Art In Musical Terms There is a relationship, but does one describe the other? "The notion was to take the novelty of abstract art, so radical before World War I that it could hardly be imagined, and justify it by comparison to music. If a Beethoven string quartet could be understood and admired on its own terms, without imagining that it painted a sonic picture of the world, visual art should have the same freedom to escape from rendering reality. The notes and timbres and structures of music could be compared to the colors and textures and forms of a painting; a talented artist could assemble them into a visual "composition" every bit as affecting, meaningful and praiseworthy as anything that goes on in a fancy concert hall." Washington Post 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:49 am
Iraq Joins "Most-Endangered" List For the first time, the World Monuments Fund has listed an entire country as endangered. It's Iraq, and the country joins other threatened sites from 55 countries that include a Modernist building in New York and a hut in Antarctica. "The list of 100 at-risk sites, issued by the privately financed World Monuments Fund every two years, is chosen from nominations made by a broad array of experts in archeology and the arts." BBC (Reuters) 06/21/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:27 am
Dissecting The Guggenheim's Empire The Guggenheim continues its expansionist appetite. But former board member Peter Lewis says there is more to expansion than met the eye. "In speeches, it was, 'We're the museum of the future.' It was sold that sort of way," he says. In fact it was driven by the need for revenue. "The rationale always was, 'We had a nongenerous, noncontributing set of trustees--therefore we had to have other sources of revenue and capital--that's why we must expand. It's not the Guggenheim--it's the Guggenheim merchandising the Bilbao effect." OpinionJournal.com 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 5:51 pm
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Industry Report: One Of Three CDs Is Pirated The International Federation of Phonographic Industries reports that "one of every three compact discs sold in the world last year was pirated, with sales totaling $4.6 billion. "In a record 31 countries, fake recordings now outsell legal ones, the said in its annual report." Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP) 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:00 am
Visual Shorthand - How We Talk About Music "Unless you use the specialist's language of musicology and talk in terms that only musicians would understand, to put music into words you must borrow ideas from other art forms and the senses to which they appeal. Making sense of music requires that we speak as if we have seen it, or smelled it, or felt it with our hands. So flutes make bright tones, trombones dark ones. Composers, we say, work like architects, structuring sound, building arches of melody. At one moment, musicians may play dense or textured sounds, at another, thin and airy ones. Even the most basic musical terms -- high notes, low notes -- are described with spatial metaphors. What's the "high" point on a piano string?" Washington Post 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:45 am
Montreal Symphony Cancels Summer Season Because Of Strike "On paper, 13 concerts are affected by the move, which an OSM statement blamed on the musicians' strike that began on May 9. In fact, several of the OSM's concert partners had already withdrawn their invitations to perform, for fear of a long strike. The OSM is usually the most active of Canadian orchestras in the hot months, with habitual engagements at the Lanaudière Festival, and at concerts in parks and other civic spaces." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:37 am
Midori In Asia: Of East And West Midori begins a tour of Asia, and blogs about it on ArtsJournal: "To be reminded that Japan was completely closed (at least officially) to the West and its influences for over 250 years until 1854, and at what lightning speed some elements of the Western culture have become part of Japanese society is absolutely breathtaking. More to the point, in my case, I grew up thinking (and feeling) that music was Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, even Stravinsky, Bartok, and Prokofiev. There was classical music, which was “music,” and then everything else bulked together in one. All other genres of music were exotic and mysterious including jazz and Traditional Japanese music. For me, a Schubert lieder was much more "normal" and "understandable" than the infamous Japanese song "Sakura, Sakura." Midori in Asia (AJBlogs) 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 11:02 pm
In Venezuela - Music Out Of Poverty Some 400,000 kids have passed through a Venezuelan classical music program. "The program is the brainchild of Venezuelan conductor José Antonio Abreu, 66, who in 1975 envisioned classical music training as a social service that could change the lives of lower-income, at-risk, and special needs children. From 11 young musicians at the first rehearsal in a Caracas garage, his vision has grown into a national treasure, with 240,000 children as young as 2 -- some deaf, blind, or otherwise disabled -- now studying and performing in orchestras and choruses nationwide. Hundreds of them tour to international acclaim. The program, which has been funded by every government since it started, has spurred the creation of similar programs in 22 other Latin American countries." Boston Globe 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 9:21 pm
