Though there wee other high-appeal concerts in Philadelphia Sunday, Peter Dobrin naturally went to hear Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. “What’s more interesting at this point in the green relationship between orchestra and conductor – Rattle took his position a year ago – is that it’s still not clear whether their respective strengths will add up to anything resembling synergy. Berlin is a perfection machine; Rattle is a supremely inspiring musician with a somewhat less than perfect baton technique. Someday this might be a great match. So far it’s not, at least not consistently.”
Tag: 11.18.03
Broad And Popular (And That Ain’t Bad)
“The International Impac Dublin literary award, is the most eclectic and unpredictable of the literary world’s annual gongs. The Impac is one of the world’s richest prizes but it is arguably more remarkable for its breadth of coverage and truly global nature than the size of its coffers. Nominations for the prize are made by 162 different libraries in 47 different countries. As a result, the longlist is staggeringly long but also incredibly broad, featuring a range of genres and nationalities. This year the list is notable for the sprinkling of popular titles.
Recording Co. Mergers = Less Choice
With recent merger announcements, it looks like the five major recording companies could become three. “If American and European regulators approve both the Sony-BMG and EMI-Warner mergers, about 75 percent of global music sales would be controlled by three companies. For a typical music shopper, that could well mean fewer new acts (since artist development is so expensive), fewer independent stores (since business with large chains is more cost-efficient), and more major-label product on the racks of remaining stores (since they’d be able to strong-arm retailers the way the big snack and soda companies do with delis).”
NYT Book Review – Discriminating Or Influential (Can’t Have Both?)
Who will replace Chip McGrath as editor of the New York Times Book Review? And what will happen to the section? “I understand why the Times wouldn’t want to give up the section’s gravity, but if you wanted to make your mark as the editor of the Times Book Review, the first thing you would do is to make it less influential. That would give you the license to make the reviews livelier and more discriminating.”
Australian Movie Slump
The Australian film industry has had one of its worst years in a long time. “Record low levels of foreign finance contributed to a fall from 30 to 19 features, the fewest for eight years. Their total value slumped from $131 million to $49 million.”
Turner Colors Result Of Bad Eyesight?
An ophthalmic surgeon is “convinced JMW Turner was slightly colour-blind, and this particularly affected his perception of red and blue. The blues are all wrong, either too dark or too bright, and the reds get stronger and stronger, which is exactly what you would expect. And I have no doubt that later in life he had untreated cataracts, which would have made the centre of his field of vision very blurred, with some objects at the edges in focus – and with exactly that effect of dazzling shimmering light we see in the paintings.”
Singing America
Morten Lauridsen is one of the most performed composers in America. “Lauridsen’s music is sung in churches and concert halls throughout America and increasingly in Europe. Most critical attention to contemporary art music focuses on premieres by renowned orchestras or avant-garde instrumental specialists such as the Kronos Quartet. Yet their audiences are dwarfed by the number of Americans who listen to and perform choral music. More than 28 million Americans sing in a quarter-million choirs, most of them in churches but also in school and college ensembles–and their directors are hungry for new and challenging works that hone their singers’ skills, yet remain accessible to mass audiences.”