The new American embassy in Ottawa looks like a battleship. Or a fortress. President Clinton dedicates it today. CBC
Blog
New York’s Museum of Modern Art looks back (and forward) –
– with the chestnutian and the unfamiliar. An impressionistic view back with hints of the future. New York Times
MORE POPULAR THAN SHAKESPEARE?
NET-AID
Broadcast live on MTV, VH1, the BBC and others to 60 countries and on radio in another 120 nations, potentially making these the widest-heard musical performances in history. Meanwhile. politics and charges of commercialism dog the event. – The Washington Post
MUSICIAN, AID THYSELF
As Net-Aid, the latest in a long line of mega global benefit concerts (this time for Kosovo) gets organized, a critic ponders these events’ musical impotence. – The Times (UK)
(ALSO: Largest Internet ever. – SF Gate, 10.06.99)
HELDEN-GUY
The hottest ticket in New York this fall is for the Metropolitan Opera’s Tristan und Isolde. The reason is Canadian tenor Ben Heppner, who is quickly becoming a legend. – The Boston Globe
NEWLY FOUND BEETHOVEN QUARTET GETS PREMIERE
A performance before it’s put up for auction in December. “This quartette was composed for me in my presence by Ludwig v Beethoven at Vienna Friday 28th November 1817” wrote the young English traveler Richard Ford on the manuscript. – BBC
OPERA AS HISTORY LESSON
A new Canadian opera about a topic not much discussed: slavery in early Canada. It’s a tough subject but the reviews have been enthusiastic. – CBC
TURNING POINTE
After decades of high flying and financial stability, Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet flirts with financial meltdown. – Seattle Weekly
MARK MORRIS IN LONDON
A critic – an “admirer for two decades” attends the performance and comes away bewildered. – Financial Times
(Here’s a different take, from The Times of London.)