The Met Opera’s New Star System

Met director Peter Gelb’s “decision to ask big-name stars to fill in for sick colleagues is highly unusual. The Met has traditionally employed understudies who must remain within 15 minutes of the stage during all performances, ready for any eventuality. But when he became manager last year Mr Gelb took a new approach – shuffling his stars around so as to field the best cast available.”

Mpls Bridge Will Definitely Be Function Over Form

As Minneapolis prepares to rebuild the interstate bridge that famously collapsed this summer, some are lamenting that the necessary speed of the process is leaving any thought of quality architecture aside. “The word ‘underwhelming’ came up repeatedly at a forum set up to give community members a chance to weigh in on final design details for the $234 million bridge.”

Cashing In On Banksy

“The biggest auction yet of original works by graffiti artist Banksy has exceeded its estimated takings. The 10 pieces and a print were expected to raise a maximum of £300,000 in total when they were sold in London at auction house Bonhams. However, the works actually fetched £546,000 altogether.”

Is Korngold The Key To A New Era Of Film Music?

Norman Lebrecht thinks so. “Korngold, 110 next month and 50 years dead, richly deserves to be welcomed back to the concert hall. But he deserves even more to be recognised as a pioneer of an allied art, an art that now cries out for a new Korngold to rejuvenate its methodology. The time has come to erase the line between movie and concert music, to encourage the likes of John Adams, Thomas Ades and Mark Anton Turnage to try their hand at lifting film tracks out of the Korngold groove and into 21st century modalities.”

If Music Were Just Noise

Imagine if music didn’t sound good to you. Not just some music, but all music. Now imagine that the world reacts to your condition by assuming that you’re either an idiot or a killjoy. Welcome to the world occupied by sufferers of amusia, a neurological condition under which subjects are “profoundly impaired in recognizing melodies and in pitch discrimination, unable to distinguish between adjacent tones and semitones.”

Motions Filed To Block Randolph Art Sale

“A group of students, alumnae, art donors and former employees filed motions in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Tuesday seeking to keep financially ailing Randolph College from selling four paintings from its museum collection next month. The paintings are scheduled to be sold through Christie’s auction house. College officials estimate they will receive at least $32 million, which will go into the college’s endowment.” The art world has been aflame over the plan ever since it was announced.