In some years, narratives emerge, about innovation or stagnation, retrenchment or inclusion, celebrity, politics, source material. But 2019 seemed especially all over the map. Shows were big and small, hopeful and cynical, wired and tired. If you believe in theater as relational to real life, then life in America right now is fractured, disordered, with occasional dance remixes. – The Guardian
Tag: 12.04.19
Tommasini: Upgrade Of NY Philharmonic’s Theatre Experience Could Be Transformative
” ‘Amenities’ seems inadequate to describe how transformative the improvements could be for performers and audiences. I’d argue that the physical details of a concert hall are crucially important for classical music, more so than for other performing arts. With theater and dance, there’s much to watch and stories to follow. Opera is in this category. But an orchestra doesn’t offer the same kind of visual stimulation.” – The New York Times
Bravo To The Turner Prize For Declaring Four Winners
“The Turner has always been premised on there being a winner. The award garners publicity, feeds the bookies and, apparently, generates discussion. It is all, supposedly, good for the climate in which contemporary art gets talked about. But artists whose works and attitudes have nothing to do with one another are often pitted against one another for no good reason.” – The Guardian
Minnesota Orchestra Posts Largest Deficit In Its History But Says It Has ‘Strong Financial Foundation’
“The [$8.8 million operating] deficit, which followed four years of small surpluses, exceeds the previous record shortfall of $6 million in 2012, when the orchestra was mired in a contract dispute between management and musicians that resulted in a 15-month lockout. Yet orchestra President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns described the organization’s financial position as ‘strong.'” And, it turns out, she does have a point. – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Cecilia Bartoli To Run Her First Opera House
The now-veteran mezzo (age 53) has been artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival since 2012, but in 2023 she will take over her first full-fledged company, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. – The New York Times