Ideas

Critical Conversation: Critics Under The Stars As the critics' blog wraps up, Fiona Maddocks wonders whether the "star system" forced on many critics by their employers (in which each performance is rated numerically, rather than merely being thoughtfully reviewed) doesn't encourage more extremist views in the critic. "It discourages exploratory debate or, perish the thought, subtlety. It's just another demonstration of the trend to treat reviews chiefly as a consumer service." Critical Conversation (AJ Blog) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 5:32 am

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Visual Arts

Transition of Power Replacing a legend is no easy task, but as William Griswold prepares to take over the small but prestigious Minneapolis Institute of Arts from longtime director Evan Maurer, he will face immediate questions about how he plans to build on Maurer's considerably legacy. "Griswold will inherit many of Maurer's ambitions, the most significant of which is a current $100 million capital and endowment campaign. The physical centerpiece of that campaign is a 117,000-square-foot addition scheduled to open next spring that will add 40 percent more gallery space and upgrade the existing museum building. The expansion wasn't Griswold's idea. But figuring out how best to make the expanded facility work will be his job." St. Paul Pioneer Press 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:42 am

• Previously: Griswold To Minneapolis The acting director and chief curator at L.A.'s J. Paul Getty Museum, who took his name out of the running for that museum's permanent directorship three months ago, has been snapped up by the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts. William Griswold will take over as president and director of the MIA this fall. "The Minneapolis job is considered to be a plum because the museum, although smaller and less well-endowed than its counterparts in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, has an enviable collection of paintings, drawings and decorative arts that are often sought for loan exhibitions around the world." Minneapolis Star Tribune 07/21/05

The Gehrification Of Everything "We've entered an era in which ambitious developers are not just open to the notion of working with architecture's boldest talents but, in certain high-profile cases, are desperate to avoid working without them. So-called 'starchitects' have become too valuable now, as urban alchemists and as marketing vehicles, for developers to ignore." It's merely an extension of the overpowering star quality architects like Frank Gehry have brought to bear on the world of urban planning, but the embrace of the starchitects' often-unusual visions by the general public has served to change the entire face of building design in the U.S. Los Angeles Times 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:21 am

Fixing Up The Met, One Agonizing Detail At A Time New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is winding up four years of renovation with a painstaking restoration of its intricate four-block-long facade. "Section by section, architects, engineers and craftsmen have been slowly and carefully repointing portions of the stone facade, cleaning and filling in cracks and repairing water damage." The New York Times 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 9:13 pm

Another Preservation Dustup London's Commonwealth Institute, one of the UK's leading buildings, has been placed on a protected list of historic structures by the country's culture secretary, over the protests of the Institute's trustees, who wanted to sell the building to raise money for education programs. "The pre-stressed concrete building in Holland Park, west London, was designed by the British architect Sir Robert Matthew, and was given a Grade II listing by English Heritage within 30 years of being opened by the Queen in 1962." The Guardian (UK) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 8:37 pm

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Music

La Scala To Replace Muti With A Platoon "Italy's venerable opera house, La Scala, will rotate through a roster of young conductors instead of replacing its former maestro, Riccardo Muti, who lead the company for 19 years. Stephane Lissner, La Scala's new artistic director, says he's in no hurry to replace Muti, who was ousted earlier this year along with top managers after an acrimonious strike by the theatre's workers... Lissner said he would like to have a lineup of five or six conductors taking over the reigns for the next three years and mentioned the likes of Riccardo Chailly, Daniel Barenboim and Lorin Maazel." CBC 07/21/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 8:13 pm

But Would They Pay For It? Classical music advocates are ecstatic over the news that the BBC's free offer of downloadable Beethoven resulted in more downloads than any of the big pop stars currently topping the charts. But Andrew Dickson points out the flaw in that comparison: the Beethoven was free. Bono and The Beatles aren't. The BBC is comparing a giveaway with purchased pop tracks. So the real lesson may be that people like free stuff. CultureVulture (The Guardian) 07/21/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 7:56 pm

