The relationship between Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra may have had its bumps, but Peter Burwasser says that it’s a shame the maestro will be departing so soon. “Eschenbach has, on so many levels, fulfilled his commitment splendidly. He has infused the Philadelphia Orchestra with a lively sense of innovation and connection to living music that hearkens back to the storied Stokowski era. More significantly, he has given us a beautiful sounding orchestra.”
Tag: 11.16.06
Democratic Congress May Give Non-Profits Longer Leash
Will last week’s election results make life easier for cultural groups and other non-profit corporations? “Many eyes will be on the Senate Finance Committee, where Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is to succeed Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) as chairman. Indignant over financial scandals at some non-profits, Grassley had made reform of tax-exempt groups a cause. But Baucus doesn’t seem to share that same ardor.”
A Collector Throws In The Towel
The art market may be booming like never before, but at least one high-profile collector says the thrill is gone. Boston art patron Kenneth L. Freed is selling off more than 800 works he amassed over the last two decades, saying that the art world has changed for the worse. “Where once young artists searched desperately for a supportive patron, now they find themselves quickly thrust into high-profile shows. Deep-pocketed collectors compete for the latest, greatest new piece.”
Is Koolhaas Reinventing The Skyscraper?
“Set on a site that’s about as large as 37 football fields, Rem Koolhaas’s television authority headquarters in Beijing may initially seem intimidating. This 54-story tower leans and looms like some kind of science-fiction creature poised to stomp all over the surrounding central business district. But if the five-million-square-foot building is one of the largest ever constructed, its architect sees it as a people-friendly reinvention of the skyscraper.”
YouTube As Culture’s Next Great Sales Technique
The YouTube phenomenon may be old news in some circles, but for fans of low-tech forms like classical music, opera, and dance, the video site is still being discovered as a valuable resource. “Thanks to its ease of operation, YouTube allows pretty much anyone with a mild curiosity about opera or musical theater to expand his frame of reference without spending a dime, thanks to the compulsive generosity of members with a desire to exhibit their curatorial prowess.”
Warhol, De Kooning Sales Push Fall Auction Take To $1 Billion
Yet another round of records was set at Christie’s New York last night, as Andy Warhol’s famous portrait of Mao Zedong sold for $17.36 million, the most ever paid for a Warhol. “Two other portraits of classic Warhol subjects – Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy – sold for over $30m in total. Willem de Kooning’s Untitled XXV fetched $27.1m. The $240m sale set new records for 19 artists and caps a fortnight in which Christie’s and rivals Sotheby’s took $1bn between them.”
Bordering On Giddiness
The atmosphere at Wednesday night’s auction was electric, as buyers and observers alike caught the unheard-of fever that seems to be permeating this season’s high-end art market. “Christie’s had captured the best material this season, and the art world knew it. In the overflowing salesroom were dealers and collectors from all over the world.”
Korea’s Ticket Price Problem
South Korea is prime territory for touring orchestras these days, with a seemingly insatiable classical music audience lining up for tickets in numbers that most Western ensembles would kill for at home. But the popularity of the form has led to an explosion in ticket prices – how does $260 for a seat at the New York Philharmonic’s concert sound? Or $400 for the Berlin Phil? And the numbers don’t actually add up: there simply aren’t enough music fans in Korea to justify the price spike. So who’s buying the tickets, and who’s getting shut out of the hall?
Lockhart Leaving Salt Lake
Keith Lockhart will step down from his position as music director of the Utah Symphony & Opera following the 2008-09 season. “The orchestra has struggled financially in recent years and is in the middle of a recovery program. Some patrons have been perturbed by what they see as Lockhart’s lack of community involvement; a professional consultant’s study in 2005 said Lockhart needed to be more engaged with the orchestra.” Lockhart has no plans to leave his other gig, as principal conductor of the Boston Pops.
Just Try Not To Smoosh The Soprano
How do you get kids interested in opera? Well, writing one directed specifically at them wouldn’t hurt – and if the main characters could all be gross (but lovable) bugs, that’d probably score you some points, too. For composer Geoffrey Hudson and librettist Alisa Pearson, the quest to bring their “Bug Opera” to life has been a five-year journey, with seemingly every aspect of the production kid-tested along the way.