Former ambassador Nicholas Platt: “One of the things that strikes me is that most of the literature and the music and the philosophy and so forth are very practically oriented, directed toward the solution of problems, the description of events, or program music with pictures of moonlight on water. You know the routine. And it’s beautiful. But it’s not very abstract. And I think classical music has some appeal to the Chinese because of its abstractness. It may fill a hole in their needs. There are simpler explanations. They love grand things – big buildings and big bridges – and Western classical music is grand.”
Tag: 06.09.13
UK National Theatre’s Cinemacasts A Surprise Hit
“On 16 May, the NT Live broadcast of This House played to 45,000 people in cinemas around the UK. … Another 20,000 watched overseas. More will follow with encore screenings. Since the first such broadcast in 2009 – when Helen Mirren’s Phèdre was seen by 50,000 people worldwide – NT Live has achieved a total audience of 1.3 million.”
XBox Takes A Swing At Classical Music
“The game aims to put players into that oversized starry blue hat of Mickey Mouse’s, letting them conduct a virtual orchestra with their hands in front of the Xbox camera, changing the feel of the music to fit their whims.”
Broadway’s Annual Traffic Jam – Does It Make Any Sense?
“Every year, shows that might otherwise have had a chance to run end up folding early because they get lost in the shuffle; the downside of relying on Tony nominations as a primary marketing tool is that if a show doesn’t get a few nods, it’s time to pull the plug. But shows need time to develop an audience, and that comes — sorry, critics — primarily from good word of mouth.”
New US Poet Laureate – The Second Time Around
“The Library of Congress will announce on Monday that Natasha Trethewey is to be appointed to a second one-year term as the United States poet laureate.”
Nashville Needs To Get It Together And Save The Symphony
“Music City should not want to see one of its greatest treasures sold to the highest bidder.”
The Clothes Make The Plays That Make The Tonys
“It’s a total science; it’s a total art,” he says. “And altogether, you’re not supposed to know any of this has happened.”
Ukraine Pianist Wins Cliburn Piano Competition
Vadym Kholodenko, “who had wowed the audience Sunday with his last performance, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, also won awards for best performance of a new work and best performance of chamber music.”
The Vulture Critics Live-Blog The Tonys
Funny, snarky, and delivers the goods. (We won’t spoil the winners for you.)
You’re Making A Movie About A Political Philosopher – How Cinematic Is *That*?
What you need are some gossipy letters, a few love affairs, and the trial of the century.