“As traditionally understood, the soul is something that is both within us and yet superior to us, a repository for the most precious (or in some accounts “divine”) aspects of us. The soul survives when the rest of us dies, it can continue indefinitely (like a kind of hardy seed preserved in arctic tundra), and may even reinhabit a bodily form at another time. The idea that we have a soul should, if we can manage to believe it, stop us feeling quite so sad that we must die. What makes a history of the soul rewarding is that it offers a useful way into the question of what different societies and thinkers have at various points viewed as the most important aspect of life.”
Tag: 02.16.04
Women Barrier – The Vienna Philharmonic
Will Seiji Ozawa’s presence in Vienna help add more women to the orchestra’s ranks? “The Vienna Philharmonic will doubtless fall back on the assertion that change can only come gradually: It can’t be expected to alter the male-to-female ratio overnight. So let’s look at the employment numbers for six years from 1997, when the orchestra proclaimed a new, enlightened policy of hiring women, until 2003. It’s men, 21; women, 3. How’s that for even-handed progress?”
Saratoga Cancels City Ballet Residence
After almost 40 years as summer residence of New York City Ballet, Saratoga, in upstate New York, has pulled out of the deal. “It was a cost-cutting measure. We hope to continue to work with the company but not in a residency situation.”
In Europe, Public Broadcasters Under The Gun
Public broadcasting has a long and respected history in Europe. “But lately, public broadcasters have been thrust into the harsh glare of their own klieg lights. At the BBC and at a French public television network, France 2, top executives have resigned after journalists were cited for mistakes in reporting. In Italy, the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has moved to increase its oversight of the public broadcaster RAI, raising concerns about independence of news and other programming. The new concerns come at a particularly bad time for broadcasters…”
Study: American Participation In The Arts Is High
A new study of audiences for the performing arts in America confirms a high rate of participation and consumption of the arts. “Approximately three-quarters of those participating in the newest survey reported attending one live professional performing arts event within the past 12 months. While this ranged from a high of 78% for Boston respondents to a low of 71% for those in Sarasota, the numbers nevertheless represent a significant level of continuity across a broad swath of the nation.”
Korean Wins Top Composer Prize
The $200,000 Grawemeyer Prize is one of the top awards for composers. “The 2004 winner is the Korean composer Unsuk Chin – the third woman to take the Grawemeyer. Like the rest of us, composers come in all shapes and sizes, but Chin isn’t quite what you’d expect a modern composer to look like: she’s petite, delicate, almost weightlessly graceful, with the kind of sultry, heavy-lidded eyes that you see on James Bond’s sexier villains.”
Toronto Symphony Musicians Win 11 Percent Pay Raise
Breaking from a trend in the rest of the orchestra industry, the Toronto Symphony has given its musicians an 11 percent pay raise. “Andrew Shaw, TSO president and chief executive officer, described the increase as “moderate and prudent,” citing a surge in sales that is expected to swell annual attendance by at least 50,000 seats over the level reached two years ago.”
Canada Reads More (This Time On TV Too)
Canada Reads is a Survivor-style program where books are argued over before one is voted off the list by celebrities at the end of each show. This year’s Canada Reads is being played out on TV, radio and in schools. Why? “In 2002, the program’s first year, sales for Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion, first published in 1988, reached 80,000, pushing it to the top of bestseller lists. Last year’s winner, Next Episode, also reappeared on bestseller lists, selling an additional 18,500 copies, while figures for the runner-up ran between 15,000 and 20,000.”
Canadian Recording Companies Hunt Down Downloaders
“Last week, the Canadian Recording Industry Association went to court to force Internet service providers to surrender the names and phone numbers of 29 people suspected of uploading music for illegal digital dissemination.”
In RoadTrip: Of Acoustics And One’s Place In An Orchestra
Sam Bergman on tour with the Minnesota Orchestra in Frankfurt: “When our principal, Tom Turner, had a family emergency and had to miss the first week of the trip, I was vaulted up to third chair in order to fill in the gap. This was fine with me, since you can hear nearly the whole orchestra from the third chair, but when Tom returned to us last night in Frankfurt, I was sent back to the fifth stand, which is something like being moved from first base to left field and then being asked to call the balls and strikes.”