Antiquities Trove Discovered In Egyptian Museum Basement "For the past century, artefacts have been stored away in crates there and forgotten, often allowed to disintegrate in the dank, dusty cavern. Forgotten until now. The recent theft and recovery of three statues from the basement have prompted antiquity officials in Egypt to increase an effort already under way to complete the first comprehensive inventory of artefacts in the basement." Sydney Morning Herald 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:26 am
Met Museum In Talks With Italy Over Stolen Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Italian culture ministry officials have agreed to meet to discuss objects in the New York museum's collection that Italy says were looted. Bloomberg.com 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:23 am
The Zaha Hadid Phenomenon "For years, Zaha Hadid's architecture was problematic. Her ideas were stunning, particularly when ex-pressed as large paintings full of what seemed like exploding buildings, sharp angles and jagged planes, but many found it hard to believe that they could ever be built. Today, however, she seems omnipresent." New Statesman 11/14/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 6:57 pm
Restoring Forbidden City The Chinese government is spending 1.5 billion Yuan ($185 million) to restore the Forbidden City over the next 15 years." Work has already started, and scaffolding now covers dozens of buildings in the complex. Projects along the central axis are scheduled for completion by 2008, in time for the Olympic Games in Beijing." The restoration often takes the form of replacement of worn materials. The Art Newspaper 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 6:10 pm
Getty Returns Art To Italy The Getty Museum has returned three artworks to Italy. "Among the pieces returned is a 2,300-year-old Greek vase, known as a krater, painted by Asteas. A bronze Etruscan candelabrum and stone inscription were also returned. The Italian government had filed a claim with Los Angeles legal authorities. The museum is hoping to build goodwill with the Italians ahead of further lawsuits involving 42 pieces of art in the collection of the Getty museum." CBC 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 6:04 pm
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In Search Of Pianos "The piano-manufacturing business these days has gone the same way as many industries: the brand name is kept, but the instrument is made more cheaply in China, Korea, Japan, or Eastern Europe. Global competition means less variety. The Pearl River piano factory in China has 4,000 employees and is increasing production to 100,000 pianos a year, which they fabricate for more than twenty different companies around the world. How many people, when going to buy a piano, realize that their Bechstein could have been made in Germany or in Korea by Samick, depending on the model number (and price); or that the Boston piano designed and sold by Steinway is made by Kawai?" Times Literary Supplement 11/10/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:36 am
Looking For The Women Where are the women composers? "For centuries men have dominated the history, theory and politics of music. In addition to history books that glossed over women’s contributions, early music theory distinguished between harmonically weaker 'feminine' cadences and strong, resolute 'masculine' ones. It’s easy to see why a woman might find this offensive. Music itself is neither masculine nor feminine, Joan Towers argues. It’s either good or it’s bad. 'Everything in music goes counter to what we think of as feminine or masculine. It just doesn’t apply'." Kansas City Star 11/10/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:11 am
UK Orchestras Worth Saving Julian Lloyd-Webber is tired of hearing people dump on orchestras. "What, exactly, is so 'irrelevant' about classical music? Its basic precepts of harmony and tonality permeate all the music we hear, whether in films, TV ads, shopping malls or churches. Even some of the most popular mobile ring tones are taken from the classics. Moreover, new collaborations abound..." The Telegraph (UK) 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 8:25 pm
The Band That's Proving The Internet Future? "The internet has been touted as the future of the music business ever since file-sharing became big news: bands, it was mooted, would cut record companies out of the equation by posting their music on their websites and building up a virtual fanbase. But nothing of the sort happened. Selling music via a website became the province not of hip new bands, but old stagers considered defunct by their labels. They were making a living, but the whole business still carried a slight taint, the modern equivalent of flogging your records from a car boot. Then, three weeks ago, Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys entered the charts at number one with their second single, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor." The Guardian (UK) 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 7:45 pm
