“China’s film industry is healthy and prolific in its own right, and Chinese businesses are opening their pocketbooks with the aim of establishing a presence internationally. … The script has been flipped. Chinese money can now dictate details of American blockbusters explicitly, not just on the consumer end.”
Tag: 01.06.16
In An Age Of Creeping Machines, How Do We Retain Humanity?
Increasingly the world around us is being modulated by machine. We’re addicted to our devices even when we don’t want to be. So how do we express and fulfill our humanity even as machines become more important?
Should Literary Diversity Extend To Your Economic Class?
“It seems to me that socioeconomic class is a tougher sort of diversity to bring to writing. Unlike the other varieties, it’s at odds with what readers are used to and what they’re likely to want—namely wealthier, more glamorous, or just less drudgery-having versions of themselves.”
Esquire’s New, Not-So-Overwhelmingly-Male List Of 80 Books Every *Person* Should Read
“What can we say? We messed up. Our list of ’80 Books Every Man Should Read,’ published several years ago, was rightfully called out for its lack of diversity in both authors and titles. So we invited eight female literary powerhouses, from Michiko Kakutani to Anna Holmes to Roxane Gay, to help us create a new list. Each participant made 10 picks.”
Mark Swed: The Importance Of Pierre Boulez
Boulez believed that it was up to him and his generation of postwar avant-gardists to unleash the musical revolution that Schoenberg’s 12-tone system implied. “SCHOENBERG IS DEAD,” he triumphantly repeated at the end.
Tim Page: Remembering Pierre Boulez
“In later years, Mr. Boulez was by all accounts a gracious, soft-spoken and self-effacing gentleman, much beloved by the musicians with whom he worked. In his composition and his conducting — which he managed with the brisk efficiency of a bank teller giving change — he was the antithesis of the romanticized stereotype of egoistic, heaven-storming musician.”
How Did Spotify Figure Out The Best Music Recommendation Engine?
“Automated music recommendations are hardly new, but Spotify seems to have identified the ingredients of a personalized playlist that feel fresh and familiar at the same time. That’s potentially a big advantage over competitors like Pandora, Google, and Apple, which largely have the same bottomless catalog of music but take very different approaches to picking the best songs for each user.”
Long-Lost Violin Concerto Turns Up Deep In Bowels Of Toronto Library
“James Mason, who works at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music Library, discovered Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen’s composition while digitizing the library’s thousands of pieces of sheet music.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.06.16
When you can afford the very best
A thought experiment: suppose you are in a middle-class household, around the median income. What goods and services do you purchase and enjoy that are the very finest available, such that people in the top … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-01-05
Public Policy and Community Engagement
Over a two month period last year, TRG Arts and Engaging Matters partnered on a series of posts examining relationship building as the foundation of effective fundraising, marketing, and community engagement. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-01-05
Will Venice Sell Art to Stay Afloat?
On Jan. 1, I wasn’t paying too much attention to the news, but The Wall Street Journal posted an article that day that should not go unremarked. … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-01-05
New Year’s “Resolutions,” Pasternak Edition: What Artworld Uncertainties Should Be Resolved in 2016?
This is the second in my series of how thorny artworld issues that vexed us in 2015 could achieve satisfying resolution in the year ahead: … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-01-06
Memories of Boulez
So many memories came to me when I read that Pierre Boulez had died. One was something he did when I saw him conduct once at Carnegie Hall. Can’t remember which piece it was … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-01-06
Boulez est mort
I have little to say, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to use a headline I’ve been holding in reserve for three decades. When I interviewed Pierre Boulez in Chicago in 1987, we touched … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2016-01-06
Passings: Paul Bley, Natalie Cole
Pianist Paul Bley died on Sunday. He was 83. His family announced his death through ECM Records … Natalie Cole died last Saturday at the age of 65. At first, she was reluctant to become a professional singer for fear of comparison with the success of her father … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-01-05
[ssba_hide]
Scientists Track Relationship Between Music, Emotion And The Brain
“In summary, this study shows that the impulse to create emotionally expressive music may have a basic neural origin,” the researchers write. If their findings are confirmed, they will help explain “the human urge to express emotions through art.”