Right after World War II a list of claims for missing works of art by Old Masters and pioneers of modernism such as Degas, Renoir, Tintoretto and Tiepolo was made. But the list was “hidden away in government archives for half a century, frustrating efforts by a dying generation of Holocaust survivors and the art world to track down thousands of paintings and sculptures. Now a lack of funding and bureaucratic mishaps could again consign those documents to an obscure shelf in the National Archives.” – Chicago Tribune
Tag: 12.17.00
MODERN PRESERVATION
“An opportunity has arisen to examine the issue of solidarity among architects today. An international group of architects is dedicated to conserving modern buildings and studying the ideas embodied by them. Who’s against preserving buildings and studying history? But Docomomo is beginning to change the landscape of American architecture. It is forging a bond between two groups that up to now have been opposed: historic preservationists and enthusiasts of modernism.” – New York Times
SPACE CRUNCH
Theatre’s doing well in Boston. But there’s only one problem – no space to perform. Everything’s booked solid, and even the city’s two major theatre companies don’t have their own space. – Boston Globe
NAKED VERDI
The English National Opera dramatizes Verdi’s “Requiem.” Okay, but stripping off clothes to reveal all on the stage? “Nudity in opera is nothing new (Maria Ewing stripped off as Salome in 1988) but a naked mum-to-be is a first, I think. It was a strange context for such a familiar image.” – The Independent (UK)
TAKING A CHANCE ON SOMETHING NEW
“Most orchestras are still wedded to the time-honored image of a paternalistic European music director steeped in the Romantic tradition. And as luck would have it, right now there simply aren’t enough of those guys to go around.” So how about a new approach? How about some moxie and inventiveness? – San Francisco Chronicle
JOHN ELIOT GARDINER AXED
Deutsche Grammophon has canceled its recording contract with John Eliot Gardiner. This just as Gardiner finishes recording “his remarkable series of 200 cantatas in a year-long ‘pilgrimage’ to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. Sales of expensive new classical performances are plummeting, and the major corporations are cancelling contracts with all but the most bankable and attractive of celebrity performers.” – The Independent (UK)
THE ESSENTIAL BERNSTEIN
“Wisdom in the record business (if that phrase is not yet an oxymoron), for example, holds that a performer’s drawing power drops precipitously after his or her death.” But Leonard Berstein seems to be a name that still draws considerable interest in the music world. – New York Times
NEW DIRECTOR FOR COVENT GARDEN
Tony Hall, the head of news and current affairs at the BBC, is expected to be named the new head of London’s Royal Opera House. “The choice of Mr Hall signals a change of direction for the ROH. For the first time they have gone for a chief with no experience in opera or ballet, of running an arts venue, or with an arts background at all. But Mr Hall, an opera lover, is a proven administrator, in charge of 2,500 people at the BBC.” – The Independent (UK)
STILL JUST A KID
Charlotte Church may be selling a ton of recordings and making a fortune, but she’s still a kid:” I suppose, yeah. I’m not evil. I’m not that much of a devil. (Turning to mother) Am I acting a little more devilish as I get older, Mum? She says sometimes. There’s a lot she doesn’t know.” – San Francisco Chronicle
CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION
Juilliard works at training a new generation of choreographers. – New York Times