Uniquely Yours - 10 Pieces Of Unique Music There are some works of art that are unique - they can't be repeated or recreated by others, writes Tim Page, who offers a list of "unique" music. "If there is any tie that binds, it is their un-repeatability. It is impossible to imagine a sequel to any of them; they create new forms, live out their lives and then break their own molds. (The same cannot be said of some of the most hallowed masterpieces - Shakespeare's plays, Bach's choral music, Mozart's symphonies, Chaplin's comedies - all of which fit gloriously into one continuum or another.) Indeed, it has been argued that the very uniqueness of some of the works on this list is a sign of sterility, that the avenues of expression they seemed to open have usually proven to be cul-de-sacs. Still, if you want these particular goods, there's only one place to get them." Washington Post 01/02/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:37 am
Framed (Lucratively) It wasn't too long ago that old picture frames were regarded as junk with little or no value. "Today the same frames that dealers once gave away sell for $10,000 to $35,000. (The record for a single sale is $947,000, for a 17th-century amber frame auctioned at Sotheby's in 1991.) Eli Wilner & Company has grown to 17 employees and does roughly $3 million a year in business. His collection has expanded to 3,000 frames, mostly 19th-century, but some dating back to the 1600's." The New York Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:18 am
Germany's Fragmented Art Scene Most countries have a cultural center, where the major business of art is conducted. "Germany, however, has several centers. From north to south, these are Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and Munich. This situation has disadvantages, since there is no “scene“ in which everything culminates. However, the decentralized country also has its advantages, because its auction locations live with and from their respective clienteles and their mentality, which is also reflected in their art purchases. Similarly, the international public, which focuses its attention on art auctions in Germany, (still) follows these paths." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 01/02/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 10:49 am
A Business Approach To Italy's Museums Ten years ago, Italy's museums were run haphazardly and were difficult to navigate. Then someone got the idea that m useums should be run more like businesses. "When I got here the idea was that money is dirty, art is sacred and the two things should not be mixed. It took a while, but that attitude has changed." The New York Times 01/01/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 7:23 am
Music As Cross-Dimensional Experience At Joe's Pub at Manhattan's Public Theatre, the music lineup crosses an astonishing range of genres, geographies and sensibilities. And it draws audiences, too. "Audiences are much more adventurous than a lot of people give them credit for. People are listening to music from all over the world: from American pop, funk and techno to Asian and European hybrids of the same. This has been happening for 50 years, but lately it has accelerated."
The New York Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:27 am
Punk Therapy "Musicians from a few different punk-related genres are exploring therapy rock: the up-and-coming "emo" genre, which features hyperdramatic, almost mawkish rock delving deeply into personal upheaval; rap-metal, an aggressive hybrid that has lately turned more introspective; and pop-punk, a slick version of punk that's deceptively up-tempo and not generally noted for its profundity." The New York Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:21 am
Opera From The Streets A London opera company that uses professionals and homeless people for its productions is gaining notice. "Matthew Peacock first had the idea of a company that mixed homeless people with professional performers three years ago, when he was an assistant editor of the London-based magazine Opera Now. A former singer with a social conscience, he had begun to do voluntary work for a London night shelter and found that it was taking over his life. 'Some of the people there were what you'd expect - difficult, drunken, drugged. But others weren't. They were ordinary guys just like me, except they'd had a stroke of bad luck and couldn't cope." The New York Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:05 am
US Music Sales Hold Steady In 2003 Reversing a trend in recent years, sales of recorded music in the US held steady in 2003. "Figures released by Nielsen SoundScan show annual sales falling just 0.8 per cent from 2002, spurred in part by several hit albums that made their debut in the fourth quarter." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 01/03/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 10:54 am
Where Are The New Rock Critics? "When you think of the kind of writing there was in Rolling Stone 30 years ago and look at magazines now, it doesn't even need to be pointed out. Most writers are writing in the shadows of Bangs or writing bland stuff. No one's been able to get over that and create a post-new-journalism template." Boston Globe 01/01/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 7:35 am
The Download Scam As more and more consumers get used to the idea of paying for music online, a new array of download sites has popped up on the internet. But there's a problem - many of them do not own the music they're selling. Consumers pay the sites for downloading, then discover that the music they've "purchased" hasn't been licensed. The New York Times 12/31/03
Posted: 01/04/2004 7:27 am
City In Crisis - Can Culture Save Rio? "At this moment in history, there are two urgent questions, vividly focused in Rio: can this city, the jewel in Brazil's battered crown, halt the seemingly inexorable process of social disintegration as factions wage war on factions? Drug gangs versus drug gangs; drug gangs versus police; police versus apparently everyone (shocking but true, read on). And can culture, that last life raft of the idealistic, come to the aid of a community's identity, perhaps ensure its survival?" Financial Times 01/02/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 10:46 am
