He first drew notice for his clangorous scores The Whale and Celtic Requiem (recorded on the Beatles’ Apple label); earned broad popularity with works, such as the cello concerto The Protecting Veil and the voices-and-strings miniature The Bridegroom, infused with Eastern Orthdox Christian mysticism; went universalist with his seven-hour The Veil of the Temple. He gained worldwide fame when his simple Song for Athene was sung at Princess Diana’s funeral.
Tag: 11.12.13
John Tavener’s Final Interview
“‘You know, my consultant keeps telling me sudden death could come at any moment,’ says [he] with a sudden, mischievous laugh. It’s a surprise because until that moment he’d seemed a picture of crumpled fragility, voice almost inaudible, his long mottled hands curled in his lap.”
Is Design An Artistic Choice? So What About Data?
“When it comes to the future of design and technology, the uncomfortable question we bump into is: do human design instincts even matter anymore?”
Greatest Living Artists? I’d Say It Reveals More About The Voters…
” If anything, I’d say the list reveals a disheartening shortsightedness, made all the more depressing by the fact that it was compiled by some of the most high-profile people in the art world today.”
A Blockbuster Art Auction Week Designed To Be That Way
“The astronomical prices reflect what Sotheby’s and Christie’s hope is a fortuitous collision between a global group of trophy hunters looking to buy and a handful of major collectors choosing the same moment to sell high-profile artworks, many of which have never been on the auction market.”
Can Oysters Save New York From Storm Floods?
“Oystertecture” sounds whimsical but is now taken seriously, thanks to the eye-popping cost of massive flood gates proposed for Jamaica Bay.”
Germany To Form Task Force On Looted Art
“After an avalanche of criticism at home and abroad, the German government announced late Monday it will establish a task force to investigate, ‘as quickly and as transparently as possible,’ the provenance of a cache of more than 1,400 artworks that are suspected of being traded or looted during the Nazis’ reign and that are now in the hands of authorities in Bavaria.”
Before We Wait For Godot, How Do We Pronounce It?
“Maybe Godot never appears because everyone is mispronouncing his name.” There’s more argument than one might expect over whether English-speaking actors should say god-OH or GOD-oh. (Why doesn’t anyone suggest GO-doe?)