Orchestras - Corrupt As They Wanna Be? Norman Lebrecht takes a read of Blair Tindall's tell-all book about life in an orchestra. "It is an unstated axiom of orchestral life that naughty boys are protected by a code of omerta and that civil law is suspended in the rehearsal room. This detachment, dangerous to mental health, aggravates the growing distance between orchestras and worldly reality. It is almost as if we are speaking different languages. Orchestras like to pretend they are part of the living arts, but the composers they play are all dead." La Scena Musicale 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 5:36 pm
Royal Opera Takes Vilar's Name Down London's Royal Opera has stripped Alberto Vilar's name from its young artists program. "The Vilar Young Artists Programme has been renamed the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in honour of the chair of the Oak Foundation, a philanthropic organisation set up by Alan M Parker, one of Britain’s richest self-made millionaires. The Covent Garden opera house decided to remove Mr Vilar’s name after he stopped paying for the programme in March 2002." The Times (UK) 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 5:26 pm
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Do We Need Arts Prizes Just For Women? "Years after feminism was declared history, is there a new trend to single out women for special recognition? Until the 1970's, in most cultural fields, men created and women consumed. Today, across the West, women are well represented in art, architecture, music and film schools and account for a majority of students attending college literature and creative writing courses. Yet while women no longer regard the creative arts as a male province, when it comes to winning or even making the short list of prizes in fiction, poetry, art, architecture and music, they still fare poorly. Are there fewer women in these fields, are they less talented than men, or are women simply being denied equal opportunity?" The New York Times 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:59 am
Senator Questions Getty CEO Compensation The head of the US Senate committee considering overhaul of laws governing non-profit institutions has questioned compensation paid to Getty director Barry Munitz. "Charities shouldn't be funding their executives' gold-plated lifestyles," Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said this week in a statement to The Times. Los Angeles Times 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:07 am
San Jose Nudges Up Arts Funding The city of San Jose, CA has increased its arts funding a tiny bit - to $2 million next year. "The funding jump, up from $1.8 million last year, is the first since 2001-02 when the city awarded $3.9 million in grants. Before Tuesday's vote, arts funding had steadily declined each fiscal year, which begins July 1 ends June 30." San Jose Mercury-News 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:20 am
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Vilar Makes Bail Esrtwhile philanthropist Alberto Vilar gets out of jail after some help from a friend. "The conductor Valery Gergiev has put up $500,000 in cash to help secure Mr. Vilar's freedom on bail, in what Mr. Gergiev's manager called an act of deep friendship." The New York Times 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:46 am
From Peasant To International Ballet Star... If Li Cunxin was a character in a potboiler, you would scarcely credit it. There's the sensational defection, a new dance career and life in the US brokered by a former first lady. Then a move to Australia, followed by a second flowering as a dancer, then an improbable switch from the stage to stockbroking, then life as a bestselling author. Sydney Morning Herald 06/23/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 7:56 pm
Dethroning The "King" Of Opera Philanthropist Alberto Vilar's fall has been startlingly rapid. "There may be an element of schadenfreude behind the speed at which Vilar has been dropped by the arts establishment: an old money distaste for new wealth. Vilar said he was public about his giving to act as an example to others; his hunger for attention rankled with some. Beverly Sills, the former chairwoman of the Met, told the New York Times: "He was not, how shall I say, quiet about his giving. I think that was a turn-off for other members of the board, the fact that he wanted attention. Meanwhile, Vilar continues to insist that everyone who is patient will be paid." The Guardian (UK) 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 7:19 pm
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Making Arts Accessible (How About $15 Tickets?) Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre slashes ticket prices to all its shows to $15 (the deal is underwritten by Time Warner). "At $15 the Signature tickets will run about the price of a movie and soda. (And a small soda at that.) Most Off Broadway companies, looking at declines in corporate, public and private giving, have steadily raised prices in recent years, with seats now regularly going for $50 or more. (The Signature generally charges $55.) On Broadway, orchestra seats commonly go for $100, while premium tickets can reach nearly $500." The New York Times 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:42 am
