The trend has started with Matilda the Musical in the West End, and Mark Shenton makes the case that it should spread.
Tag: 05.24.18
Was This Tribute To Sausage Robert Indiana’s Last Sculpture?
“The odd, isolated end of Robert Indiana’s life included a lawsuit filed in his final days that accused two associates of taking advantage of the elderly artist in his later years by churning out inauthentic works under his name. … That conversation is likely to escalate with the discovery Thursday that Mr. Indiana’s last monumental sculpture was a tribute to bratwurst. It was commissioned by the owners of Johnsonville Sausage, in Wisconsin, that is one of the country’s largest producers. Mr. Indiana appears to have taken to the task of designing ‘BRAT’ with (sorry) relish.”
Protesters Disrupt Philadelphia Orchestra Concert In Brussels
“Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Thursday night performance in Brussels, urging the orchestra to cancel the upcoming Israel leg of its tour. The protesters broke into a performance of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor with chants of ‘free, free, Palestine,’ and after about 30 seconds, music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin stopped conducting and the music came to a halt … Security removed the protesters, and the concert resumed about 25 minutes later.”
Los Angeles Times Blocks European Readers Because Of EU’s New Privacy Rules
Friday’s the day the new EU rules go into effect; that’s why you’ve been getting so many emails about GDPR (the new regime) and updated privacy policies. While most websites appear to have tweaked their data-collection policies and are updating their users about the changes in order to continue operating in Europe, some appear to be throwing in the towel completely — among them one of the biggest newspapers in the United States, the Los Angeles Times.”
Head Of Major Vienna Museum Quits To Protest Interference By New Right-Wing Government
“Kunsthalle Wien director Nicholas Schafhausen … had an agreement with the City of Vienna to stay at the helm of the art center until the end of his ten-year term in 2022. But Schafhausen will instead leave next year, citing the fact that ‘advanced experiments in the arts’ in the country are being suppressed by the far-right government that took power at the end of 2017.”
Young African-American Maestro Wins Top U.S. Conducting Prize
“The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award is aimed at assisting outstanding young U.S. conductors in furthering their careers. The Minnesota Orchestra associate conductor [Roderick Cox] will receive $30,000 toward training and career advancement, plus professional introductions to both the Chicago Symphony and the Chicago Lyric Opera [sic].”
China Says It’s Building Enormous New Arts District In Beijing Exurbs
“Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing, will get a massive arts district of its own next year. [Plans were unveiled] for Valley XL, an RMB 18bn (around $2.8bn) development designed by Arquitectonica across 400 hectares of Hebei’s Xinglong Valley. … The project is billed as an ‘eco-city’ that will include a Modern and contemporary art museum, an art education district and artists’ studios along with commercial and residential areas.”
Adelaide Festival Brings Ever More Money (And People) Into State’s Economy
This year’s edition of the festival generated an estimated $76.1 million (Aus) fot the economy of South Australia, up 9% over 2017. What’s more, “a staggering 19,825 visitors of the annual arts festival last year were interstate or overseas travellers, representing a 44 percent increase on the previous year. Visitor bed nights also rose to 138,021, a 50 percent increase on 2017.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 05.24.18
“Shaftsbury” Shafted; Church Besmirched: The Berkshire Museum’s Lose-Lose Auctions
The Berkshire Museum’s deplorable disposals have not gone well. Even its board president, in a statement issued yesterday, conceded that the museum was “disappointed” with the results for the 13 works offered at … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2018-05-24
Crazy delightful
One of my students emailed a link to something I loved, loved, loved. It was a performance of Scheherezade, conducted by the ineffable, absolutely unqiue and wonderful Leif Segerstam. At the climax of which — and I hope you’re ready for this! … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2018-05-24
Jack Reilly, RIP
Bill Charlap reports that the pianist Jack Reilly died of a massive stroke yesterday in at his home in New Jersey. Mr. Reilly, 86, was an accomplished classical pianist who returned … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2018-05-24
Landmark
It’s been quite a while since Mrs. T and I paid a visit to a museum, but we felt we couldn’t afford to miss out on seeing American Post-Impressionists: Maurice & Charles Prendergast, which is … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2018-05-24
Study: Music Helps Fight Prejudice
It reports schoolchildren around age 11 who learned about the music and culture of a faraway land expressed warmer feelings toward immigrants from that country than those who did not. What’s more, those positive emotions were still evident three months after this exposure to the foreign culture.