The New Arts Landscape Tighter funding, changed attitudes - it's tough to run an arts organization these days. Chicago-area arts administrators reflect on the new cultural climate: "There's a strong current of anti-intellectualism around these days, which becomes antielitism, and arts groups tend to be tarred with that charge unfairly. There should be some recognition of the arts as a socializing force. But at least the historical lack of government support for the arts in America means that we have not become dependent on it." Chicago Tribune 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 9:15 am
Next Wave Back On Track The Brooklyn Academy's Next Wave Festival has "served to celebrate innovative work begun in Europe or in Manhattan lofts and museum spaces." But its 20th anniversary festival last year was something of a disappointment for an enterprise that traditionally sought out the new and risky. This year's installment, however, re-establishes Next Wave's aesthetic direction, writes John Rockwell. And despite some financial hardships, the Brooklyn Academy takes the lead once again. The New York Times 12/31/03
Posted: 01/04/2004 8:00 am
Jose Cura, Jack Of All Trades "The Argentinian-born tenor can rightfully boast of being a jack-of-all-trades, and contrary to the expression, becoming the master of every last one: singer, conductor, composer, arranger, instrumentalist (guitar, piano, winds, strings), rugby player, photographer and businessman. But instead of receiving unqualified encouragement for his artistic reach, Cura often finds himself criticized for his craven ambitions." Chicago Sun-Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 9:12 am
The Hottest Thing In Downloads - Books "Download fever sweeps the nation, audio stores are the hottest thing on the Internet, and this week's hottest track is ... 'Hegemony or Survival,' by Noam Chomsky? That's right. The killa, must-have MP3 is thrown down by an MIT linguistics professor, at least if you spend time in the expanding universe of downloaded audiobooks." Denver Post 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 10:37 am
Found Objects - Poetry From Spam Artists have always used materials at hand for their work. Now, "a few bold souls are trying to fashion art from electronic found objects. Their battle cry: From spam, poetry. Taking phrases from the deluge of junk mail as their raw material, they assemble the verbal detritus into poems." Boston Globe Magazine 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 9:05 am
The Fan Fiction Phenom Fiction written by fans of already-existing literary characters is now a major phenomenon. "Despite a threat of legal notices and continued aloofness by the more upright literary community, this work is flourishing. Harry Potter-inspired fiction has even given rise to its own stars, some of whom rival Rowlings's own talent for rococo prose and colossal word count. These exuberant HP writers are the latest heirs to a literary tradition known as fan fiction, or fanfic. The genre is staffed by fans of a specific book, television show or movie. Using established characters and surroundings, writers arm themselves with a healthy sense of creative entitlement and let it rip." The Age (Melbourne) 01/05/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 8:16 am
Details, Details, Details... "There is a species of movie buff so invested in the cinematic illusion that they actually care when a clock in one shot that reads 3:15 is preceded by a shot in which the same clock reads 3:20. A subset of this subculture is made up of another time-obsessed group, anachronism spotters. "Far from Heaven," they are quick to point out, may take place in 1958, but the Tupperware Julianne Moore uses in it wasn't made until four years later..." Boston Globe 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 8:30 am
Those Cursed Stars Most publications top off movie reviews with a star rating. "Every reviewer I know hates the fiendish things, for the same reasons readers, editors, and publicists like them. Star ratings boil down critical analysis - the careful weighing of pro and con, the appreciation for the nuances of camerawork and performance, the baited hook of scorn - into a snap judgment that can be instantly grokked by a harried parent or slapped across a two-page ad spread. Gripe though critics may, unless we're one of the dainty pashas at The New York Times or The New Yorker, the stars - or some system of dingbats like them - are a fact of the workplace, like spam or carpal tunnel." Boston Globe 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 8:24 am
The 24-Hour Movie In October, 24 teams competed in a contest to "write, cast, shoot, score, and edit an entire movie" in a day. The prize? $10,000... Wired 12/03
Posted: 01/04/2004 8:08 am
Critics At The Movies (In Their Dreams!) Ever wonder how the movie critics see movies? In luxury and comfort, right? "A tuxedo-clad greeter checks your coat, offers a hot towel, and escorts you to your enormous, plush red seat. Beautiful women in flowing gowns roam the aisles, offering Belgian-chocolate covered popcorn, warm spiced apple cider with top-shelf rum, foie gras hot dogs, and an assortment of light meals flown in from L.A.'s The Ivy--all for free. There is a cigar bar in the back, just under the projector, where single malt scotch flows like the ocean in 'Waterworld.' A direct line to Harvey Weinstein is always open and celebrities wander in and out, happy to answer any questions reviewers may have." Not! Chicago Tribune 01/02/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 7:45 am
That Balanchine Ballerina At 45 Kyra Nichols on dancing for Balanchine: "You'd do what he taught you, but you'd let your personality come out. Also he'd give you a role, and you were expected to go into the studio and work by yourself. It was the best thing for me. It would give you time to think of how you could do it within the restrictions of the choreography." The New York Times 01/04/04
Posted: 01/04/2004 11:02 am
