Departing conductor Sydney Symphony music director Edo de Waart tells Australians their priorities are wrong. “A soccer match, a rugby match or cricket is way more important than the arts. Perhaps it is in your genes. In Europe . . . the British orchestras are paid worst of all. I think that has become normal here, too. You need someone like Paul Keating who will make the statement that the country is not only measured by how fast you can run 100 metres but also whether you have singers and theatre and movies that can be on the international stage.”
Tag: 11.03.03
Complaints From Kabul
Asne Seierstad story “The Bookseller of Kabul” about Shah Mohammed Rais and his family, is a big bestseller. But the subject of her book is furious, and not sitting still without complaining. “In a nightmare scenario for any writer, her one-time ally has not only hired a high-flying lawyer, but flown out to Oslo to rally support. After welcoming Seierstad into his home after the fall of the Taliban, Rais says he is outraged by his portrayal as a tyrannical traditionalist bent on imprisoning women, including his teenage second wife.”
Melbourne Opera: A Long Road Up
“It is seven years since the Victoria State Opera disappeared in the merger that created the Sydney-based national company, Opera Australia, and started a stream of complaints that Melbourne’s needs are not being met.” The recharged Melbourne Opera Company looks to meet those needs, but the challenges are many. “For a start, it has no funding, so the budgeting skills are of the micro variety rather than the macro.”