The title character of Philippe Boesmans’s Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy, which had its world premiere at the Paris Opera last week, doesn’t expire of consumption or stabbing or poison or a broken heart. She chokes on a fishbone. What’s more, she doesn’t even sing. (The premiere, by the way, was a popular triumph.)
Tag: 01.27.09
Che – The #1 Brand In Revolution
In Cuba, “a country largely devoid of public advertising and religious iconography, Guevara’s ubiquitous image appears to fill the role of both Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald – a sainted martyr of unwavering purity who also happens to promote a meticulously standardized (if not particularly nutritious) political menu.”
Yahoo! Buzz Heads To TV
The new show, co-produced with Twentieth Television, “will use Yahoo!’s search engine to identify the top ten things for which people are searching at the time and then expands on those topics. Such a service already exists on Yahoo!’s home page.”
Another Miami-Dade County Arts Center With Troubles
The South Miami-Dade Cultural Center – which will have a 966-seat theater with orchestra pit, offices and an outdoor plaza, all designed by Arquitectonica – is now $2.3 million over budget and 431 days behind schedule, according to Miami-Dade County’s Inspector General.
Despite California Museums’ Problems, Architecture/Design Depts. Are Keepin’ On
MOCA in L.A., which just survived a near-death experience, is going ahead with three planned design exhibitions on site and two installations at a satellite location. SFMOMA’s department is on “an acquisitions spree.” And the Getty Research Institute has just established an architecture/design department.
‘Thriller’ Video Director Sues Michael Jackson
“John Landis has sued Michael Jackson for allegedly failing to pay profits over the last four years from Jackson’s “Thriller” video, which Landis co-wrote and directed in 1983… The action accuses Jackson of ‘fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct’ in failing to pay Landis 50% of the net proceeds.”
Vagabond Latin American Art Collection To Find A Home
The Cisneros Collection, considered one of the best gatherings of Latin American painting in existence, has spent the last ten years “lent out in tranches to dozens of museums in North and South America.” Now the Cisneros foundation’s trustees have decided to find a permanent home or homes for the art.
Rochester Philharmonic Falls Just Short Of Its Three-Year Plan
After two fiscal years of surpluses, the orchestra posted a $161,000 deficit (on a $10 million operating budget) in FY 2008, the final year of the strategic plan. But the CEO doesn’t blame the country’s economic crisis: he says the main problem was staff turnover.
A Soviet-Style Orchestral Commune
Apply Marxist-Leninist principles to an orchestra, with the workers owning the means of production, and what do you get? This: “Formed in 1922, Persimfans – a Sovietized shorthand for Perviy Simfonichesky Ansambl, or First Symphony Ensemble – sought to embody the avant-garde spirit of the time.” The original group didn’t survive Stalin’s purges, but this week some musicians are trying out the idea again.
Cincinnati Symphony Posts Huge $3.8 Million Deficit
“It is the largest single-year operating loss for the orchestra since the early 1990s, during another economic downturn. The figure includes $800,000 in expenses from the orchestra’s April 2008 European tour, which did not have a sponsor.”