“After the initial celebration, he quickly lost favor, his argument often treated as little more than a rhetorical punching bag. Commentators of varying leanings could all agree that the end of history thesis was willfully naive, a relic of post-1989 triumphalism that had been rapidly overtaken by harsher political realities. Fukuyama, for his part, turned to somewhat more modest topics in the years after End of History, writing books on trust, biotechnology and U.S. foreign policy.”
Tag: 07.15
A Look Inside The Grueling Preparation Required For A Boston Symphony Audition
“The technique on the instruments has grown, but what hasn’t grown is the innate musicianship, the interpretive abilities of players. Sometimes that is the most difficult thing to measure in an audition.”
Greece Needs Money. Britain Wants The Parthenon Marbles. A Deal To Be Made?
“For the last few years, amidst her financial crisis, Greece has flirted with the idea of selling off state historical assets. Since Greek independence, Graeco-British relations have been shadowed by the Elgin marbles: relief panels from the Parthenon, along with major pediment sculptures, which were purchased by the 7th Earl of Elgin in 1798.”
Museum Quandry: In A World Of 3D Printers, What Happens To Originals?
The proliferation of replicas does stand to diminish the value of the real thing. Susan Ades, who is in charge of the exhibit’s 3‑D-printing operation, told me that she believes the technology ought to be carefully deployed and fully disclosed in galleries. “For museums,” she said, “the real thing is what we have going. Authenticity.”
The Future Of America’s Orchestras? Norman Lebrecht Suggests Looking At Cleveland
“Rather than grooming social leaders for big donations, Cleveland asks them to meet young professionals who join its under-40s circle. You want to get ahead in Cleveland? Go to a concert. The orchestra has reinvented itself as a high-achieving social network. Its president, Gary Hanson, who retires this summer, has highlighted several routes out of the LAO gloom.”
The Decline Of The American Leading Man?
Terrence Rafferty: “The phenomenon may have reached its unignorable peak in last year’s docudrama Selma: the parts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Governor George Wallace, and President Lyndon B. Johnson were all played by Brits. … Crisis or not, this is getting embarrassing.”