Instrument maker David Klavins’s custom-built 470i piano, with a vertical steel frame six meters (19.7 feet) long and strings up to five meters (16.4 feet) long, has been installed in a new concert hall in the Latvian port town of Ventspils. – Yahoo! (AFP)
Tag: 07.27.19
M. Owen Lee, 89, Longtime Voice On The Met Opera Broadcasts
Father Lee was a scholar by training. His field was the classics. But he did not sound particularly dry or academic on the radio as an opera quiz panelist or as a commentator explicating characters’ motives, composers’ motifs and librettists’ plot twists for an international audience. – The New York Times
Curtis Institute Apologizes For Response To Story About Sexual Assault
Curtis President Roberto Diaz: “Yesterday we communicated with all of you in a way that was not consistent with our values. We have understandably lost your trust and for that I am profoundly sorry.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
The Paris Bookstore That Gets Unrivaled Tourist Attention
The foot traffic to Shakespeare and Company has only increased since nearby Notre Dame closed for fire repairs. But the bookstore is a monument in and of itself. “Through the narrow aisles and hairpin turns, we hear ‘ah’ and ‘oh’ as in the Louvre before the Mona Lisa. The only difference from the work of Leonardo da Vinci: No forest of selfie poles in front of the shelves because, here, we are not supposed to take pictures inside.” – Le Monde
The Voice Of Minnie Mouse Has Died
Russi Taylor, 75, began performing as Minnie for Disney in the mid-1980s – and then she met and married the voice of Mickey. She voiced many other roles for Disney, and also for The Simpsons. – Variety
Teslas Will Soon Be Able To Stream Netflix And YouTube
But – or so Elon Musk claims – that access to streaming video will only happen while the car is parked. – The Verge
Disney Smashes Its Own Box Office Record And It’s Only July, So Everything Is Fine
Listen, y’all, Frozen 2 hasn’t even come out yet. “After this weekend, the company has surpassed $7.67 billion worldwide, smashing the benchmark previously set by Disney in 2016 with $7.61 billion.” – Variety
Anticipating The Ystad Festival
Aside from the charming town of Ystad itself, what’s up with the music? – Doug Ramsey
Did You Miss The Sex And Nudity, And Underlying Indictment Of Slavery, In Jane Austen?
If so, worry no longer. The book Austen was working on when she died has now been adapted into a TV show by the man who gave the world nearly naked Colin Firth in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. – BBC