“A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn [the cover of] its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.”
Tag: 12.09.08
End In Sight For Major Classical Music Labels?
The remaining 3 “major” labels – Universal, Sony and EMI – will be out of the classical business within 2 years. They will create no more than a handful of additional classical CDs.
Dallas, Fort Worth Newspapers To Share Critics
“With newspapers across the country facing serous financial problems, maintaining an individual, local critic’s voice is no longer a priority, even when the arts in question are locally based.” So the Star-Telegram and the Dallas Morning News are collaborating on cultural coverage.
Animator Oliver Postgate, 83
“Oliver Postgate, creator of cuddly stuffed cat Bagpuss and other much-loved British children’s television characters, has died at the age of 83, his family said Tuesday.”
Christmas Comes But Once A Year (About Six Months Off)
A team of astronomers has “found that a bright star which appeared over Bethlehem 2,000 years ago pinpointed the date of Christ’s birth as June 17 rather than December 25.” (Some of us always suspected that Jesus was really a Gemini.)
Bangladesh Gets Its Own Copy Of Taj Mahal
Filmmaker Ahsanullah Moni has built a life-size replica of the world’s favorite mausoleum in a small town about an hour from Dhaka, the country’s capital. Moni “said he wanted his countrymen to experience the beauty of the Indian monument even if they were too poor to travel to see the original.”
Joza Karas, Who Revived Music From Nazi Camps, Dead At 82
“Joza Karas, 82, a Czechoslovakian-born violin teacher who spent decades tracking down and reviving musical compositions written by Jews in the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt, died Nov. 28 at his home in Bloomfield, Conn. He had congestive heart failure.”
Getting Inside Frida’s Head
A new biography of the artist Frida Kahlo “carries with it a compelling gift: Shortly before her death, the artist consented to psychological testing,” and the results “provided a lengthier history than she had ever provided to anyone, about paintings that were lost, destroyed or paintings we know about but with specific information about dates, interpretations and so forth.”
London Gallery (Just) Beats The Financial Meltdown
The Whitechapel Gallery in London’s East End is entering the final phase of a two-year renovation and expansion. “‘Our timing could not have been better,’ Blazwick said with relief. In 2004, when the economy was still robust, she was able to secure about $5.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the expansion, seed money that encouraged others to give as well. She said the Whitechapel had raised all but about $735,000 of the nearly $20 million needed.”
Miami City Ballet Resorts To Taped Music
“Miami City Ballet will forgo live orchestra and perform to recorded music for the second half of its 2008-09 season to save money. Blaming the economy, ballet officials said Tuesday they cut the orchestra because of declining ticket sales and donor contributions. Live music for a full season would cost $480,000, but only $188,280 had been raised as of Thursday.”