“Rehearsals for the eagerly anticipated new production of Richard Wagner’s final opera Parsifal at this year’s legendary Bayreuth Festival resumed yesterday after iconoclastic theatre director Christoph Schlingensief re-appeared for work following a few days absence. Schlingensief had plunged preparations for the prestigious annual summer music festival… into disarray on the weekend by calling in sick following a row with the composer’s grandson and festival chief Wolfgang Wagner.”
Tag: 07.07.04
A (Dale) Peck Of Petty Epithets
Why is critic Dale Peck so mean? “Peck is hardly the first writer to enlist a congenial cultural form in the effort to repair injuries and redeem losses: Transforming such experiences and emotions into other idioms and forms is part of what makes culture emotionally resonant. But when a writer bends existing genres to suit such purposes, the critical question—and perhaps a larger question for criticism itself—is this: At what point does transformation fail, leaving a writer mired in psychodrama and family repetition?”
Sniping Surrounds ‘Music Manifesto’
The UK government’s new “music manifesto,” which aims to put a renewed emphasis on music education in Britain, is being assailed by several high-profile musicians who say that it offers little in the way of substantive change, and by minority Conservative politicians who declared the document to be “of Wagnerian length with more hot air than the wind section of the London Philharmonic.” When asked for his own vision of how to improve music education, the Tory shadow arts minister suggested that schools should bring back regular hymn singing.
Seattle Arts Groups Back In Balance
“Although the past two years were economically difficult for Seattle arts groups, including the biggest and richest, the proverbial corner seems to have been turned for some. Pacific Northwest Ballet not only balanced its $16.3 million budget this fiscal year but eliminated its 2-year-old $1.2 million accumulated deficit and restored its cash reserve fund of $580,000… The Seattle Symphony Orchestra ‘expects’ to balance its $20.9 million budget, and Seattle Opera is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that it will do the same with a budget of $20.7 million.”
Concert Companion Taking Off
The much-hyped “Concert Companion,” a PDA-sized device which allows concertgoers to follow a written commentary to symphonic works live in the concert hall, is becoming the gotta-have-it item for major American orchestras. With successful trials in New York and Pittsburgh now complete, other orchestras are lining up for the chance to try out the device on their audiences. In fact, it may be hard for the supplier to keep up with demand, not so much for the hardware, but for the specialized commentary (written, up to this point, by ArtsJournal blogger Greg Sandow) which must be composed for each featured work.
KC Music Director Candidate Withdraws
Conductor David Lockington has withdrawn his name from consideration in the three-man race to become the new music director of the Kansas City Symphony, saying that he wishes to keep his focus on the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Symphony, which is preparing for its 75th anniversary next season. The Kansas City job would have been a considerable jump in prestige for Lockington, but no further reasons for his withdrawal have been given. The job will now likely go to either Stefan Sanderling or Michael Stern.
Asian Musicians Abused, Assaulted in NZ
Several Asian members of New Zealand’s Wellington Sinfonia were taunted with racial slurs this week while on tour in the town of Masterton this week, and one Asian violinist was physically assaulted on the street in an apparently racially-motivated incident. The woman “was approached by a girl described by witnesses as wearing ‘Gothic-style clothing’ and who said ‘why don’t you just go back to where you came from’ and then hit her in the face.”
By The Power Of Gracenote
A little-known company called Gracenote is quietly becoming a major player in the new world of digital music. The company was formed around an idea – that there should be a way for digital players to recognize and label songs and albums without users having to enter the information – and every major digital player now depends on its services. “Gracenote’s rise resembles a pattern seen in many industries, in which one company evolves into an information clearinghouse that holds extraordinary power over its rivals.”
UK Way Ahead Of US With Digital Radio
Digital radio is so hot in Great Britain that the government is preparing to announce a shutdown date for traditional analog broadcasting. 600,000 digital receivers have been sold in the UK since the format launched earlier this year, and nearly half of all British radio broadcasts are now available in digital form. Even the receivers themselves are becoming cheaper – a £50 model will be available in supermarkets shortly.
ENO Tries Another Unconventional Show
The English National Opera is attempting to mount a major outdoor production of La Boheme in London’s Trafalgar Square, covering the whole area with fake grass in an effort to recreate the look and feel of Glyndebourne’s opera on the lawn. But on the heels of ENO’s wild and unconventional success at the Glastonbury Festival, this event may be a bust: “heavy rain and winds are forecast and picnics, bottles and outdoor furniture banned.” Still, all 7,000 free tickets to the event are already spoken for.