Two high-profile scandals in high-end violin appraisals and dealing reveal a shadowy world in which little is as it seems. “Authentication is slippery, essential and a near-contact sport among dealers, who regard one another like Yankees and Red Sox and certify the authenticity of their products themselves. And as both of the current dramas demonstrate, pricing tends to the notional, with no instrument quite like any other. Brokers and consultants flourish in the interstices.”
Tag: 08.29.04
“Hearing” A Building Before It’s Built
“Acoustics, in particular, are a crucial part of the experience of a building — concert halls and corporate offices alike. But as the long, sad history of acoustical missteps proves, perfecting a sound aesthetic is easier said than heard. Most architects are forced either to make an educated guess about the play of sound or begrudgingly consult acousticians, who have technical expertise but few practical ways to demonstrate their ideas.” Now, a way to find out what a building will sound like before it’s built…
Klezmer’s German Inroads
Klezmer has become a phenomenon in Germany. “National interest in this genre, broadly defined as Eastern European Jewish folk music, has surged, with experts counting more than 100 klezmer bands across the country. Record sales are strong, and festivals and workshops have multiplied. One label director called Germany the strongest klezmer market in the world. But with few exceptions, the klezmer scene in Germany is a non-Jewish phenomenon, a renaissance of Jewish culture without Jews, prompting a wide range of reactions here and abroad, from bewilderment and cautious approval to cynicism and reproach.”
Tate Janitor Accidentally Throws Away Artwork
A janitor has thrown away a bag of trash that was “part of a Tate Britain work of art. The bag filled with discarded paper and cardboard was part of a work by Gustav Metzger, said to demonstrate the ‘finite existence’ of art.”
Myths Of Art-Theft-For-Order
“Wherever The Scream is now, it is almost certainly not in a billionaire’s study. Except in movies, thieves are seldom connoisseurs. In the eyes of a typical art thief, the most dazzling of paintings is simply a multi-million dollar bill hanging on a poorly guarded wall. Those who steal art are surprisingly casual about the details of how they might turn their newly acquired paintings into money. In my interviews with art thieves, they talked lightly about “Arab sheiks” or “South American drug lords” sure to want a bargain-price Van Gogh.”
Hans Vonk, 63
Conductor Han Vonk has died of a rare neurological disease. “Vonk became the St. Louis Symphony’s music director in 1996 and continued in that position until his declining medical condition forced his retirement in April 2002.”
New Orleans Phil Looks For New Music Director
Now that Klauspeter Seibel has left the job as music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, the search is on for a replacement. This season is being given over to possible candidates for the job…
Understanding Bones
Why is the care of Hawaiian ancestral remains such an emotional issue? Recent news of artifacts and remains being illegally sold on Hawaii’s Big Island has reopened controversies. “This sanctity is violated, Native Hawaiians believe, when remains and artifacts are removed from the sacred caves, whether by grave robbers or archaeologists.”
In Search Of Classical Radio (There’s Plenty Of it)
Looking for classical music on the radio? Traditional broadcast radio isn’t likely to do it. But the web has become a goldmine for music fans looking for variety…
Pondering The CD’s Mortality
Andrew Druckenbrod is dismayed to learn that his precious CDs may be self-destructing. “Indeed, what does it say that a music box metal disc made 150 years ago or a paper piano roll from the turn of the previous century may outlive a digital product of today? It makes me want to pack a 19th-century survival kit: Dangnabit, where are my lard candles, salt pork and wool undergarments?”