“I’m not a God-squad type. I’m a beyond-lapsed Catholic. Yet something in me shudders at the thought that the only reference to a divine creator anywhere apparent on our stages this fortnight so far as I can tell, aside from the noble Italian invasion, is in His Dark Materials at the Birmingham Rep, where God, sorry ‘The Authority’, isn’t so much dead, as in need of a mercy killing. … And yet our rich theatrical tradition sprang from the church.”
Tag: 04.07.09
Hadid Pavilion Will Rise, For A While, In Millennium Park
“Seeking to spotlight the 100th anniversary of the document that changed the face of Chicago, celebration organizers brought out the bling Tuesday night and unveiled designs for two temporary pavilions in Millennium Park by internationally-renowned architects,” Zaha Hadid and Ben van Berkel. “The pavilions … promise to join with the Art Institute of Chicago’s soon-to-debut Modern Wing to give five-year-old Millennium Park a fresh shot of energy.”
Dictionaries Offer Less Ammo For Gay-Marriage Foes
“Opponents of gay marriage generally have relied on two authorities, the Bible and the dictionary–the divine word and the defined word. A 2006 friend-of-the-court brief filed on behalf of anti-gay-marriage organizations in a Maryland marriage case cited no fewer than seven dictionaries to make its point. … But in their latest editions, the dictionaries have begun to switch sides–though until recently, no one seemed to have much noticed.”
Page Turners: Necessary Evil Or Noble Force For Good?
“‘If everything goes right, no one pays attention to the page turner,’ said the pianist Joseph Kalichstein. ‘And if something goes wrong, it’s the page turner’s fault.’ … As in so many relationships, the one between musician and page turner can be marked by miscommunication and misunderstandings.” Likewise, there are at least two sides to the story.
Getty Giving Fresco Fragment Back To Italy
“In its latest effort to return wayward ancient artworks to their rightful owners, the J. Paul Getty Museum will send a Roman fresco fragment to Italy. The fragmentary panel, a roughly 36-by-32-inch section of a wall painting made in the third quarter of the 1st century BC, joined the museum’s collection in 1996 as a gift of New York collectors Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman.”
What’s Wrong With The Argument Attacking AAMD Policy
“The first sentence of the AAMD handbook guiding deaccessioning policy … says: ‘The board of an art museum should adopt a written policy pertaining to the deaccessioning and disposal of works of art from its collection.’ That doesn’t sound to me like the profession (or its ‘supporters’) thinks works in museum collections cannot be sold. It sounds like they think that, when such sales inevitably happen, they need to be done with forethought and care.”
Bebop/Cool-Jazz Saxophonist Bud Shank, 82
He was “an alto saxophonist and flutist who helped propel cool-school West Coast jazz to prominence in the 1950s and fostered the melding of American and Brazilian music that created the bossa nova.”
A Cultural Blueprint For Salt Lake Includes The Burbs
“If Salt Lake County is able to follow its new master plan, arts lovers could see cultural hubs in the suburbs, upgrades to beloved amphitheaters from Murray to Draper, the reincarnation of a defunct sugar factory in West Jordan and a film center in the capital’s downtown.”
Milwaukee Gives Up On African-American Cultural Center
“The African American World Cultural Center Inc. said Monday that its board voted March 23 to dissolve as an organization, ending plans to build a community-owned cultural center in Milwaukee. The organization will cease to exist as of April 15.”
Charles Mackerras Takes Top Honors At BBC Music Mag Awards
The 83-year-old conductor’s recording of Mozart’s last four symphonies with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was named best orchestral recording and Disc of the Year. Said the maestro, “I am absolutely delighted … I’ve spent my whole life trying to get these four symphonies right!”