“Those countries have been stuck in a six-year depression, with unemployment rates of around 25 per cent. Yet their principal opera companies have somehow come through the valley of austerity with no debt, full and lively artistic programs, and higher standing in their communities. They have done far better, in fact, than some companies in wealthier European states.”
Tag: 01.27.15
Are We Exiting The Era Of Big Stage Musicals?
“I think we are in a slight time of shift, in that the sung through musical perhaps is now receding, and the book musical is starting to come back. It’s delicate…you have to have a theme which engages as much as you need glorious music.”
We’re Losing Our Working Class Actors. And Here’s What We’re Really Losing
“The important thing is: what do we do about that? Because otherwise we lose all these interesting characters like Richard Burton and Richard Harris, and playwrights like John Osborne who were writing working-class stories. What happens to that? Does that just go? Or do we go back to the 30s when you had incredibly posh people trying to do cockney accents?”
King Tut’s Beard Disaster: Conservation Chief Demoted To The Royal Stables
“Last week, her duties included the conservation of one of the world’s most important collection of artefacts, including Tutankhamun’s fabled death mask and jewellery, as well as hundreds of ancient mummies, tombs and statues. From now on her role will be limited to overseeing the contents of Egypt’s royal stables.”
Doomed Orchestra Has Actually Saved Itself With Crowdfunding
The Danish National Chamber Orchestra was disbanded at New Year’s, after “this 75-year-old ensemble’s state funding was cancelled at ludicrously short notice … Through a Kickstarter campaign to raise 3m Danish kroner (£300,000), the orchestra received more than a third of that money from supporters, and have now had pledges for the rest of the balance from the Danish business community.”
How To Enjoy Modern Music: A 14-Point Guide For The Perplexed By An Artist
Curt Barnes’s suggestions include “Remember when you hated what you now love”, “Music is not necessarily for your entertainment”, “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom”, and “Don’t trust the program notes” (even if the composer wrote them).
Helen Macdonald’s “H Is For Hawk” Wins Costa Book Prize (And £30,000)
“[The memoir] tells of how the Cambridge historian, illustrator and naturalist was so overcome by grief after the death of her father that she went almost mad and decided to train the most untameable of raptors, the goshawk.”
Male-Female Inequality Is Still A “Dangerous Subject” In The Arts, Says London’s Top Arts Exec
Jude Kelly, artistic director of the Southbank Centre: “I think cultural spaces are the places to talk about dangerous subjects, and gender equality is still a dangerous subject, and it’s just as relevant in the arts as anywhere else.”
Why Scientology Appeals to Aspiring Actors
Lawrence Wright, author of Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, and Alex Gibney, director of the book’s film adaptation, explain. (video)
This Opera Company Just Got A Regular Gig At Versailles
“Opera Atelier is already the busiest touring opera company in North America, but its 30th season will enhance that reputation even further. Already a regular guest at the Opera Royal at the Palace of Versailles in France, the Toronto company will now make it official, appearing at Versailles every other season.”