In an article headlined, “The Death of Classical Music in America,” a financial journalist crunches a few numbers and names eleven candidates, three of which have recently shut down (and only one of which is not a symphony orchestra).
Tag: 05.01.11
Edward Albee Says His Plays Aren’t Cynical
“‘I don’t call it cynicism. I call it objectivity.’ He goes quiet. ‘I don’t begin with a thesis and pull in characters to fill that thesis, no. I write them to find out why I’m writing them.’ Another pause. ‘To reveal to yourself decisions you’ve already made’.”
How Nacho Duato Is Shaking Up Russian Ballet
“Duato is the first foreign choreographer in a century to run a Russian ballet company–St. Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Ballet, now in its 178th season – and traditionalists are nervous. … Duato is facing the biggest artistic challenge of his career: dragging Russian ballet, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.”
Sarasota Ballet, Having Saved Itself, Faces Real Growing Pains
“Only two years ago the company was nearly $1 million in debt. Now its budget is balanced, its repertoire rejuvenated and most of its performances at the Mertz Theater of the FSU Center for Performing Arts are sellouts. But ironically, it is that very success that has created new hurdles.”
The Beijing Intelligentsia’s Anti-Ai Weiwei?
“One of China’s most famous public intellectuals, Chen [Danqing] is not so much an activist as an eloquent and ambivalent dissenter. He criticizes the party’s grasp on history and expression and belittles China’s other artists for refusing to speak out. … “
Angela Lansbury Has Labour Politics In Her Blood
Her grandfather, George Lansbury, was a founder of the Labour Party and its leader fron 1932 to 1935. “The actress remembers watching her grandfather speak at the Albert Hall. ‘The whole place was just transfixed. It was really something. It had a stunning effect on me’.”
A New ‘Radical Theatre’ Festival In The Heart Of Middle England
“Nottingham Playhouse has joined the city council, the regeneration body One Nottingham and many of the city’s other arts venues … to present a range of radical theatre, music, film and visual art from across Europe between 26 May and 12 June.”
The Blessed Virgin Appears On A Surfboard (It’s Not A Miracle, It’s Street Art)
“The 10-foot-square, stained-glass mosaic showing Our Lady of Guadalupe riding a surfboard, with a portrayal of St. Juan Diego on the board’s nose, appeared mysteriously on a wall supporting a train bridge over Encinitas Boulevard, just two blocks from Moonlight Beach.”
University Of Alaska To Students: Please Stop Flushing Your Socks Down The Toilet!
“Hundreds of socks have been flushed at the UAF Fine Arts Complex since December, creating havoc on the building’s sewer system. Maintenance Superintendent Bill Cox figures the stray socks have caused at least $15,000 in equipment damage and labor costs. It’s a puzzling problem, and campus officials admit they don’t know what’s behind it.”
Was Robert Johnson The Greatest Bluesman Ever?
“Consider that during his lifetime, his biggest-selling recording, “Terraplane Blues,” sold about 5,000 copies. When the “King of the Delta Blues Singers” LP surfaced in 1961 with 16 of his songs, it sold around 20,000 copies. Since its 1990 release, a 2-CD box set of all his known recordings has sold 1.5 million copies. That’s despite detractors who have suggested his reputation is over-inflated.”