“Belinda Wright, a British ballerina who toured the world and excelled in the 19th-century Romantic and classical repertory, died on Sunday in Zurich, Switzerland. She was 78.”
Tag: 04.04.07
Posthumous Fame Achieved, Sixty Years Later
Since being published in French in 2004, Irène Némirovsky’s “Suite Française” has sold more than a million copies and been reprinted in more than 30 languages. Némirovsky, a largely forgotten writer who died in the Holocaust, has become one of Europe’s most celebrated authors. “Now another previously undiscovered Némirovsky novel has been unearthed.”
UK Drama Pulled Over Fear Of Inflaming Iran
The tension surrounding the capture of 15 British soldiers by Iran has caused one of the UK’s leading TV channels to postpone a fictionalized drama about the Iraq war. “The Mark of Cain, which was due to be broadcast on Thursday, shows British troops abusing Iraqi detainees. Families of the captured crew and senior military figures had expressed concerns about the timing of the show.”
Chinese Musicians Go West
“With stunning swiftness China’s surging ranks of classical musicians have found a home in Western concert halls, conservatories and opera houses, jolting a musical tradition born in the courts and churches of Europe… The phenomenon, which has been building for at least a decade, has gathered steam in the last few years, injecting new vitality into the American classical music scene.”
Longtime Orlando Opera Director Resigns Abruptly
“Robert Swedberg, general director of the Orlando Opera for the past 17 years, announced his resignation Monday.” The move appears to have been made by the company’s new CEO, who says that the “position of general director probably will be phased out.” Swedberg says that he has agreed not to talk to the media about his departure.
Defying UK Theatre’s Glass Ceiling
“In 1984, a survey found that only 12% of artistic directors in British theatres were women. Last year, 22 years on, another survey found this figure had risen – but only to 19%.” But perhaps more important than numbers is the fact that women are becoming far more visible at the helms of the companies they head.
Colorado MD Sidelined
Diagnosed with “severe hypertension,” Colorado Symphony music director Jeffrey Kahane has canceled two months worth of appearances with the orchestra. “Severe or malignant hypertension provokes symptoms beyond those associated with typical high blood pressure. These can include confusion, headaches and vision irregularities. And if left untreated, it can lead to heart failure, kidney failure or stroke.”
Some Questions For The Smithsonian
“With a board made up of august but potentially overextended public officials like the vice president of the United States, can the Smithsonian establish sufficiently rigorous day-to-day oversight? Does an organization with a $1 billion annual budget, 19 museums, 9 research centers and the National Zoo ultimately defy the effective leadership of a single executive at the top? Can the Smithsonian incorporate increasingly popular private-sector fund-raising strategies even as it receives 70 percent of its budget from Congress and has a board appointed by the government?”
All-European Art – Queen: Turner Represents Britain
When Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano “asked the other 26 EU heads of state to choose a work of art to send to Rome for the exhibition – Italy’s contribution to celebrations marking the 1957 signing of the Treaty of Rome, the EU’s founding document – he gave them a free hand. The result is an extraordinarily eclectic mixture that has drawn applause but also raised a few eyebrows. The Queen, I was told, had had no doubts, firmly telling President Napolitano when he paid a state visit to London in October that the artist to represent Britain was J. M. W. Turner.”
Downloads Bury CDs – What To Do?
‘Last year digital singles outsold plastic CDs for the first time. So far this year, sales of digital songs have risen 54 percent, to roughly 189 million units, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. Digital album sales are rising at a slightly faster pace, but buyers of digital music are purchasing singles over albums by a margin of 19-1. Because of this shift in listener preferences, record labels are coming to grips with the loss of the album as their main product and chief moneymaker.”