Anne Midgette: “Indeed, with its giants and dwarves and dragons and battles and love duets, it bears marked resemblances to a lot of today’s most popular screen sagas: the political shenanigans of House of Cards, the epic flavor of Game of Thrones, the fairy-tale elements of Lord of the Rings. … (And by the way, where do you think the idea for The Lord of the Rings came from, anyway?)
Tag: 04.14.16
The Original Gentrification Story: Adam Gopnik On The Place Des Vosges In Paris
“History tells us that it is the Cinderella – or, as the French would say, the Cendrillon – of the world’s great squares. It was born to encourage manufacturing, quickly turned into a region for real estate speculation, then given its permanent, completely irrelevant title in one of the most cynical ‘naming opportunities’ ever conceived before the modern football stadium.”
Mario Vargas Llosa Is Now Officially A Living Legend (The Library Of Congress Has Decreed It)
“The Peruvian writer was a leading candidate for his country’s presidency in 1990, is the last survivor of a literary movement that re-energized the novel in our time and is probably the only winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature to compare the joys of writing, in his 2010 Nobel lecture, to ‘making love to the woman you love, for days, weeks, months, without stopping.'”
The New Tate Modern: More Galleries, More Performance, More Women
“The new Tate Modern will open on 17 June with around 60% more gallery space provided by its 11-floor Switch House extension. In the basement, floor 0, will be The Tanks, the world’s first museum spaces dedicated to live art.” Says new director Frances Morris, “There is a commitment now to show the real history of art and the contribution made by many women who have been overlooked for many reasons.”
Please Stop The Arts Cuts!, England’s Arts Funding Body Begs Local Governments
“Arts Council England chair Peter Bazalgette has made a plea for local authorities to ‘keep the faith’ and continue funding the arts to avoid losing ‘irreplaceable’ organisations.”
‘If Only It Hadn’t Taken Him So Long’ – Anne Midgette On Levine’s Retirement From The Met
“It wasn’t just the illnesses, but the constant alternation between concealment and an excess of revelation that kept so much attention focused on them and away from the music.”
‘A Conceptual Shock’ – Alex Ross On The End Of The Levine Era At The Met
“All the same, the news comes as a conceptual shock, because no one under the age of fifty – myself included – can remember a time when Levine wasn’t the frizzy-haired man on the Met podium. He was always there, eyes alight, sweat on his brow, hands caressing the air.”
The Truth About The Dancers In Madonna’s ‘Truth Or Dare’
“‘I look petrified,’ Salim Gauwloos says in the film as he watches the old footage of himself play on a computer screen. ‘I can’t wait to get offstage.'” And he had reason to be.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 04.14.16
LP Alert: Shipp-Bisio & Guaraldi
Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio, Live In Seattle (Arena Music). Vinyl is becoming the preferred medium of listeners to a variety of genres, particularly of young people who counter the traditional youthful notion that anything from … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-04-14
So you want to see a show?
Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-04-14
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Juan Felipe Herrera Appointed To Second Term As US Poet Laureate
For Herrera, the award-winning author of more than two dozen poetry collections and books for young people, the second term will provide an opportunity to build on the success of several ongoing projects, including his “La Casa de Colores,” an epic poem composed of online submissions from people around the world.