Efforts are underway to preserve what’s left of the giant Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban last year in Afghanistan. “Scaffolding will be erected to prevent the final collapse of the caves in which the giant statues stood for centuries. Local guards are on duty to combat further looting. And several countries are offering money and assistance to the international venture.” According to UNESCO, “damage extends beyond the statues and artwork in the niches that housed them. In about 25 of 700 nearby caves, are remnants of Buddhist murals – but only an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of what existed in the 1970s.”
Tag: 11.29.02
Lyric Opera Drops Two Productions
Chicago Lyric Opera isn’t in a financial emergency like some of America’s other big opera companies. But it doesn’t want to get their either. So the company has dropped two expensive productions for next season. “With tickets harder to sell, donations more difficult to find and solid institutions like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra reporting sizable deficits, Lyric officials decided they had little choice about changing their plans for 2003-04.”
Blessed With Success
What’s the fastest growing segment of the US recording market? Contemporary Christian music, “or in the land of acronyms, CCM. It generates $800 million a year in album sales, more than jazz and classical combined.” The most successful bands sell out arenas and sell millions of recordings…
A Dance Between Friends
Balanchine and Stravinsky had a long and brilliant career together – the two collaborated in a partnership that inspired both. “For each, music was the ‘floor’ without which there could be no dance: ‘The composer creates time,’ said Balanchine, ‘and we have to dance to it.’ As such, Balanchine revered Stravinsky and deferred to him willingly. Balanchine transformed classical ballet from a lyrical, romantic, fairy-tale art into a gripping, sharp-edged, plotless drama of pure movement, and Stravinsky’s music led him to some of his most innovative choreography.”
German Theatres Downsizing
Financially struggling German theatres have eliminated 6,000 jobs out of 45,000 in an effort to cut expenses and survive. But theatre leaders say “eliminating more would be impossible without damages to the substance.”
Where Are The Women?
There seem to be more high-profile women in the movies these days. But that doesn’t mean there are more women in movies. In a recent study, women accounted for 25 percent of all characters in the top 250 films released in 2001. “That is about five percentage points higher than when researchers first tallied roles – in 1952. (On prime-time network television, women account for about 38 percent of the roles, a number rising more quickly than in film.)” It’s even worse for women over 40 – they get only 8 percent of female roles. “The percentage of working directors among the top films dropping from 11 percent in 2000 to 6 percent in 2001, and from 14 percent to 10 percent for female screenwriters.”
Where Are The Minorities?
“There are substantially more African American, Latino and Asian American faces onscreen than just three years ago, when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People denounced the industry for the lack of cultural diversity in prime time. Indeed, on the big four broadcast networks, as well as UPN and the WB, there are actors of color in 26 of the 33 shows premiering this season.” But the gains are almost all in supporting roles, with little progress in starring roles.
To Every Season
Wonder why certain kinds of movies are released at certain times of the year? Big-deal movies in December, action/fluff in summer, art films in January… “Today, the majority of a film’s box-office receipts are reaped in the first fortnight of release, and a week’s delay can make or break a film, so movie schedules are more finely tuned and globally calculated than ever before.”
What Are We Supposed To Do Now?
What are classical musicians supposed to do now that recording companies no longer want to record them? They can start their own labels, of course – but despite some admirable attempts, for the most part it’s almost impossible to get your recordings in front of consumers. “As the industry contracts, music is steadily reverting to its natural state of ephemerality: hear it live, or it’s gone forever.”
Back For Seconds
New operas are so expensive that after a first production (where interest is highest because it’s brand new) most never see a second. Yet, “a second run can be vital to the life of an opera. The established repertory is crowded with works that really took off only at their second airing.” Now William Bolcom is getting a second chance with a Met Opera production of A View From the Bridge.”