“Islamic radicals destroyed 4,000 ancient manuscripts during their occupation of Timbuktu, according to the findings of a United Nations expert mission. The damage amounts to about one-tenth of the manuscripts that were being stored in the fabled northern city.”
Tag: 07.02.13
The Case Of The Vanished Pigments
“The colors of art change not just with trends, but availability as well. For reasons of being incredibly poisonous, expensive, or just involving way too many snails, here are five pigments that have disappeared from art.”
Is Pandora Paying Musicians Too Little (Or Too Much?)
“A million spins on Pandora might be equivalent to a single play on a large FM station. If major market FM stations paid the same rates as Pandora, based on audience, some would be paying thousands of dollars for every song they played.”
The Art Of Listening (And It Is An Art)
“This is the first lesson for writers — or anyone — who conducts interviews: If you want someone to talk, you’ve got to know how to listen.”
Did Opera’s Superstar Love Couple Have A Domestic Violence Problem?
Soprano Angela Gheorghiu is alleging that tenor Roberto Alagna, whom she recenty divorced, hit her – sometimes in front of other family members – during their 17 years of marriage.
Joffrey Ballet’s New Boss Gets Started
“Greg Cameron arrived this week as executive director of the Joffrey Ballet armed with a wealth of contacts … and an irrepressible optimism. … Cameron, who resigned as chief operating officer of the parent company of television station WTTW and WFMT-FM to take his new job, isn’t fazed by the tough times still facing the arts.”
NPR Begins The Search For The Great American Symphony
“Throughout the summer, we plan to ask a variety of composers, conductors, critics – and especially you – to help us think about the state of American symphonic music. We’re not out to crown the best American symphony, to decide whether Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3 is more important than John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1. Instead we’re wondering: Is the music still viable? Who writes symphonies in America these days? And who hears them? What relevance do they have in the American artistic landscape?”
Jazz Pianist/Composer/Music Director Paul Smith Dead At 91
“At 6 feet 5, with hands that easily spanned the piano keyboard well beyond octaves, Smith was an impressive sight on stage. Playing with a versatility comparable to that of Oscar Peterson and a harmonic richness similar to the work of Bill Evans, he was both a brilliant soloist and an accompanist who was highly praised by the many singers with whom he performed.”
Cirque Du Soleil Performer’s Death Ruled Accidental
“Nevada’s Clark County coroner’s office issued a statement late Tuesday saying the death of Cirque du Soleil performer Sarah Guillot-Guyard was accidental.” She fell while being hoisted into the air during a performance of the show Ka at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Dust To Dust: Watching Tibetan Monks Make Sand Mandalas
Lee Lawrence walks readers through the elaborate, painstaking, profound, and ultimately futile (because the work is swept away in the end) process of producing intricate religious imagery from tiny grains of colored marble.