“A collection of fairytales penned by Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be published to raise money for a children’s charity. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Rowling first mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, will go on sale on 4 December.”
Tag: 07.31.08
Collaboration And Acquiescence
Two plays examining the various prominent artists and performers who collaborated with or stayed silent under Hitler’s reign are on show in Chichester, England. “The implied question – what would you do, and when? – strikes keenly, but is not necessarily one we could answer honestly from our safe distance. Would we, like Strauss, acquiesce in the face of threats to our family? Like Furtwängler, continue to believe in the sanctity of our art? Follow Zweig into exile and suicide?”
Bayreuth Performance Nearly Cancelled By Flooding
“A performance of Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried” at this year’s Bayreuth Festival was delayed by 10 minutes on Thursday evening owing to torrential rain that flooded parts of the legendary Festspielhaus theatre. The so-called “under stage” — installations below stage level that are invisible to the audience — and a low-lying building adjacent to the theatre were flooded.”
The Top Ten Hamlets
Theater critic Michael Billington makes his list of performances that have helped define the role. “Oscar Wilde famously said that ‘there is no such thing as Shakespeare’s Hamlet … there are as many Hamlets as there are melancholies’. One sees his point: there is something elusive and unpindownable about the role and, of all the great parts.”
Leaving Politics For The Sake Of Art
“The Brazilian musician and Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, says he is standing down from the government to concentrate on his music career… As culture minister, he championed sometimes neglected forms of cultural expression such as indigenous painting. However it was always clear that he hankered to return to his artistic career, and some critics questioned the level of commitment to his political role.”
West Side Story Still Fresh At 50
“More than five decades on from its first performance in Washington, West Side Story remains as relevant as ever; some may argue more so… The deaths of Bernardo, Riff and Tony do not have to be made visceral to reach a modern audience. The action and the language, while very much of its time, speak a universal truth.”
A Famously Combative UK Composer Gets Her Due
A dedicated suffragette who went to prison for her activism, Ethel Smyth’s “colourful life and reputation have tended to overshadow the thing she cared about most – her music.” Now her double concerto for violin and horn is getting a prominent performance at the BBC Proms.