Friday, February 3
Mapping The Music Genome "Customizable Internet radio such as Yahoo's Launchcast.com has been around for years, but Pandora is a twist on the concept: Instead of relying solely on computer software to spit out playlists, Pandora draws on its Music Genome Project, a 6-year-old effort by a group of musicians to identify the hundreds of traits and qualities that form the building blocks of music — and then to map out each individual song within this framework, or genome. Genre disappears, and every song is at once relatable, however closely or distantly, to every other." Los Angeles Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 8:42 am
Are Political Beliefs A Psychological (Dis)Order? "When presented with negative information about the candidates they liked, partisans of all stripes found ways to discount it. When the unpalatable information was rejected, furthermore, the brain scans showed that volunteers gave themselves feel-good pats -- the scans showed that 'reward centers' in volunteers' brains were activated. The psychologist observed that the way these subjects dealt with unwelcome information had curious parallels with drug addiction as addicts also reward themselves for wrong-headed behavior." Washington Post 02/02/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:11 pm
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Austria Won't Buy Klimts Austria says it won't buy five paintings by Gustav Klimt stolen by Nazis that were awarded to the family of the original owner. "Austria's minister in charge of education and culture, said the government wanted to acquire the masterpieces but decided it could not afford the $300-million price tag. Last month, an arbitration court awarded the paintings to Maria Altmann of Los Angeles, who says they were looted from her family by the Nazis." Los Angeles Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 8:53 am
Britain's Largest-Ever Art Heist? "Antiques and art treasures, possibly including works by Picasso, Rubens and Titian worth millions of pounds, have been stolen from the 17th century Wiltshire mansion of the reclusive multi-millionaire Harry Hyams in what police believe could be Britain's biggest ever burglary. Precise details of what was taken have not been released, although there have been estimates that property worth between £20m and £30m was stolen." The Guardian (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:16 pm
Met Offers To Return Euphronios Vase To Italy Th Metropolitan Museum has offered to return the 2,500-year-old Euphronios krater to Italy. "The museum pledged to return the vase and 19 other disputed antiquities after weeks of negotiations with Italy, which will now consider the offer. Under the proposal, the vase, 15 pieces of Sicilian silver and four other ancient vessels would be returned to Italy in exchange for long-term loans of other prized antiquities, and the Met would assert that the objects were all acquired in good faith." The New York Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 1:36 pm
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Goodbye Andante.com The ambitious website tried to be an important online magazine for the classical music world. But its business model was ultimately unsustainable... Los Angeles Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 8:51 am
A Composition Plan For An Orchestra Circuit How do you get more than one performance of new music? A couple of new projects band together dozens of orchestras to give new music multiple performances. "The project originated during a meeting of the leaders of small-budget orchestras belonging to the American Symphony Orchestra League. Wanting to make the presence of their orchestras felt, they decided to pool their resources to commission a new work. Each of the initial participants contributed $1,000, and those presenting four regional premieres kicked in a few thousand more." The New York Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 8:34 am
Inside The Orchestra A new film about musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra gives glimpses inside the life of an orchestra. "Although no one can quite articulate it, being part of an orchestra puts the individual in constant contact with music so grand and utopian that it can either ennoble or wreck the soul. It demands from those who make it essentially the same bargain that the religious must make with God: You submit and serve, in return for a deeper sense of participation in the sublime." Washington Post 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 11:14 pm
Harlem Boys Choir Evicted From Home "The choir that started in the basement of a Harlem church and grew over nearly 38 years to become famous internationally is scrambling to find a new home. At an emotional rally of about 100 supporters outside the school on Wednesday, choristers and parents said they hoped to revive the group." The Guardian (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:23 pm
What Happened To That Contract Between Composers And... "The dialogue between the composer, the orchestra and the audience was based on an understanding that the composer would primarily serve the needs of the listener and performer by providing music for worship or entertainment. Tension arose when composers began to express themselves overtly as individuals, and the contract started to break down at the end of the 19th century when - straining against the bounds of conventional tonality - composers started to make demands on players and audiences that required an ability to focus and specialise that was generally beyond the non-professional or social listener." The Guardian (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:06 pm
Music Soothes The Wayward Dog A dog shelter in England has begun playing classical music to calm its canine guests. "The animals are said to respond well to the strains of Beethoven and Mozart, but are not fans of pop or dance music." BBC 02/02/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 6:43 pm
Poll: Consumers Say CDs Too Expensive What ails music? Recording company execs say its illegal file-sharing. But a new poll of music consumers has plenty of criticism for the music industry. "Eighty percent of the respondents consider it stealing to download music for free without the copyright holder's permission, and 92 percent say they've never done it. Meanwhile, three-quarters of music fans say compact discs are too expensive, and 58 percent say music in general is getting worse." Wired (AP) 02/02/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 6:28 pm
How Not To Have A Career As A Pianist Stephen Kovacevich has made a series of moves thta conspire against his being more well known. But, wonders Charles Michener, isn't he one of America's best pianists? "In a poll of New York music lovers and critics, the names most frequently mentioned would probably be Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Richard Goode, Garrick Ohlsson, Murray Perahia and Peter Serkin. Few would think to nominate Stephen Kovacevich." New York Observer 02//10/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:56 pm