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Publishers Worry About Google's Digital Book Deal A first look at the contract between Google and universities to digitize their libraries has some publishers concerned. "Some publishers argue that Google doesn't have the right to make and hold digital copies of their intellectual property. At the same time, they worry that universities will use their digital versions to make books available to students and faculty online, suppressing sales of additional copies." BusinessWeek 06/22/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 8:52 am
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Fair And Balanced (Awwww...Not Really) Why is public television getting dumped on? "To some degree, public television has positioned itself for abuse. The charter of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it must adhere to "objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." Unfortunately, Americans have little appetite for truly "fair and balanced" coverage. If we did, the News Hour With Jim Lehrer would be a smash hit and Fox News would be banished to the media dustbin." Seattle Weekly 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 8:32 pm
Video Artist Runs Afoul Of Aussie Ratings Board A video artist gets caught in the Australian ratings board's rule that all works of moving images have to apply for ratings classification. But that costs real moneey, more in fact than some artists spend on making their work... Sydney Morning Herald 06/23/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 8:01 pm
Public Broadcasting's Problematic Lobbying Public radio stations are rallying their listeners to lobby Congress not to pass deep funding cuts to public broadcasting. But "jarring juxtaposition of news programming and self-interested promotion exemplifies the fine line that public broadcasters are walking as they mobilize to combat threats to their financing. It is always a delicate task for a news organization to cover itself. But when the organization in question is financed in part by the government, when the news centers on the prospects for that money and when a station floods its airwaves with spots urging viewers or listeners to contact their Congressional representatives, the undertaking becomes much more challenging." The New york Times 06/23/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 7:38 pm
Public Access TV Vs. Denver Denver's public access TV station is in a fight with the city's government. "The Denver City Council and management at DCTV are butting heads over the latter's budgetary habits. Like, spending too much. City funding for a public-access channel - $500,000 annually - was part of the deal. That contract ran out last year. To keep the channel on the air, the city fronted DCTV $115,000 for operating expenses and $150,000 for equipment. A divorce is imminent." Denver Post 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 6:52 pm
Herbie, Fully Loaded... With Product Placement "In an era when on-screen advertising is routine -- even unobtrusive when done well -- the makers of "Herbie" use every opportunity to stick a parade of Cheetos, Pepsi, Dupont, etc. in your face. Not only is this supremely distracting, but Disney's hyper-marketing even slows the dialogue as actors struggle to say such things as "Nextel Cup Series" as if they're reading off cue cards held by stern-looking corporate lawyers." Chicago Tribune 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 6:45 pm
No Stuntmeister Oscar Movie stunt coordinators are thwarted again in their attempt to get a new Oscar award category for stuntmasters. "At a time when the academy is trying to find ways to reduce the numbers of statuettes given out, and looks at categories with an eye more focused on reduction than addition, the board is simply not prepared to institute any new annual awards categories." Yahoo! (AP) 06/22/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 5:09 pm
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Karen Kain To Lead Canada's National Ballet Karen Kain, arguably Canada's most beloved dancer, will be appointed artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada. "Ms. Kain, 54, succeeds James Kudelka, whose surprise resignation from the post last month takes effect June 30. Mr. Kudelka has said he wants to spend more time creating ballets and less time dealing with the administrative headaches often associated with the job. For seven years, Ms. Kain has been the company's artistic associate under Mr. Kudelka." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 06/23/05
Posted: 06/23/2005 7:32 am
Krump Krump Krump Krumping is "equal parts break dance, pantomimed battle and demonic possession. As break dancing did 25 years ago in the South Bronx, krumping arose spontaneously some time in the last decade in neighborhoods in Long Beach and throughout South Central Los Angeles. And, just as break dancing was confined at its beginnings to a fragment of a New York borough then in ruins, krumping is still mostly unknown beyond the freeways that border these ragged areas of L.A. Over the past five years or so, though, a phenomenon that began with a handful of dancers has grown to include perhaps a thousand dancers and at least 80 independent crews, loosely organized and all part of a network connected informally but intricately by word of mouth." New York Times Magazine 06/20/05
Posted: 06/22/2005 8:52 pm
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