Or at least starting with Reddit … and then moving back to the library: “So what was a rare turn-of-the-19th-century Ottoman atlas doing unnoticed in the vaults of the National Library of Norway? Fortunately, there was a reference librarian on hand to track down the details.”
Tag: 01.15.16
German Officials Say Few Owners Found For Art From Nazi-era Dealer’s Treasure Trove
“After a two-year, nearly $2 million investigation, a German government task force set up to determine ownership of an art collection amassed by a Nazi-era dealer announced Thursday that it had identified the rightful owners of just five of the works whose provenance was in doubt.”
Will Surprising Oscar Nominations Get People In To See An Intense Film?
“Despite the fact that it was showered with accolades at film festivals last year and garnered early Oscar buzz (especially for Larson), ‘Room’ is one of the lowest-grossing movies to ever be nominated for best picture.”
Ronald Perelman Apparently Resigned From The Carnegie Hall Board Earlier This Month
“His departure came less than a year after Mr. Perelman was tapped to be the chairman of Carnegie’s board, beginning a rocky era in which he clashed with Clive Gillinson (who has been the hall’s executive and artistic director for a decade) and other board members.”
So, Seriously, Academy? #OscarsSoWhite Is Trending Again
“‘Diversity,’ the lack of it and need for it, has been discussed and debated ad nauseam. But diversity isn’t a civic duty, it’s an artistic necessity. For any art form to remain relevant, it must grow with the society it explores, questions, criticizes and represents.”
How Did The Co-Founder And Drummer Of The Police Move From Rock To Opera?
Stewart Copeland: “My father raised me to be a big band white jazz drummer. He raised me to be Buddy Rich; he had me in lessons from the start, which cured me of jazz, but in fact, the Stravinsky and the Debussy stuck. … That music of the big orchestra doing dramatic things, very powerful, very rhythmic [things], really stuck.”
Composer Performs Marathon Improv Session To LACMA’s Silent Movies
“Silent pictures didn’t come with scores attached — which leaves the composer plenty of room for interpretation. ‘That’s where it can get really revealing,’ [Michael Mortilla] says. ‘Something I see as tender or passionate, others might see as cruel.'”
What Does The Classical Music World Think Of ‘Mozart In The Jungle’?
“The producers have hired New York musicians as on-screen extras, making for a fun peer-spotting exercise. The second season is studded with classical-world celebrity cameos, including musicians like Joshua Bell and Lang Lang, and the Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax, who played the interactive video game ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ at a dive bar during one episode. Gustavo Dudamel, the wunderkind Venezuelan conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, makes an appearance as a backstage handler.”
A Campaign To Remove Cecil Rhodes Statue At Oxford Gains Support
More than a third of all Oxford University students – and nearly half of its black and minority ethnic (BAME) students – believe the statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes should be removed from the building of Oriel college.
This Year’s Oscar Best-Picture Nominees Are Different (They’re Popular)
Leading nominees The Revenant (12 noms), Mad Max: Fury Road (10) and The Martian (seven) are popcorn pictures, adventure genre films that put mass entertainment ahead of making artistic statements — although there’s a lot of art behind all three.