseminate them." Seattle Weekly 03/06/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 9:20 am

Dance

Remaking Milwaukee Ballet Milwaukee Ballet's new artistic director Michael Pink isn't wasting any time making changed to the company. Not only is the company's repertoire changing, but at most, only 14 of the company's 28 dancers will be back for a new season. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 1:28 pm

Is America Forgetting How To Dance? In a period when audiences for classical music, museums and opera have grown, the dance audience has shrunk. "Between 1993 and 2000, attendance in the United States for large ballet companies (with budgets of more than $6 million) fell by 25 percent. Audiences for mid-sized companies (with budgets that are $6 million or less) dropped 18.7 percent, according to Dance/USA. It is dramatically clear. By all measurements, audiences for ballet are down." Baltimore Sun 03/09/03
Posted: 03/09/2003 10:08 am

  • Why Baltimore Doesn't Dance Why doesn't Baltimore have a significant dance company? "It's not only that we don't have a major resident dance company. We also don't present key professional touring companies from around the U.S. Rightly or not, Baltimore has a reputation as a city that doesn't appreciate dance, a reputation fueled by very public failures of flagship troupes." Baltimore Sun 03/09/03
    Posted: 03/09/2003 10:05 am

Taking Solace In A Tango? "Argentina is struggling to emerge from the worst economic crisis in its history, and a nine-day tango festival here, which ends on Sunday night, is a government-sponsored attempt to offer some solace to the population. But the event also raises questions not only about the place of tango in contemporary Argentine society but also about its vitality and future." The New York Times 03/08/03
Posted: 03/08/2003 6:17 pm


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