The Singing Mormons The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is one of America's oldest musical institutions. "Its syndicated radio program, 'Music and the Spoken Word,' found on 1,500 stations across the world, started in July 1929; it is the longest-running broadcast in the medium's history. The choir has sung for every United States president since William Howard Taft, and in addition to its Grammy and Emmy wins, it has CD sales in the millions with two platinum records and five gold records." Denver Post 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 7:19 pm
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Dallas' New Performing Arts Center Breaks Ground "The $275 million project, which will include the Winspear Opera House, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the City Performance Hall, the redesigned Annette Strauss Artists Square and the Grand Plaza, is expected to be ready for performances by 2009. Resident companies will include The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Texas Ballet Theater and Anita M. Martinez Ballet Folklorico and other local arts organizations." Dallas Business Journal 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:20 am
Promoters Lobby For Tout Ban Theatre, concert and sports event promoters want the British government to outlaw ticket touting. "Some unofficial agencies and auctions deceive and defraud fans as well as charging high prices, promoters say. But the government is not convinced a new law is needed and wants promoters to tackle the problem themselves." BBC 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 5:01 pm
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Robert Louis Stevenson, Composer Turns out that Scotland's celebrated author Robert Louis Stevenson was also a composer. "Members of the Edinburgh-based Robert Louis Stevenson Club have been presented with the jaunty piece, titled Aberlady Links, and have now had it recorded for the first time. The short composition, thought to be the only one Stevenson invented, was written in Samoa, where he died, for flageolet - a traditional recorder." The Scotsman 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 6:41 am
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Mamma Worldwide The ABBA compilation musical "Mamma Mia" has become a global phenomenon. There are now "11 productions in six languages around the world. The show has grossed more than $1.4 billion since it opened in London in April, 1999, and some 24 million people have seen it." BusinessWeek 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 6:48 am
Chicago Theatre Online The League of Chicago Theatres is launching an online ticket service to serve its 183 members. "The league is considering using software that can capture and massage information about patrons and their theater-going preferences. Such data would be useful for theaters and could guide patrons to other plays they may be partial to, much as Amazon.com does with goods on its Web site." Chicago Tribune 11/10/05
Posted: 11/10/2005 7:07 pm
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Salinas Voters Save Their Library Last week voters in Salinas California approved adding half a cent to the sales tax rate to keep the town's library open. Last year the public library almost closed after losing funding. "It really struck a chord on the national level, and we became a poster child for the decline and fall of Western civilization. There was the irony of it being Steinbeck's hometown and all that stuff, and it did begin to represent something larger than just Salinas losing its libraries." Sanb Francisco Chronicle 11/12/05
Posted: 11/13/2005 8:40 am
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Bush Declares War On Porn "The Administration has launched a broad assault on sexual content that targets the entertainment industry from Hollywood producers to hotels. The offensive includes creation of a Justice Dept. Obscenity Prosecution Task Force and an anti-porn squad at the FBI, a crackdown on indecent programming by the new Federal Communications Commission chairman, and a wave of indecency legislation. The push aims to pressure companies involved in films such as Wedding Crashers, TV shows such as Hot Properties and Nip/Tuck, and soft-core cable porn to tone down or face a backlash. But while Christian conservatives cheer, business is gearing up to take on the Smut Squad." BusinessWeek 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 6:46 am
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Ballet Internationale Quits Indianapolis's Ballet Internationale has shut its doors after 32 years in business. Its affiliate academy and satellite operations closed as well. "After a comprehensive review of the organization's financial situation, the board determined that Ballet Internationale is not viable in Indianapolis under the current structure. A bankruptcy filing would be forthcoming." Indianapolis Star 11/09/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:15 am
Colorado Ballet Files For Union Dancers of the Colorado Ballet have filed a petition to unionize. According to the petition, the ballet "unit" (those joining the union) would consist of "all non-managerial, non-supervisory artists: dancers, choreographers, stage managers and their assistants." Rocky Mountain News 11/11/05
Posted: 11/11/2005 7:03 am
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