“Whenever people discuss the familiar plight of classical music in America — financial problems; aging audiences; above all, a loss of cultural authority — someone is sure to bring up the museum analogy. Classical music, we are told, may be old and valuable, but it is as remote from contemporary life as an old fiddle. Its culture is a museum culture. The public doesn’t care about new works, and the old ones have been worn out with reuse like antique coins with faded faces. But the museum analogy shortchanges both the music and the museum.”
Tag: 06.03.07
A New Way To Hold Town Meetings?
“Could modern networking technologies reconnect larger groups of people to their local governments? What if there were a way to preserve the deliberative aspects of the town meeting — still stoutly defended by conservatives and progressives alike — without requiring busy, work-stressed residents to assemble at the same time and place? In fact, promising experiments are underway to encourage citizen input in regional planning, drafting of regulations, and even to use “wiki” technology to collectively draft laws.”
Trouble Ahead For Right-Wing Political Publishing?
“The conservative works on display at BookExpo America, which ended Sunday, could be seen as a tribute to the diversity of right-wing publishing and the movement in general. But, publishers say, they’re really a sign of an industry, and of a political movement, wondering what to do next.”
Are Museums Being Priced Out Of The Art Market?
Lost in the excitement surrounding this season’s record-shattering art auctions is the inevitable downside to such price inflation: museums are becoming ever less able to afford the acquisition of major works. “What also tends to happen in a rising market is that people who own artworks are more reluctant to give them away when they can sell them for exorbitant amounts of money.”
Let The Tony Backlash Begin!
As the New York theatre world prepares to congratulate itself at the Tony Awards, the critics are having their usual round of ‘what’s wrong with Broadway these days.’ “We decry the pandering. We rage against the casting of movie stars onstage… Yet among the many musty postures we might adopt toward the current season, carping that the theater ignored issues of consequence to the grim national mood simply should not be one of them.”
Just Because It’s British Doesn’t Mean It’s Good
“The mania for all things British continued unabated this season on Broadway, and there’s no reason to believe it will subside anytime soon… But much of the London-originated product seen in New York this season left me disappointed in one way or another. The cumulative effect has left me wondering whether this was simply an off season, or whether all the money being lavished on plays and productions from across the ocean is bringing much in the way of lasting rewards to the Broadway environment.”
Dragging Public Radio To A New Generation
An irreverent and urbane new radio show hosted by a 36-year-old Hollywood actress is getting the attention of public radio execs nationwide with its decidedly different approach to the medium. And by “different,” we mean “holding some appeal for listeners under 50 years of age.”
If You Build It…
Vienna’s Musikverein and Boston’s Symphony Hall may still be the gold standard, but Nicolai Ourossoff says that we are in a dizzying age of concert hall construction and design. “The new halls seek to root classical music firmly in the present and forge an intimate bond among orchestra, audience and music.”
A Building To Match The Music
Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music may not have the instant international name recognition of Juilliard, but the school is one of Canada’s beloved cultural institutions. “No other musical institution connects so many people – professionals and amateurs alike – from so many communities.” Now, after decades of making do with substandard facilities, the Royal Conservatory is on the verge of moving into a dazzling new home.