“When the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra decided to fire its head conductor last month, it resorted to the strict letter of the law. The grounds for dismissal was his attendance record, which showed that Kwak Sung, music advisor and conductor, spent only 60 days out of the 180 required days a year at the Sejong Center of the Performing Arts, the orchestra’s administrative home.”
Tag: 01.13.04
Spalding Gray Missing
Monologist Spalding Gray has been reported missing since Saturday by his wife. “Gray had a history of depression and tried to commit suicide in 2002, The New York Times reported. Gray discusses his neuroses in his monologues and has said his mother committed suicide at the age of 52.”
DiCamillo Wins Newberry
“Author Kate DiCamillo has received this year’s Newbery Medal for best writing in children’s literature, for “The Tale of Despereaux,” the story of a small mouse in love with a princess.”
Breaking Up While Breakdancing
Stephen Moss tries breakdancing, and discovers it’s not for amateurs. “Jerome said my breakdancing debut was “cool”, which I suspected had some derogatory street connotation. He and D.bo then showed me how it was really done – two breakdancers taking each other on in a contest that is part dance, part boxing match, but with no deliberate contact allowed. It is fast, furious and highly ritualised – every movement has some meaning, usually insulting to your rival (grabbing hold of your crotch features at regular intervals). It is also beautiful in its fluidity. Bboys claim breakdancing is an art form – as legitimate as any other dance form, with its own narrative – and you see their point.”
English Cathedrals May Close As Tourists Stay Away
“A cash crisis, caused by an acute drop in American tourists visiting the UK, will soon force many of England’s 42 Anglican cathedrals to bolt their doors to the public for part of the week as they lay off staff.”
Gerstein Wins Caldecott Medal
Longtime writer and illustrator of children’s books, Mordicai Gerstein, won the 2004 Caldecott Medal yesterday for “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,” his account of how Philippe Petit, the French aerialist, strode a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers in 1974.”
Here Come The Russians
Russian art is hot right now. “This dramatic change has been brought about by the Russians who made fortunes in the economic free-for-all that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The market for Russian silver and decorative arts has always been international, but the hunger for paintings is driven by buyers from Moscow and St Petersburg, and the long-term problem for Western auction houses is that the pictures that are so eagerly snapped up are almost all going back to Russia.”
Nabokov Museum Declares It Is Broke
The Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, is broke. “The museum has not been able to raise enough funds to pay the rent because its only income is from ticket sales and private donations. This income is just enough to keep the museum running and pay the salaries of its three employees.”