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Muslim Furor Over European Muhammad Cartoons Muslims across the Arab world are protesting against European publications that have published cartoons depicting Muhammad. "Newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway and Switzerland have run some or all of the cartoons first commissioned by Jyllands-Posten's culture editor, Flemming Rose. It is apparent that the demonstrations are the biggest, and the diplomatic reactions the most vehement, in countries where authoritarian regimes are under domestic pressure from Islamist opposition forces." The Guardian (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:37 pm
Where Is Australia's Cultural Policy? Australian economist John Throsby has launched a shot at teh Australian government's lack of a cultural policy: "It may reasonably be surmised that [the Prime Minister, John Howard] neither knows of, nor cares about, contemporary art in any of its manifestations." Sydney Morning Herald 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 4:40 pm
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Simon Rattle's Rough Year "Life isn't getting easier for Simon Rattle. The golden boy of classical music who seemed incapable of wrong moves has become the single most visible conductor in the world - while having a contentious split from his second wife, losing sleep thanks to Jonah, his 11-month-old son with his new partner, Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená, and, as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, receiving unnervingly polarized reactions from critics and audiences... He also faces chronic funding uncertainty with his home orchestra, whose city of residence is virtually bankrupt. Even a sunny, seemingly unflappable personality like Rattle's can't whitewash these circumstances. Can the collective wear and tear be worth it?" Philadelphia Inquirer 02/02/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:44 am
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Of Truth, Lies And Theatre John Heilpern returns from writing a biography to writing about theatre. Biographies are about getting th facts right. But theatre? "As I see it, it’s my job as a biographer to see behind the mythomania and print the truth. But as a drama critic, give me beautiful lies every time. As I return to the theater beat, I am for those who believe feelings are real and facts are secondary. I am for all those in theater with open hearts." New York Observer 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 9:10 am
Berlin Audience Protests Violent Production A production of Titus Andronicus at the Berlin theatre was so violent, the audience protested and tried to storm the stage. "You're getting off on it [the violence]," members of the audience shouted at the actors in protest at the graphic rape scene in which Titus's daughter, Lavinia, also has her hands chopped off and tongue ripped out. The Guardian (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:28 pm
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Christian Booksellers Feel The Squeeze Christian bookstores are struggling. "Association membership peaked at around 3,000 stores in the early 1990s but now totals less than 2,300. CBA said 337 retailers closed last year. To compete, independents look beyond books to sell music, gifts, jewelry, stationery, hymnals and communion supplies. Books now account for only 40 percent of sales in Christian retail stores. Religious books, primarily Christian, generated U.S. sales of nearly $338 million in 2003." Chicago Sun-Times (AP) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 9:05 am
More Post-Mortem On The Frey Affair "The Publishing industry bears the weight of contradictory expectations: It must make money, as well as maintain the illusion that it’s one of the last bastions of highbrow culture. Which leaves book editors and publishers with the impossible task of creating products that will both sell at Costco and serve as intellectual currency at Upper West Side dinner parties." New York Observer 02/01/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:46 pm
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Awards Solve The Piracy Problem To take away the piracy threat, this year's Oscar voters were sent special DVD players that could read specially encrypted discs. "In all, 13,000 of the DVD players manufactured by Dolby Laboratories were sent to all academy members, British Academy of Film and Television Arts members and some of the other awards-bestowing organizations, to play encrypted discs that cannot be copied and downloaded. The new machines take away the downloading option." Los Angeles Times 02/03/06
Posted: 02/03/2006 8:44 am
Movie Theatres Bank On Concerts American movie theatres, faced with declining audiences, are offering other fare like simulcast concerts. "Attendance for these shows varies widely. A pair of Phish performances in 2004, one at Coney Island and another in Vermont, drew more than 30,000 fans each for national simulcasts. A Prince tour attracted 25,000 fans at multiplexes across the country." Christian Science Monitor 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:40 pm
CBS Jumps Into Download Business But instead of making its shows available on iTunes, the network is selling them directly on its website. "CBS would be the first broadcast network to sell its shows via its own Internet storefront. The move signals that CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves believes the network is a potent enough brand that it can go it alone — without Apple Computer Inc.'s popular iTunes software and website — and thus not have to split the spoils." Los Angeles Times 02/01/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 4:59 pm
Howard Stern Pirated Fans of Howard Stern are pirating copies of his radio show, which is now available legally only on subscription-based Siruis satellite radio. "Although no one can know the total number of Stern stealers, it is clear that Stern is a runaway hit among file sharers. His shows are more popular than the TV show 'Gilmore Girls' and just behind Fox's 'The Simpsons." Los Angeles Times 02/02/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 4:56 pm
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Psychology The Key To Finding New Ballet Stars? "An international conference in Switzerland of 32 ballet leaders from 12 countries was convened this week by British dance administrators because of concerns about training and inadequate collaboration between dance schools and the ballet companies."A psychologist suggested that "to develop and shine, ballet dancers needed the individual training programmes already common in sport. Some countries, including Australia, have already incorporated performance psychology into their training curriculum for young ballerinas." The Independent (UK) 02/03/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 10:45 pm
Gottlieb: Where's Wheeldon? Christopher Wheeldon is unquestionably a talented choreographer. But, wonders Robert Gottlieb, "why don’t his ballets—and we’ve seen a lot of them by now, a dozen or so for City Ballet alone—add up to a coherent artistic statement? Where is the major work that will identify his essential qualities and justify the hopes everyone has placed in him?" New York Observer 02/01/06
Posted: 02/02/2006 5:50 pm
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