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MISS THE ARTS NEWS OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND? Tim Page courts controversy with his list of 25 essential opera recordings... The New York Times weighs in with observations about how planning for a memorial at the World Trade Center site is going...The Guardian explains why it's in the BBC's interests to give away its archives for free on the internet... and a UK TV network notable for its programming on football and blockbuster movies strides in to help save an arts channel... all this and more in ArtsJournal's weekend edition. ArtsJournal 08/30-31/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 7:22 pm
Dancing To Relativity Einstein's theory of relativity is almost 100 years old. So how to celebrate and at the same time shed a little light on how to understand it? "The Institute of Physics has asked a contemporary dance company to produce a new work marking the centenary of the 1905 publication of Einstein's most famous and important ideas. The show will be premiered at Sadler's Wells theatre in May 2005, and if London audiences are wowed, a national tour is planned. 'Dance is an expressive medium. It will be ideal for abstract concepts like the theories of Einstein on everything from tiny atoms to the dynamics of the whole cosmos'." The Guardian (UK) 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 2:55 pm
Theft - Artwork At Risk The theft last week of an important Leonardo painting "highlights the difficulties of safeguarding valuable works of art while allowing access for the public. It is the latest in a series of robberies of art works so famous that they would be impossible to sell on the open market. Still missing are Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee”, and Vermeer’s “The Concert”, stolen in March 1990 from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston by thieves dressed as policemen. Even art world insiders can only speculate as to their whereabouts and the motives of such robberies. Theories being put forward by the police and experts for this latest theft include links to terrorist groups and drugs gangs. Benvenuto Cellini’s salt, a masterpiece of 16th-century goldwork, was stolen in May from Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum." The Art Newspaper 08/29/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 5:48 pm
Leonardo Theft - Opportunity Waiting To Happen? Last week's theft of a Leonardo in Scotland makes obvious the lack of security for artwork in many museums. "In recent years, the UK has become a target for the international gangs, who have learned that security of artworks in Britain is largely a matter of trust between owner and visitor. There are two famous stories about the Duke of Buccleuch that exemplify this. It is said the duke was once asked where the toilets were in the castle and he replied: 'Along the corridor and turn right at the Holbein'." The Scotsman 08/29/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 3:46 pm
The Kennedy Center Problem Catesby Leigh doesn't like the Kennedy Center's Rafael Viñoly plans for a $250 million addition to Washington's Kennedy Center. At all. "For starters, the public space created by the eight-acre deck (including the roadway) is absurdly overblown. The plaza will be a desolate, windswept space. Moreover, an open-air stairway to the Potomac promenade from the Center's existing terrace would be far preferable to the one Mr. Viñoly proposes. And his futuristic buildings may end up looking like airport terminals. The deck and the new buildings on it must be designed to provide inviting, humanely scaled public spaces. Mr. Viñoly's scheme does not even begin to grasp this issue." OpinionJournal.com 09/02/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 1:57 pm
Afghan Treasure Surfaces Much of Afghanistan's cultural heritage was destroyed during the country's civil war and rule of the Taliban. But "Afghanistan's legendary 2 000-year-old Tillya Tepe Bactrian gold hoard is safe and sound after lying hidden in a bank vault for the past 14 years, President Hamid Karzai said on Friday. The priceless collection of gold ornaments dating back about 2 000 years was safely stored in a presidential palace vault throughout the civil war and Taliban regime." The Independent (South Africa) 08/29/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 1:47 pm
My Day As A Conductor Pianist Susan Tomes is pressed into service as a conductor unexpectedly: "At first I stood at the foot of the stage with the score propped on a chair, and gave an upbeat. Astoundingly, they all came in together and, even more astonishingly, they kept playing; all the musical fragments fitted together in the correct places. I even found that I could make them speed up and slow down where indicated without losing them. There was something poignant about being the only person in possession of the whole map..." The Guardian (UK) 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 3:20 pm
Latin Music's New Global Beat There's something new apparent in the lists of nominees for this year's Latin Grammys. "Call it the globalization of Latin music. Not in the sense of a particular Latin genre hitting it big with non-Latins, i.e. salsa being hot in Europe or Latin-flavored American pop hitting it in the United States. This is about Latin music taking its place as an essential part of the world pop music pantheon." Miami Herald 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 2:45 pm
Visa Holdups Derail Cuban Musicians' Visits For Grammys The Cuban government says the US is holding up visas for Cuban music stars who have been invited to the Latin Grammys. "Nominees including Latin jazz stars Chucho Valdes and Los Van Van are unlikely to attend Wednesday's ceremony because they have not been given visas. But US diplomats say visa requests were delayed by the Cuban government." BBC 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 8:19 am
Was Lester Bangs The Best Rock Critic Of The 70s? A new book makes the case. But Sasha Frere-Jones maintains that making the case is problematic. "Picking an All-Time No. 1 in any category is an exercise that's generally more fun than scientific. This is especially true when picking top critics, a breed who succeed precisely by being in and of their time. There's a good chance Bangs owns the '70s but carving him in marble for all time does his gifts no service." Slate 08/29/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 8:14 am
Chicago Lyric Opera Contract Looming Chicago Lyric Opera is down to the wire negotiating new contracts with its musicians and chorus. Will the contract be wrapped up before the season is scheduled to start? We're sure it's going to happen. We just don't know what time of the day or night." Chicago Sun-Times 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 7:06 am
