You hear composed music’s influence in the complex electronic experiments of Radiohead, the symphonic arrangements of Arcade Fire and the dreamy soundscapes of Sigur Ros. Why is this happening and what might the classical-music establishment learn from pop?
Tag: 10.17.07
What Good Are Demos When So Few Are Watching?
TV networks may still covet the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, but the latest ratings show that huge numbers of Americans of all demographics are simply watching a lot less network TV, and that bodes ill for the traditional network model. “If you’re simply standing at the top of a boat that’s sinking, it might not be worth crowing too loudly.”
Hey! Remember Us? We’re Your Best Orchestra!
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a deeply impressive group, says Michael Tumelty, and could even rank as Scotland’s best classical ensemble. So why don’t you hear much about them? “Let’s be brutally frank: when was the last time you had to queue at the box office, far less round the block, to get a ticket for an SCO concert? Indeed, when was the last time you overheard or participated in one of those animated pub or street conversations where folk raved about the world-class orchestra that played weekly on their doorstep?”
Star Wars: The Next Generation?
If George Lucas has his way, the Star Wars saga might soon be coming to the small screen. “The project does not include any Skywalkers or other familiar characters from the six hit films.” Lucas says that the idea for a TV version of the wildly popular film series has so far been a tough sell with Hollywood executives.
More Of The Günter Grass We Never Knew
The devoted housekeeper of controversial novelist Günter Grass has marked his 80th birthday by releasing a touching memoir of his domestic side. The “seemingly mundane domestic reflections, based on her diaries and letters home, are being seen by the publishing world as a welcome antidote to the admissions [of Grass’s membership in the Waffen SS] that shocked his fans around the world.”
UK Poet Returns To His Park
“Twenty years after he gave his first reading there, award-winning poet Simon Armitage has returned to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, as its artist-in-residence. Armitage has written five new poems inspired by artworks on display in the park – including installations by James Turrell and Andy Goldsworthy – and will publish them next spring.”
Hosseini Backs Kite Runner Film Delay
Concern for the safety of three young Afghan actors who participated in a homosexual rape scene for the film version of the hit novel, The Kite Runner, caused producers to delay the release of the movie while the actors and their families were moved to safety. The decision was controversial, but the author of the book has now come out to publicly defend the delay.
Defiant Barenboim To Lead Wagner In Berlin
Conductor Daniel Barenboim has courted Wagner-related controversy in the past, challenging Israel’s unofficial ban on the notoriously anti-Semitic composer’s music. Now, he’s bringing his Divan Orchestra, made up of Palestinian and Israeli musicians, to Berlin, to perform Wagner’s Die Walküre at Waldbuhne, the outdoor arena built for the Berlin Olympics in 1936 at which some athletes gave the Nazi salute in front of Hitler.
What Became Of Music Competitions
“Music competitions, at their peak, were a fast track for real talent and a window for the world on the effort that goes in to making an artist, more hours of practice each childhood day than most adults spend at work.” Now there’s “American Idol” and “Classical Star”…
Why Brian Wilson’s Ballet Is A Bad Idea
“Ballet is inherently high art. Popular music can be high art too, but in a very different way. It’s like trying to crossbreed a hen and a mongoose: it might be fun to try, but it won’t work. Brian Wilson we can forgive, for he knows not what he does. However, Joni Mitchell’s faculties seem to be intact.”