“Martha Argerich, who for almost two decades gave very few solo recitals, has always felt uneasy in the spotlight offstage as well. But Ms. Argerich, a brilliant musician whose playing combines prodigious technique with uncanny musicality, overcame her shyness and granted Georges Gachot a three-hour interview.”
Tag: 08.03.08
Hollywood-On-A-Budget Goes For Brit Stars
“The film industry, weary of paying $20m (£10m) salaries to Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman and their A-list chums, is waking up to the value of a generation of cut-price alternatives from across the Atlantic. In an attempt to cope with falling domestic box-office sales and the after-effects of the writers’ strike, major Hollywood studios are hiring up-and-coming actors such as James McAvoy and Jim Sturgess to front productions that would traditionally feature major US stars.”
Can Online Concerts Become Profitable?
A number of European summer festivals are streaming their concerts online this year. “Does anybody actually want to watch classical concerts on their computer screens? Evidently, yes… The real question is whether anybody wants to pay for it.”
Fierce Independence Marks A Dance Master’s Career
Italian choreographer Luca Veggetti has been taking the US by storm recently. “He has long identified with what he calls the distinctly American sense of freedom, and he hopes soon to move here permanently.” Throughout his career, Veggetti has rejected the European cultural model in favor of a hard-won freelance career.
Madness And Artistry Behind The Scenes
“After opening night, directors and designers usually move to their next projects, while a small army stays behind to safeguard their artistic vision.” These are the stagehands, light and sound directors, and other behind-the-scenes workers whom the audience never thinks about, but without whom no show would be able to go on.
Mao As Pop Art Phenomenon
“Mao’s image is less conspicuous [in China] than it once was. His status took a dip when the savageries of the Cultural Revolution began to be told… [But] he remains omnipresent, like some Warholian multiple. Look and you’ll find him. His star power holds.”
Rushdie Threatens Former Bodyguard With Lawsuit
“Sir Salman Rushdie is threatening to sue a former police bodyguard who has written a book about protecting the author while he was in hiding… In the book, he claims Sir Salman was nicknamed “Scruffy” and was once locked in a cupboard because he irritated his protection officers. They then all went to the pub.”
WV Symphony Exec Jumping To Dayton
“West Virginia Symphony executive director Paul Helfrich will leave in mid-October to take the top administrative job at the Dayton Philharmonic in Ohio… In Dayton, Helfrich replaces Curt Long, who left after 14 years to take a similar position with the Alabama Symphony.”
All Elites Are Not Created Equal
Why is it that Americans embrace the idea of elitism in sports and movies, but disdain it in politics and the arts? “We want our rock ‘n’ roll heroes to be guitar gods, we want our movie stars to be brilliant actors, we want our surgeon to be tops in his or her field — but we want our president to possess average intelligence?”
Summer Festing
Summer music festivals can be serious tourist draws, but they also serve as crucial rejuvenating experiences for musicians, who can find themselves ground down by a long orchestra season.