Judge: No Tax Exemption for UK Orchestra England's Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has lost a court case it had hoped would allow it to qualify for an exemption from the UK's Value-Added Tax (VAT, similar to a U.S. sales tax). The court ruled that, because the orchestra has a paid executive on its board, it is not exempt, and the VAT should be applied to its annual income. The case is part of a continuing effort by British charities and nonprofits to gain exemption from the tax - a similar case brought by the London Zoo was successful in the European Court of Justice, which overruled several UK courts on the matter. The Bournemouth Symphony plans to appeal, and eventually to take its case to the European court, if necessary. The Telegraph (UK) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 7:49 pm

Levine In The Berkshires The James Levine Era has begun at Tanglewood, which has implications for more than just the Boston Symphony and its fans. Tanglewood is also home to one of the world's preeminent orchestral training programs for young musicians, a program traditionally overseen by the BSO music director. So far, the center's administrators and observers have raved about the maestro's effect on the program, but privately, many of the young musicians have been saying that Levine's baton technique can be vague and indecipherable. Still, there's no doubt that Levine is shaking up Tanglewood, and has taken to the role of head mentor. The New York Times 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 7:38 pm

Orchestras Discriminating Against Men? That's A New One. A 29-year-old violinist is suing the New York Philharmonic for employment discrimination after being was dismissed from the ensemble in 2004. Anton Polezhayev claims that he received strong performance reviews but was denied tenure anyway because the orchestra prefers female violinists. The Philharmonic has no official comment on the lawsuit, but orchestra musicians have called Polezhayev's charges absurd, saying that "he didn't get tenure because he wasn't doing his job." The New York Times 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 7:24 pm

McManus on Baltimore: It's The Process, Stupid. Drew McManus says that some critics, notably the Boston Globe's Richard Dyer, are not doing their research before sounding off on the Baltimore/Alsop controversy. "[Dyer] makes it seem as though the players are merely crying sour grapes at being outvoted in the search committee process... As the musician's statement following the board's vote on Tuesday said, they will work with any conductor who comes to Baltimore with equal skill and effort. They're professionals, and that’s what pros do. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they aren't allowed to have their own opinions and thoughts about the process their organization should use to determine their artistic leaders. To say otherwise is to reduce their contribution to the organization as a mere cog in a wheel, easily replaced and expendable." Adaptistration (AJ Blogs) 07/21/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 7:15 pm

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Arts Issues

Art In A Land Of War The Gaza Strip is not a pleasant place to be at the moment, and certainly not the type of locale in which you would expect to find a vibrant cultural scene. "Extreme poverty prevents potential audiences from paying to attend theater performances, which in turn has forced the closure of many small troupes. Existing film and theater groups struggle daily to survive. Despite the many frustrations, however, the Palestinian theater and film scene is remarkably vibrant; this summer even saw successful film and theater festivals held in both Ramallah and the Gaza strip." The Christian Science Monitor (Boston) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:06 am

Cuban Troupe Wins Right To Asylum "Ending an arduous yearlong journey, 50 Cuban performers were granted political asylum this week after what is believed to be the largest group defection of Cubans in American history. The musicians, singers and dancers of the 'Havana Night Club' revue, which recently changed its name to the 'Havana Night Show,' celebrated the official statement on Thursday and planned to appear together in another venue on Friday, the local Social Security office. There they hope to begin the process of becoming permanent residents and, ultimately, United States citizens." Their push to defect began when Cuban authorities raided their Havana headquarters and deported their founder. After finagling a U.S. travel visa, the whole troupe defected in November 2004, while performing in Las Vegas. The New York Times 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 5:24 am

The Decline Of The Disney Empire The Walt Disney Company used to be the cultural barometer for everyday Americans, combining a cutting-edge marketing apparatus and wide-ranging distribution with legitimately creative product. So what the heck happened? The author of a new book about the company points out that "the creative flame at the heart of the place is flickering rather dimly at this point," but there's more to it than that. It's not just Disney that has changed - the world that once embraced Disney has changed as well, and may no longer be receptive to the happy-go-lucky message of the world's most famous mouse. Miami Herald 07/17/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 4:26 am

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People

Gilbert Leaving SAG Presidency Actress Melissa Gilbert is stepping down as head of the Screen Actors' Guild after four years at the helm. In announcing her decision, Gilbert spoke of deep rifts within the union leadership, and warned future guild leaders that she will be "watching them like a hawk." BBC 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 5:19 am

