Much has been written about the myriad ways in which technology and the Internet are changing our culture. But a new book submits that the most important change being wrought is a decidedly negative one: the devaluing of real talent in favor of a mindless celebration of DIY culture. Are we, through YouTube and other online innovations, “celebrating the amateur to the point of absurdity”? Perhaps, but it’s also likely that “the pendulum will swing back, not to the old dominance of professionals, but to a logical middle point. The amateur will be knocked off his pedestal, tossed back into the more general competition for people’s time and money.”
Tag: 06.10.07
Why Do We Love Ballerinas?
“Coincidence has ordained that this month brings the formal farewell performances of four international ballerinas… The emotion generated by such farewells goes deep. A ballerina represents beauty; is an exalted ideal; exerts authority over the world onstage and her audience; holds the key to the meaning of each ballet. That’s quite a list of virtues. And yet it doesn’t fully explain why the departure of a beloved ballerina affects her audience with a pang beyond the one felt at the departure of one of her male counterparts.”
Indy Goes With Two Concertmasters
The Indianapolis Symphony recently appointed a new young concertmaster with a burgeoning solo career. That could make for some regular absences from Indy, and rather than merely bump the next violinist in line up to the top chair, the ISO is taking the unusual step of appointing a principal guest concertmaster.
Change May Be Good For Florida Presenter
When the Concert Association of Florida forced out its longtime head, Judy Drucker, last week, the Miami cultural scene was stunned. But Lawrence Johnson says that the board’s decision to move past Drucker was probably the right move. “While Drucker’s achievements and vast contribution to the region’s arts scene are unassailable… her propensity for foisting herself aggressively into the limelight alongside her artists, most evident in her cringe-inducing curtain speeches, struck many as gauche and provincial. She could be abrasive, self-aggrandizing and selective with the truth.”
When Should An Audience Revolt?
The question of audience decorum is always a touchy subject among orchestra musicians and concertgoers, and when the orchestra is playing a difficult piece of new music that a chunk of the audience visibly hates, the atmosphere can deteriorate quickly. But should audience members really be required to just sit and take whatever is played at them? Is booing out of line? Refusing to applaud? Making remarks to those in the immediate area? The rules aren’t well defined…
What Really Happened In Atlanta?
The managing editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been working overtime to dispel the perception that the paper was planning to gut its cultural coverage and eliminate the position of classical music critic. (In fact, the critic’s title was merely tweaked.) Alex Ross, for one, is mostly convinced of the paper’s sincerity. “The AJC is indeed seriously committed to arts coverage, whether or not you agree with its stance toward criticism.”