John Williams’ inaugural chamber piece, “Air and Simple Gifts,” “was functional, representational music, and it actually did serve a function: It allowed everyone some downtime before the main event of the oath and the new president’s speech,” Anne Midgette writes. “Williams, in the music, was falling over himself to convey messages about patriotism and solemnity and austerity and profundity.”
Tag: 01.21.09
Alexander’s Poem Already An Amazon Best Seller
The reviews of Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem have been poor, but her publisher “is rushing out an $8 paperback of the poem on 6 February nonetheless, with a 100,000 first print run. With over two weeks to go before publication, the book is already the bestselling poetry book on Amazon.com; Alexander’s new-found celebrity has also sent another of her titles, the 2005 Pulitzer prize finalist American Sublime, into the third spot.”
A Prosaic Poem For An Occasion That Was Anything But
Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem, “Praise Song for the Day,” “didn’t measure up,” David Ulin writes. “The intention, clearly, was to present a chorus of American voices, an expression of the way ‘[w]e encounter each other in words.’ Yet, except for a stanza evoking the struggles of black Americans, Alexander’s ‘Praise Song’ simply didn’t sing.”
Revivals Cast Spotlight On Forgotten 18th-Century Star
“You may not have heard of Hester Santlow; she is mentioned in few histories of dance or theater. Yet for 27 years in the early 18th century she outshone all other female dancers on the London stage and sparkled beside numerous visiting French male stars.”
Colo. Court Transfers Bergman Rights To Aspen Unknowns
“As plot twists go, this one is a doozy: after an eight-year legal battle over the lease of a movie theater, the former owners of a multiplex in Aspen, Colo., now own the rights to Ingmar Bergman’s entire film library. Or do they?”
Film Rating System May Replace Censor In China
“China could be on the verge of implementing its first film classification system after the all-powerful State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) submitted a new law to the cabinet — but it faces hardline opposition at the senior level within the ruling Communist Party. At the moment, films are deemed either suitable for all audiences or unsuitable, in which case censors cut entire scenes or ban the movie altogether — both drastic steps considering that scripts must be approved before a movie goes into production.”
Bank of America On Its Arm, Bridge Project Has Roving Eye
“Director Sam Mendes, with his wife, Kate Winslet, standing nearby, told a crowd of about 150 at the opening-night party for ‘The Cherry Orchard’ that he was astonished his new British-American theater venture got off the ground ‘in this climate.’ … [T]he Bridge Project, a three-year collaboration between Mendes, actor Kevin Spacey and BAM, is getting $2.8 million from its main sponsor, Bank of America.” That is, the, uh, troubled Bank of America.
Charlotte Brontë’s Doll House For Sale
“The house, complete with its miniature furniture and dolls, is one lot in a two-day auction of the private collection of antique dealer Roger Warner… The Christie’s auction, which also features a piece of lace torn from a church altar by Oliver Cromwell and a desk chair used by William Wordsworth, has attracted 150,000 visitors to the online catalogue – the highest ever for a sale.”