The Calgary Philharmonic has a new music diretor. Roberto Minczuk, the recently appointed music director of the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, has signed a three-year contract with the orchestra. “Minczuk, who until last May was principal guest conductor of the Sao Paulo State Symphony, recently completed a nine-year tenure as co-artistic director with the same orchestra as well as a two-year term as associate conductor of the New York Philharmonic.”
Tag: 07.16.05
de Waart Fires Hong Kong Phil Concertmaster
Hong Kong Philharmonic music director Edo de Waart, in his first season in the post, has fired concertmaster Dennis Kim for “auditioning for a place in an American orchestra while purportedly on sick leave. Kim learned earlier this year that his contract would not be renewed for the 2006-07 season for reasons, according to a source, that include criticizing his colleagues and bargaining for extra performance fees.”
How Disney Took Over The World
Disneyland turns 50 this year. “From the start, there would be no denying the world’s infatuation with Disneyland, a rite of passage for millions of vacationing families. In the 50 years since Walt Disney leveled Anaheim orange groves, the park has left an oversized imprint on American culture, influencing family entertainment, shopping malls, corporate branding and more. Indeed, no one has masterminded — and capitalized on — fantasy and illusion like the Walt Disney Co., a $30-billion entertainment powerhouse that has transformed theme park rides into top-grossing movies and a hockey flick into a sports franchise.”
The $27-Million Musical Is Underway
It’s six months until the massive new Lord of the Rings musical opens in Toronto, and casting and set-building are well under way. “At $27-million, LOTR is the most ambitious and expensive musical production in theatre history…”
Kirov Reaches For Rebel American
Why is the classically pure Kirov Ballet turning to a maverick like William Forsythe? “The Kirov has already added works to its repertory by the St Petersburg-born George Balanchine, who died in 1983, but Forsythe’s work, with its conscious deconstruction of the ballet conventions held so sacred at the Kirov, is a much wilder departure. It was the Kirov who courted Forsythe, rather than the other way round, and it took some persuasion. Forsythe has said that traditionally trained dancers, unused to his work, can be “horrible to watch” in his pieces.”
From Low Shelf To Top Drawer
“A 650-year-old Chinese vase that survived for generations on a low shelf, at constant risk of being dashed to the floor by the tails of boisterous dogs, sold for nearly £3m at auction yesterday. The unique 50cm double-gourd vase, bought for £10 in 1900, was snapped up by an overseas buyer, for a new record price for an antique sold at a British provincial auction house.”
Better Movies Through Poker
Making a film can sometimes seem easy compared to the monumental task of financing it. Lining up investors, pitching your project to seemingly everyone, scraping together enough cash for the cameras – it’s all just a bit overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just win your financing at a poker table?
Gambling On Art
“The French countryside could not be farther away, in distance or sentiment, from the long stretch of neon lights that line the Las Vegas Strip. But as the impressionists launched a revolution in the art world more than a century ago, a small art gallery inside the Bellagio resort has been quietly doing the same, albeit to a lesser degree, over the past six years… This month, the gallery launched its ninth exhibition, titled The Impressionist Landscape from Corot to Van Gogh. On the heels of a wildly successful Claude Monet show, gallery officials are confident they are accomplishing their mission of bringing art to the masses — even if it is in a casino.”
Learning From The Best
Training is everything in the dance world, and the chance for young hopefuls to hook up with seasoned pros is both rare and intensely valuable. So as you might imagine, the Summer Intensive program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance is the high point of the year for its enthusiastic (and exhausted) participants. “For four weeks, 55 advanced dancers ages 14 to 23 chosen by audition from the Bay Area and beyond forked over (or their folks did) $1,800 tuition to study with some of the best in the business — the business of artistry.”
Harry Potter & the Midnight Madness
So, as it turns out, all the hype and overwrought speculation that preceded the unveiling of the latest book in the Harry Potter series turned off kids around the world, who collectively yawned at the carefully orchestrated release. […pause for effect…] Hah. We kid. The durn thing’s already sold several million copies, and that’s only the beginning. Bookstores were crammed full, and the midnight release parties were as swinging as ever. Basically, it’s Harry’s world, and we’re just living in it.