Krystina Nellis: “[We] seem content to parade a few ‘success stories’ as examples of how all-inclusive the arts are … Surely the real goal should be supporting women to stay in the industry for longer than a few years, therefore at least partially addressing the frankly ludicrous turnover in the process?”
Tag: 07.18.11
Baritone Cornell MacNeil, 88
“[He] was considered the equal of Leonard Warren and Robert Merrill, the other stellar American Verdi baritones during the second half of the 20th century. From 1959 to 1987, he sang 26 roles in more than 600 appearances at the Metropolitan Opera alone.”
Bolshoi Archives Reveals Lives Of Musicians
“The Bolshoi has digitalized around 20 percent of the archives, under a project it embarked on two years ago. The results will eventually be made available online. The cream-colored, eight-columned ballet and opera house suffered three fires during the 19th century and much of the early archive collection was destroyed.”
Ballet Dancers And Sexuality – One Critic’s Take
“To put it bluntly, dancers, male and female, are in such a state of readiness that they will grab at anything in a skirt or trousers, leotard or legwarmers, to relieve their itch. Labelling the male-on-male contacts as homosexual or bisexual is missing the point.”
The Art Of Violence (Why Is It So Attractive?)
“The art of cruelty aestheticizes violence, in not necessarily scrupulous ways. It bludgeons audiences into getting the point. It’s responsible for a century of art-world Nurse Ratcheds, wielding jolts of aesthetic electroshock therapy and taking unseemly pleasure at rubbing people’s noses in pain.”
Publishing Dead? So Why Is Expensive Class In Publishing Jammed To Capacity?
“This year’s 101 students were chosen from more than 475 applicants, the highest number in years, showing that they were not deterred by the $6,990 fee for tuition and room and board on the Columbia campus — or by the limitations of entry-level positions that pay around $30,000 a year.”
Did Lax Security At London’s National Gallery Lead To Poussin Vandalism?
“A painting like Poussin’s Golden Calf is made by a great artist, cherished by owners, and miraculously preserved down the centuries. It is looked after in a museum, cleaned, studied, and silently enjoyed by thousands. And then in an instant someone can brutally attack this venerable human creation and make a vile mark on it.”
Debate Over Whether Australian Opera Should Drop Its Full-Time Orchestra
“Musicians have reacted angrily to the suggestion a casual ensemble could operate as effectively. The group of 69 full-time players accused management of shutting them out of planning their future.”
Struggling To Keep Chinese Opera Alive
“Chinese opera’s influence on pop culture has remained strong, and its mythologies crop up in kung fu films, comic books and television series. But traditional theaters have all but disappeared, except for the Sunbeam and a few others in far-flung locales.”
Zawi Hawass Out (Again) As Egypt’s Antiquities Minister
“Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities minister, who has been under fire for his ties to the Mubarak regime, will lose his job in a cabinet reshuffle intended to appease the protesters in Tahrir Square.”