A portrait of the “pugilistic” director rehearsing Manon at Lyric Opera of Chicago: he coaches; he rants; he flutters a fan; he kisses Natalie Dessay (repeatedly); he gets down on the floor with Jonas Kauffman; he tells the chorus, “I need a gaggle of trollops!”
Tag: 09.27.08
Using Depression To Create Art
British artist Martin Creed’s work has evolved considerably in the roughly two decades since he first came to public attention. “[One] way of talking about the change in Creed’s work is to say that he was once depressed, but he is no longer… His melancholia somehow allowed objects the freedom to speak for themselves.”
Conductor And Orchestra, Growing Up Together
It’s easy to forget that there were a lot of naysayers when Esa-Pekka Salonen was named as music director of the LA Philharmonic nearly two decades ago. But orchestra and conductor grew together, says Mark Swed, and forged one of the most dynamic and successful partnerships in the music world.
Beyond Redemption
Even a city as architecturally rich as New York has a few clunkers, and Nicolai Ouroussoff has a list of buildings he wishes the city would just demolish. On the list: Madison Square Garden and the just-opened Museum of Art and Design on Columbus Circle.
Banksy Finds A New Way To Be Irritating
“A group called Pest Control, endorsed by Banksy, was set up earlier this year to authenticate the artist’s canvasses and prints after a spate of fakes. But Pest Control said Banksy does not like his art being removed from its original setting and will not approve any street pieces.” As you might imagine, this is slightly annoying to auctioneers attempting to sell his art.
Reading Up On The Economy
“As the U.S. government worked on a plan to prevent a financial disaster, readers are seeking out books about economic crises – past, present and future.” Authors and publishers are taking advantage of the crisis by getting their books in front of cameras and on front pages whenever possible.
Bad Economy = Good Times For Art?
“The American economy is in the dumpster. Disposable income is harder to find than Maple Leafs tickets. But the bad news simply could not be better for the ninth annual Toronto International Art Fair… The really good news for the 100 or so galleries at TIAF comes, surprisingly enough, from signs of a troubled economy. Art has emerged as an even more golden commodity than, er, gold.”
Breaking Barriers, Quietly
He’s not really a household name, although his face would be familiar to most Americans, and he doesn’t go looking for attention. But actor Dennis Haysbert has been quietly defying Hollywood expectations for years, and as one of the few African-Americans to be entrusted with a leading dramatic role on television, he’s also changing the way the industry looks at race.
Paul Newman, 83
“If Marlon Brando and James Dean defined the defiant American male as a sullen rebel, Paul Newman recreated him as a likable renegade, a strikingly handsome figure of animal high spirits and blue-eyed candor whose magnetism was almost impossible to resist.” Newman died this weekend at his home in Connecticut after a battle with cancer.
WaMu Vanishes, And Seattle Arts Could Be Affected
With the collapse of Washington Mutual, Seattle’s cultural scene is nervously waiting to find out what will happen to all the dollars the bank was known to pump into the arts. “WaMu in 2006 gave nearly $50 million to organizations across the country, with about 16 percent of that total staying in Washington state.”