“Ferran Adrià might not be a household name, but for nearly three decades, as chef and mastermind of the acclaimed Catalan Spanish restaurant El Bullí, he moussed, foamed and otherwise re-imagined cuisine in modernist ways that have inspired many of the world’s top chefs.”
Tag: 07.06.13
The Ostracization Of Renata Adler: I’m Shrill?
“The pity of it is that Adler is very far from being shrill. In person, she is warm and slightly kooky, her tone ironic and, as she has already pointed out, even. On the page, she is wise and clear and forensic. Nothing gets by her, whether she is writing about Nixon or Biafra or afternoon television.”
Pushkin Museum Director Is Casualty In Russian Political Battles
“Irina Antonova’s departure, announced on Monday at a hurriedly convened news conference by the culture minister, Vladimir Medinsky, with Ms. Antonova at his side, was interpreted by many as punishment for her role in dragging Mr. Putin into her feud with the Hermitage.”
How Smooth Jazz Is Surviving
“Since the great radio purges of 2008 and 2009, when stations across the country abandoned the format, smooth jazz has been not just maligned but also marginalized — stripped of its main distribution channel just as the record business was falling to pieces. The only recourse for its musicians and fans has been to adapt, regrouping now as a subculture, often literally at sea.”
Can Science Predict Talent?
“Society and education tend to hold the view that talent is innate, or at the very least has to be developed while young. While my personal experiences suggest otherwise, I must admit, I’m just a single anecdote. Perhaps I’m just an outlier. So what is the evidence? What does the science actually tell us about talent?”
The Soap Opera That Is Soprano Angela Gheorghiu
“Variously known as “the Ceausescus”, “Bonnie and Clyde” and, in her case, “the Draculette” (backstage nicknames can be cruel), their lives came to exemplify the kind of conduct you might casually think goes with the territory of opera stardom: tantrums, cancellations, stormings off, general hysteria.”
Darcey Bussell: My Life After Dance
‘To listen to Bussell – one of the best ballerinas Britain has ever produced – one would barely recognise her as an international star. By her own modest account, her early years of training were a “disaster”, her career “so fortunate”, and her svelte figure now “horribly” deteriorated.’
BBC Proms By The Numbers
“The Proms, which run to 57 consecutive nights, are regularly billed as the world’s biggest music festival. Last year’s average attendance was 93 per cent of the Albert Hall’s 6,000-seat capacity – and that’s just a fraction of the total number listening. In the UK alone, live transmissions on BBC Radio 3 are heard by 2m people a week, and in 2012 more than 15m watched on television. BBC broadcasts reach a huge international audience, with more than 45 countries transmitting the Proms on radio and up to 20 tuning into the Last Night on television.”
Bolshoi Principal Dishes On Russian Ballet Politics
“The Mariinsky needs a very strong leader, someone who has a mind of his own, but Yuri is easily influenced. He has made the company very flat.”
Murano’s Dying Glass Art Business
“Murano, an island near the city centre, has been home to glass factories for 700 years. But a shift in taste from elaborate, heavy glass to inexpensive, contemporary designs that go in the dishwasher has hurt local artisans. More than a third have shut up shop in the past decade. At the bottom end of the market Chinese glass now does the job more cheaply.”