“A jury of artists, politicians and city planners voted in favour of the reconstruction of a Prussian palace [the last residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II] in Berlin yesterday, just as the last remnants of the East German parliament building on the site were being dragged away.”
Tag: 11.29.08
The World’s First Opera Manga
And what will our bloggers Greg Sandow and Amanda Ameer make of this? “Combining condensed versions of libretti with anime & manga, Vancouver Opera has created a slick promotional and education tool, the perfect elixir to sway the under 30-something prospective opera fans, and elucidate opera’s timeless tales as a sweet chaser.” The online manga include (so far), Eugene Onegin, La Bohème, Fidelio, Cavelleria Rusticana, L’italiana in Algeri, Pagliacci, and Tosca.
In Greece, Could A New Museum Help Solve An Old Quarrel?
Peter Aspden looks at the striking new Acropolis Museum, to open next spring just across the Parthenon in Athens, and sees potential for resolving the intractable dispute between the Greek Ministry of Culture and the British Museum over the Elgin Marbles, which were carted off from Athens to London in the 19th century.
Cinderella And Psychosis
Cinderella was ahead of her time by giving her name to a fairy tale about the contemporary issue of “reconstituted families”. Cinderella’s “issues” are our “issues”.
Rediscovering A Lost School Of Epic Indian Painting
An exhibition shared between the Sackler Gallery in Washington and the Seattle Art Museum “reveals for the first time a virtually unknown school of monumental Hindu painting on paper that thrived from the 1720s to the mid-19th century. Not even specialized scholars had set eyes on the 60 works from the Marwar area, now part of the state of Rajasthan, that are preserved in the Mehrangarh Museum in the Fort of Jodhpur. The loan of important unpublished works of art by an Indian institution to a Western museum is a first in international museum relations.”
Ozawa’s Return To Boston
Some observers were mightily relieved when Seiji Ozawa finally stepped down from the Boston Symphony’s music directorship in 2002. But he got a mightily warm welcome from the audience when he returned to Symphony Hall this week. And that was just when he came onstage.
Indy Symphony Needs More Money In The Bank
“The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra pulled off an impressive financial performance in its latest fiscal year, overcoming economic uncertainty to increase ticket sales and donations. But the orchestra’s small operating loss–$293,000 on $26.8 million in revenue–belies a much larger challenge: Symphony officials acknowledge their endowment is nowhere near large enough to support the city’s largest performing arts organization in the long term.”
Pasadena Looks To A Turnaround Expert
“As the Orchestras of Pasadena face up to a financial crisis that threatens their survival, all hopes are pinned on a 41-year-old whiz kid from Modesto. Paul Jan Zdunek, who is credited with putting the troubled Modesto Symphony back on a sound financial footing during his five-year stint, has been hired to do the same in Pasadena.”
La Scala Faces Yet Another Strike Threat
“La Scala’s opening night of the season, the Milanese social event that brims with VIPs, fur coats and diamonds, may be canceled for the first time in four decades as musicians protest labor contracts. The premiere is a key source of funding for Italy’s most famous theater.”
Sydney Opera House Architect Dies At 90
“Danish architect Joern Utzon who designed the Sydney Opera House has reportedly died…
Mr Utzon drew up the design for the opera house in 1957 but quit seven years before it was finished after scandals about cost blowouts and design arguments… He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for the sculptural building that the jury singled out as among the most iconic buildings of the 20th century.”