- City Opera Strike? New York City Opera costumers have voted to authorize a strike against the comnpany. "The vote, at the union's headquarters on West 45th Street, means that the union could strike at any time, though both sides said yesterday that talks were continuing. The union's contract expired in November." The New York Times 08/30/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 7:01 am
Pricing Tickets To The Highest Bidder Later this year, Ticketmaster plans to start auctioning off tickets to the highest bidders. "With no official price ceiling on such tickets, Ticketmaster will be able to compete with brokers and scalpers for the highest price a market will bear. 'The tickets are worth what they're worth. If somebody wants to charge $50 for a ticket, but it's actually worth $1,000 on eBay, the ticket's worth $1,000. I think more and more, our clients — the promoters, the clients in the buildings and the bands themselves — are saying to themselves, `Maybe that money should be coming to me instead of Bob the Broker'." The New York Times 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 5:09 pm
Art Newspaper Editor Moves On Anna Somers Cocks, founding editor of The Art Newspaper, is leaving the publication after 13 years. “Over the years I have learnt how much the art world is interconnected: how, for example, an academic publication in one country can lead to an exhibition in another that then boosts the market for a certain category of art." The Art Newspaper 08/30/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 5:41 pm
The Making Of A Prodigy Twenty-one-year-old pianist Lang Lang is the brightest of young stars. "Lang Lang's story, like that of many athletic and artistic prodigies, is emblematic of an entire generation of Chinese parents and their only children, and their high expectations and extreme sacrifices for those children." The New York Times 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 5:16 pm
Parks On Play Writing Pulitzer-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on how to write a play: "I feel that you can plan a play out in great detail, or have it just strike you over the head when you walk down the street. Either way, it's ultimately an act of grace." Seattle Times 08/31/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 7:49 am
Money For Scottish National Theatre Scotland is about to get its first government funding for a national theatre. "The sum required for the scheme is relatively small within the overall overspend - a recommended minimum initial investment of £2.5 million - and will represent an additional sum over and above the £38 million the Executive supplies to the Scottish Arts Council." The Scotsman 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 3:40 pm
In Search Of Thurber James Thurber has had official honors. But "despite all this official appreciation, a doubt arises: Is Thurber still being widely read and enjoyed? The nod from the Library of America was meant as a coronation, but nobody can be funny for a thousand pages, and Thurber’s writing—occasional by definition—resists so exhaustive and formal an act of exhumation and canonization. As for the new collection of his letters, your pleasure in it will probably depend on how much of the Thurber literature you’ve been exposed to — I mean the literature about him, not the literature by him." The New Yorker 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 6:12 pm
Trashing The Booker Judges Longtime Booker Prize administrator Martyn Goff unloads about various personalities that have been involved in judging over the years. "He recalled how one year Salman Rushdie threw a tantrum, telling Goff to 'Fuck off' before storming past. He listed the failings of numerous eminent judges, branding last year's chairwoman, Lisa Jardine, as 'bossy' and accused her colleague, David Baddiel, of saying 'stupid things'. Gerald Kaufman and Fay Weldon also came under fire, but Goff's prize for worst-ever Booker chairman went to John Bayley, widower of Iris Murdoch." The Observer (UK) 08/31/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 3:06 pm
Ripping Off A 93-Year-Old Author (Then Offering Money) A critic discovers a book re-published without securing rights from the original publisher or author. After tracking down the 93-year-old author, the critic contacts the publisher. "Two weeks ago, it wrote, effusively, to Miss Lovett saying that 7,588 copies of her book had been sold, and that, should she be willing to give retrospective permission, a cheque for $4,530.04 was on its way." The Economist 08/28/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 2:23 pm
Movie Lessons - Sequelitis Is An Affliction There are lessons to be learned from this summer's movie season. "The main conclusions? Big-budget sequels, previously considered a sure draw for fans of franchise films and the antidote to unpredictable studio profits, proved vulnerable." The New York Times 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 5:06 pm
Movie Business In Danger The movie industry is in danger of being cannibalized by pirates. And, say some obervers, the industry isn't doing nearly enough to protect itself. "Already as many as 600,000 movie files are shared each day on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks such as Morpheus and Grokster, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). That number is likely to soar as more households get broadband internet and compression technology cuts download time." The Economist 08/28/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 2:15 pm
Cable Beats Broadcast TV US cable channels are beating traditional network broadcast channels for viewers. "As August draws to a close, early projections released Wednesday by Turner Entertainment Group showed the 60-plus cable networks enjoyed a record 18-point lead in summer audience share over the seven broadcasters. Despite more first-run programing on the Big Four broadcast networks than ever before this summer, the absence of a megahit such as 'Survivor' or 'American Idol' kept broadcasters collectively from posting year-to-year gains during the summer months." Backstage 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 1:37 pm
America's Record Movie Summer Despite what many critics have called a disappointing summer for movies, America's theatres have scored a record summer at the box office. "The summer gross is expected to total $3.9bn - up 2% from last summer's previous record figure, according to box office monitor Exhibitor Relations. But because of a rise in admission prices, the number of tickets sold will actually be down about 2% on last year - the first decline in three years." BBC 09/01/03
Posted: 09/01/2003 8:25 am | 
