“Art is selling at this week’s Frieze Art Fair, but nothing like before. After several weeks of financial havoc in stock exchanges across the globe, the feeding frenzy is over… More pervasive was a grim sense that a shake-out of world markets was just beginning, and in the end art would probably be the least of anyone’s worries.”
Author: sbergman
Look To The Children
Want to know where classical music is headed in the future? Just check out the projects being pursued by some of the offspring of today’s classical luminaries, many of which seem to be elegantly straddling the worlds of high culture and pop.
A Hope For Peace In A Divided City
Jerusalem’s newly unveiled peace monument, “the gift of a Polish billionaire, was erected on the invisible seam between one of the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and the predominantly Jewish West… [The area] been a site of tremendous discord, a tangible reminder of how fractured the city really is.”
Famed Quartet Picks A New Leader
The Juilliard Quartet has named one of the Met Opera’s concertmasters as its new first violinist. Nicholas Eanet, who actually has a broken wrist at the moment, will replace the retiring Joel Smirnoff next summer.
The John Adams Arc
“It has been interesting to watch the development of Adams’s appeal to the opera world since 1987, when ‘Nixon in China’ brought him wide attention, and his works got the label of so-called ‘docu-opera’… The trajectory has not always been smooth…”
Texas Ballet Still Dancing, But For Whom?
After a harrowing couple of months in which it wasn’t clear that the Texas Ballet Theater would have a season, the company opened this weekend, but to a noticeably small crowd. “It was masterful from start to finish. But the applause these fine performances drew came from a crowd of only 1,165.”
Hoping For Help From The High Rollers
The Tampa-based Florida Orchestra has never exactly been a model of fiscal stability, and the current economic meltdown has the potential to hurt the group severely. “We know that corporate sponsorship is taking a hit… We know that government funds are taking a hit.” But the orchestra’s executive director expects upper-end donations to increase in response to the downturn.
Finding The Silver Lining
Canadian arts advocates have been vocal in their dismay at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s open disdain of public arts funding, but one columnist points out that, even with the Conservatives winning a new, stronger government in last week’s elections, “arts funding somehow became a key discussion point during the election process… [That’s] amazing. Magical, even.”
San Diego Lyric Opera Hit Hard By Donation Drop
San Diego’s Lyric Opera has seen donations drop 20% over the last quarter, and staffers are concerned that the company may not be able to meet its expenses if the trend continues. The general director “was unsure about the impact on future seasons… or the company’s 19 employees.”
Tokyo FilmFest Goes Green In A Big Way
“The Tokyo International Film Festival opened on Saturday with an environmental theme as filmmakers from around the world greeted Japanese movie fans on a ceremonial “green carpet”… All films are screened with electricity generated by wind energy.”