“More than 100,000 jazz recordings tracing the history of the art form — from swing to the avant-garde — will be donated to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, in Oberlin, Ohio, by Chicagoans James and Susan Neumann.”
Tag: 12.04.07
Why Johnny Can’t Read (Or Maybe Not)
“Since the National Endowment for the Arts released a report in November that linked a decline in reading for pleasure, especially among young people, to a decline in reading scores, there has been a lot of freaking out about why Johnny won’t read. Of course, we already know the answer: competition from other media, ranging from TV to Game Boy Advance, and the pace of modern life. But maybe it’s the wrong question.”
Protests Over NY Public Library Exhibit
“Each black-and-white digital print is a mug shot-style diptych in which a member of the Bush administration appears in profile and face forward, holding a police identification sign and the date on which he or she made a statement of questionable veracity relating to Iraq.”
EU To Investigate Opportunities For Older Female Actors
The European Union has commissioned a study that “will examine what roles exist for older women and how decisions are made when casting parts which can be played by either sex. It will also look how women over 40 are portrayed in television and theatre.”
Mozart Manuscript Sells For Record
A single page of a Mozart manuscript has sold for a record £110,900 at auction. “The folio, from the composer’s draft for the Sinfonia Concertante, has set a new record for a single page of his work, which has stood since 1998.”
Why MP3s Can’t Replace Hi Fi Audio
“Compared with good CDs and LPs played on good hi-fi gear, MP3s flatten dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and softest sounds), obliterate dynamic contrasts (the slight variations between loud and soft), smother low frequencies (the bass), and smear transients (the front edge of, say, a drum smack or a string pluck). These shortcomings wreak havoc with drama and rhythm–the life and essence of much music.”
Barenboim Debuts At La Scala (Finally)
No musical director has been named in Muti’s place. Rather, Daniel Barenboim is chief among the guest conductors, including Daniele Gatti and Riccardo Chailly. The position is deliberately hazy, with Barenboim carrying the informal honorific title “Maestro of La Scala.”
Vancouver Playhouse Gets New Director
Max Reimer — currently managing artistic director of Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, Ont.– will succeed the troupe’s outgoing artistic director, Glynis Leyshon.
France’s National Library Opens Secret Erotic Collection
“The collection, amassed over 170 years, ranges from manuscripts by the Marquis de Sade to pictures of naughty nuns and randy noblemen.”
Latest Gibson Guitar Tunes Itself
It takes about two seconds. “For users who purchase the add-on technology, the guitar recognizes pitch. Then, its processor directs motors on its six tuning pegs to tighten or loosen the strings accordingly.”