Barenboim The Politician Musicians don't come much more Israeli than Daniel Barenboim. The pianist and conductor grew up in Tel Aviv, and has retained his citizenship even as his career took him around the world. "With such bona-fide Israeli credentials, you would hardly have expected Barenboim to become one of its government's most conspicuous critics. Yet, like Menuhin before him, Barenboim's questing mind ensures that his own considered opinions transcend mere political correctness... In 1999 he formed, against all odds, an orchestra made up by an equal number of young Arab and Israeli musicians... to demonstrate that, through music, it is possible for people from warring factions to co-exist peacefully. After six years of hard work, it is proving an overwhelming success, and that fact alone should convince politicians of the importance of music in education." The Telegraph (UK) 07/21/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 9:01 pm

Seattle Opera Founder Dies Glynn Ross, the founding general director of Seattle Opera, has died, aged 90, after suffering a stroke. "Ross, a former Golden Gloves fighter who grew up on a Nebraska farm, founded and ran Seattle Opera for two decades, and also developed its international calling card: regular productions of Wagner's four-opera masterpiece, the 'Ring'." Seattle Times 07/21/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 8:10 pm

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Theatre

Avignon Takes A Dive France's world-renowned Avignon Festival is having a bad year, with critics calling it "purgatory" or worse, and patrons walking out of performances in droves. "The festival was crippled in 2003 after a strike by theatre workers, but returned with healthy audiences last year. Ticket sales for this year's events had been strong." One critic described this year's festival as the worst in 37 years, and another wrote, "You think you've reached the last point in mediocrity, pretentiousness and confusion. But no. There is always something worse." BBC 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 5:14 am

A Comedy Of Errors Nearly Becomes A Dublin Tragedy "Ireland's national theatre, founded 100 years ago by WB Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, narrowly avoided having to turn out the lights and declare insolvency this morning. The entire management board offered its resignation yesterday after a disastrous year in which it managed to lose almost €1m [$1.2 million] into a 'black hole' without even noticing. The Abbey has slipped €3.4m into the red and witnessed a battle of egos worthy of Oscar Wilde's cruellest comedy. Now a report by independent financial consultants has accused the byzantine management structure of gross incompetence." The Guardian (UK) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 8:27 pm

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Media

Downloads Triple; Industry Credits Rise of Broadband "The number of digital music tracks legally downloaded from the Internet almost tripled in the first half of 2005 as the use of high-speed broadband connections surged around the world, the international recording industry said Thursday. The International Federation of Phonographic Industries said that 180 million single tracks were downloaded legally in the first six months of the year, compared to 57 million tracks in the first half of 2004 and 157 million for the whole of last year. The federation credited the increase to a 13 percent rise in the number of broadband lines installed around the world, along with an industry campaign to both prosecute and educate against illegal downloading." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (AP) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:40 am

Brave New Waves The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's efforts to create a third national radio network aimed at young people and playing the hottest new music seemed to wither on the vine before it even began, but after several years and countless reimaginings (none of which included actual radio broadcasts,) the so-called "Radio 3" seems ready to take off on the wings of the new phenomenon known as podcasting. A partnership with Apple's iTunes music store, which is driving the podcasting craze, and CBC's own ability to cut deals with cutting-edge bands, add up to a potentially important new service. Radio 3 will even be getting an actual radio presence this fall, when it launches a channel on the Sirius satellite network. The Globe & Mail (Canada) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:13 am

So Bad, It Might Just Be Good What in the name of all that is holy has happened to summer movies? How can there be 14 screens in one place, and not a single watchable film? It's enough to drive a critic to drink, and the public has already cast its vote by staying away in droves. But is it just possible that this summer's cauldron of Hollywood dreck might actually be bad enough to convince the major studios to start putting out a better product? The Guardian (UK) 07/22/05
Posted: 07/21/2005 8:47 pm

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Dance

SF Ballet: Dancin' In The Rain The San Francisco Ballet ran into some bad luck on its European tour, courtesy of Mother Nature. Cold, rainy weather cancelled two performances in the first week alone, and the opening night, before an audience of ultra-knowledgable Parisians including the wife of President Jacques Chirac, was very nearly rained out. Still, the tour has by all accounts been a success, and French audiences have been very receptive to the company's traditional approach to dance, despite the unpopularity of the cancellations. San Francisco Chronicle 07/22/05
Posted: 07/22/2005 6:47 am

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