“An Austrian theater says it will stage a satiric soap opera centered around Josef Fritzl, a man who allegedly held his daughter captive for 24 years and fathered her seven children. The 3raum-anatomietheater in Vienna says the show will be titled Pension Fritzl – German for ‘Fritzl’s Bed and Breakfast’.”
Tag: 01.13.09
Itzhak Perlman Scolds Florida Audience For Not Liking Messiaen
The violinist believes so strongly in Messiaen’s Theme and Variations (“I’m telling you, it’s a terrific piece”) that he rebuked his West Palm Beach listeners from the stage for their tepid reaction (“Tell me something: Was it really that bad that half of you didn’t want to clap?”) and then played it a second time.
American Idol Cuts Back On Public Humiliation Of The Talentless
“Along with a new, fourth judge, more semifinalists and a ‘wild-card’ round that gives some contestants a second chance to go to the finals, commercials promoting the new season have shown fewer of the bizarre and obviously untalented contestants than in previous years.”
Pacific Baroque Orchestra Puts A Face On Its Fundraising
The Vancouver period-instrument band “has decided it wants to be led by the internationally-known harpsichordist and music director Alexander Weimann… So, we decided we’re going to form the Alex Weimann Club, and we’re going to let the world know that if we can get enough money to bring Alex Weimann to Vancouver, he can be here on a regular basis.”
Broward Center Promotes General Manager To CEO
The board of the Fort Lauderdale performing arts center has named general manager Kelly Shanley as president and CEO. “The Coral Springs resident, 42, will oversee five venues that jointly present more than 650 performances – from pop to theater to opera – seen by more than 700,000 people annually.”
Cats and Phantom Meet Grand Theft Auto
“Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Group is developing a range of video games based on the theater impresario’s musical stage shows… the group says two industry shifts have prompted its interest: the emergence of more female gamers in the traditionally male-dominated game consumer demographic, and the popularity of singing- and music-based titles like Playstation’s Singstar and Xbox’s Lips.”
Washington National Opera Announces Ring-Less ’09-10 Season
“Without the [complete] Ring [planned for next year and now postponed,] though, the season displays the hallmarks of a money-saving year: a number of less-known singers, revivals and productions from other companies, without a single wholly new production in the bunch.”
New Director At Louisville Ballet
“The Louisville Ballet today named a new executive director: Dwight E. Hutton, a former dancer and dance administrator who most recently led the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco. He takes over in Louisville from Jack R. Lemmon, who resigned last month to become executive director of the Colorado Ballet in Denver.”
Prado Paintings In Stunning Close-Up On Google Earth
“Armchair tourists who are used to travelling the globe with Google Earth can now use the same technology to crawl all over the masterpieces in one of the world’s most famous galleries: the Prado. The Madrid museum and the internet search giant today unveil the first use of Google’s mapping programme to allow art lovers to get so close to their favourite paintings that even the brush strokes are visible.” Fourteen paintings, including “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” are on view.
Artists: Art Schools Unfairly Raise Students’ Expectations
“Art colleges are behaving irresponsibly, [some artists] say, by raising students’ expectations that they will ‘hit the big time’. This is particularly unfair as the country enters a recession and the art market shrinks, they argue.”