Choreographer William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt is to be dissolved next year. “The dissolution of Ballett Frankfurt is of great consequence to the dance world. Over two decades, Forsythe transformed this company into one of the most consequential contemporary ballet ensembles in the world, creating dances out of a profound body of deeply ingrained physical knowledge. Choreographers need their tools – dancers – and the best tools are those who have been honed into perfect form for the work at hand.”
Tag: 10.03.03
Tokyo’s New Art Palace
The new Mori Museum of contemporary art opens in Tokyo in two weeks. It is being touted as the most significant art development in years in the capital. “The museum will act as an interface between contemporary art, which is in a constant state of change, and a broad audience. The mission is to introduce things to people with which they are not yet familiar and to make the unfamiliar seem attractive. It is a challenge.”
A Tale Of Two Opera Openings
Two of the country’s grandest and most venerable companies, the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, began their new seasons recently, and they made an instructive contrast.” Both face financial challenges. The Met chose ear-pleasing fare for its opening. SF Opera, by contrast presented a challenging American work. And the grumbling at intermission?….
Glasgow Gallery Programmer Fired
The visual arts programmer for Glasgow’s Tramway arts space has been fired. The center has been under fire lately becasue of a plan for Scottish Ballet to take over the space. “We are not attacking the ballet – we support all art forms – but why should it be at the expense of such an important arts space? To pit two communities against each other in the arts world seems ridiculous.”
Take The Art Test
A survey in the UK showed that art literacy is very low. Okay, so it’s easy to ridicule the high percentage of know-nothings who took the survey. But how would you do? The Guardian put together its own art test… your AJ editor scored 75 percent (six of eight) … and you?
St. Louis Symphony Dumps General Manager To Save Money
The St. Louis Symphony, struggling to get its finances in order, has dismissed its general manager. The orchestra says the move is to help reduce expenses, and that the duties of the well-respected Carla Johnson will be divided among other senior staff. Critic Tim Page called Johnson “the administrative heart and soul of the St. Louis Symphony.”
Harbourfront Fires Another
Mere months after the much-publicized firing of Festival of Authors director Greg Gatenby, Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre has abruptly dismissed the man who has programmed its music for nearly two decades. Derek Andrews “was informed on Sept. 25 in a terse letter that his contract would not be renewed in December and that the non-profit corporation no longer needed his services… Andrews obsessively sought out and exposed new and young talent, helped establish Harbourfront as a key element in the international touring network, and provided a refreshing and intelligent alternative to mass-marketed commercial music.”
SFMOMA Picks Up Some Expensive Snapshots
“The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has added 100 works by 45 artists to its already sweeping photography collection. The pictures, valued at more than $6 million, come as promised and fractional gifts from museum trustee Carla Emil and her husband, Rich Silverstein, co-founder of the Bay Area advertising firm Goodby, Silverstein and Partners.”
Springer Opera Not Packing ‘Em In
The new opera based on the life and career of talk show host Jerry Springer may be getting critical raves, but West End theatergoers don’t seem to be convinced. “Critics on both continents raved about it. It broke box-office records at the National. New York theater owners offered their best houses for the inevitable Broadway production, and producers, managers and press agents scrambled to get a piece of the action. Then, on July 1, when tickets for a much-ballyhooed transfer to a West End commercial theater went on sale, this white hot show suddenly turned cold.”
An Old-School Orchestra Prez Exits Stage Left
David Hyslop has been in the orchestra management business for 40 years. He has worked for orchestras from Elmira, New York, to Portland, Oregon, and has been the top man at two major American orchestras. This weekend, he steps down after 12 years at the helm of the Minnesota Orchestra, confident that the orchestra industry will weather the ongoing economic storm, but admitting to a few questions about the sustainability of the current economic model. “The key thing — and the challenge — is that the 52-week season, whether it’s here or in any other market our size, wasn’t driven by market demand but by labor.”