Miri Regev has done just about everything she can to alienate and enrage those she considers the elites, or the “cultural junta,” of Israel. Leftists. Secularists. Tel Avivians. Ashkenazim — Jews of European origin. People who, as she told me recently, think that “classical music is better than the Andalusian music” of Morocco, or that “Chekhov is more important than Maimonides.”
Tag: 10.20.16
Amidst Chaos, Looted Antiquities Are ‘Gushing Out’ Of Libya
“One of the hardest-hit areas is the country’s eastern coastal region, which is rich in archaeological treasures from sites such as the ancient Greek and Roman city of Cyrene. International and Libyan specialists say that ‘random digging’ here is proceeding unchecked.”
The Super-High Frame Rate In ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ Looks Great – And It’s Still Unwatchable
Ang Lee’s latest film “is the first ever to be shot in super-high-resolution 3-D at 120 frames per second. Lee knew its novel look—unrelenting clarity, abundant blooms of fine detail – might come off as more disturbing than impressive. ‘This is not just a new technology, but a new habit in watching movies,’ he warned the crowd. ‘I hope you keep an open mind.’ This was, perhaps, too much to ask.” Daniel Engber explains why.
Rarely-Seen, Never-Sold Clyfford Still Painting Coming To Market
“Estimated to make between $12m-$18m, the untitled painting from 1948-49 was acquired from the artist by the painter Edward Dugmore, his student at the California School of Fine Arts, and also passed through the hands of the Texas collector Edward Kitchen, before entering an East Coast collection about 20 years ago.”
The Sheer Spookiness Of Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre
“Did you know that tritones signify the Devil and Satan and evil spirits in music and that everyone just used to ‘know this’ and ‘recognize this’ and if you heard it in a piece you’d be like, ‘oh, right, the Devil’?”
What’s English Theatre-making Like After The Brexit Vote?
“Even when the report appears to say the obvious, it’s useful to be reminded of the state of play. Particularly that there is a direct connection between supply and demand. Lots of people go to the theatre in London because there are lots of theatres and shows on offer, which are easily accessible in terms of transport links. Underserved parts of the country have seen a drop in attendances, sometimes dramatically, in recent years.”
What If They Gave A Diversity Panel And All Of The Writers On It Were White?
“You would think our sole purpose as writers at these panels is to broaden the understanding of white people, when we could you know, talk about writing. Worse, it’s the same talk we gave last year, and the year before that, and the year before that one, going back years, and decades. Either we’re not speaking loud enough, or clear enough, or maybe nobody is listening. Maybe a diversity panel should be all white.”
A Precipitous Drop In Dance Attendance In NYC
“A 20% decrease in the number of paid attendees at live performances emerged in the study, to be released Friday by the advocacy group Dance/NYC. The study looked at 172 dance organizations over a six-year period. The audience decline appears to have been led by drops at the largest organizations, those with budgets of more than $5 million.”
The Second Coming Of ‘Beast Jesus’: Replacement For Stolen Head Of Church Statue Goes Awry
When vandals knocked off the head of the young Christ in a Madonna-and-child statue at a parish in Sudbury, Ontario, the priest accepted the offer of a local artist to sculpt a replacement. Uh-oh: our correspondent describes the result as “Lisa Simpson crossed with King Triton.” Where have we seen this story before?
Kent Nagano Talks About His First Ten Years At The Montreal Symphony
“When I first got to the city, many people on the administration staff said, ‘…oh dear, we have a grey-haired syndrome here…,’ meaning that our audience is getting older and older. But, we decided over the course of the season, that we would never change one thing – we felt that the one thing that transcends generation is the natural human tendancy to appreciate exceptional quality. So rather than push the bar down, we pushed the bar very, very high, where we challenge the audiences with extremely adventurous programming.”