“Bavaria’s annual celebration of Richard Wagner has likely avoided what would have been its first-ever strike. The tension has now been diffused – and the new directors spared major embarrassment. Marathon pay talks between the union and the festival management collapsed early Tuesday, but a new round of negotiations has now been scheduled for July 22.”
Tag: 07.15.09
BBC To Bring Sherlock Holmes Into The 21st Century
“A comic reworking of Sherlock Holmes, relocated to 21st century London, is one of the highlights of a package of drama greenlit by the BBC. Sherlock, which will air as three 90-minute episodes, is co-created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, Doctor Who‘s new showrunner.”
NY City Ballet Attendance At Saratoga Up
“Attendance for the first week of New York City Ballet’s two-week season at Saratoga Perfoeming Arts Center was 7 percent higher than the same time last year, according to a statement this morning by SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia J. White.”
Pablo Picasso, Left-Wing Activist
“Picasso’s cold war career as a highly political painter, peace campaigner and tireless fundraiser for leftwing causes will be revealed in an exhibition at Tate Liverpool next spring that will include letters from world leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Ho Chi Minh, as well as a telegram from Fidel Castro congratulating the artist on being awarded the Soviet Union’s international peace prize.”
Washington Ballet’s John Goding Dead at 50
“[A] founding member, ballet master and former principal dancer for the Washington Ballet, whose career with the company spanned more than 30 years, … Mr. Goding was recruited to the company by its founder, Mary Day, and remained a central figure in the group as it transformed into one of the country’s best-known regional dance companies.”
Danish Monarch Unveils Her Newest Costume Designs For Ballet
“Queen Margrethe unveiled the colorful costumes Wednesday for The Swineherd, a ballet based on a story by Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. She used stark colors – acid green, pink and purple – or large polka dots to give the costumes of the royal characters a cartoonesque touch. … It’s the fourth time Margrethe has designed costumes and sets for a stage adaptation of Andersen’s work.”
Who’ll Buy Live Nation’s Fleet Of UK Theatres?
“Live Nation has officially signalled its intention to offload its portfolio of UK theatres. That portfolio includes two major West End musical houses (the Lyceum and Apollo Victoria), a one-third stake in the Dominion, and some 14 regional houses, including major theatres in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford.” Whoever buys them will buy — or, likely, expand — a power base as well.
Cultural Olympiad Gets £16M And A Boldface Board
“Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, was today confirmed as the chair of a new Cultural Olympiad board,” which “will comprise Arts Council chief executive Alan Davey, Royal Shakespeare Company director Vicky Heywood, Barbican managing director Sir Nicholas Kenyon, BBC director general Mark Thompson, Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota, the mayor’s adviser on arts and culture Munira Mirza, and Jude Kelly, the Southbank Centre artistic director who has been overseeing the project to date.”
Are The Proms Living Up To Their Promise?
“[D]o the Proms actually matter – meaning, are they a truly live force in our culture? It’s a fair question, because there’s no doubt that the Proms were a truly live force when they were born in 1895. What founder Robert Newman promised was nothing less than a social and musical revolution. ‘I will run nightly concerts and train the public by easy stages,’ he declared, ‘Popular at first, gradually raising the standard.'”
Perusing Art At Christie’s? There’s An iPhone App For That.
“Today, Christie’s announced a new iPhone application that allows users to browse more than 450 auctions in close to 80 categories in such areas as fine arts, jewelry, photographs and wine. … The application can display real-time auction results but doesn’t yet offer the ability for users to place bids.”