With everything whizzing by faster and faster, Wagner’s “Tristan” forces you to suspend time, inhabit music, rather than listen to it fly past. – Chicago Tribune
Month: February 2000
COMING OF AGE
There was a time when Michael Tilson Thomas was regarded as that brilliant kid who never quite lived up to his potential. Five years into his job leading the San Francisco Symphony, Thomas has come into his own. – Hartford Courant
- Capturing the hearts of an orchestra … and a city. – Boston Globe 02/27/00
AN OLD IDEA, BADLY DONE
“Modern concert halls need to be less like airport lounges, devoid of atmosphere, charm or humanity, and more like somewhere you would choose to spend an evening. No wonder people prefer concerts by candlelight in churches or at stately homes with firework displays: at least they have an interest and value to offer the eye. The truth is that audiences do not care one iota who a symphony orchestra’s oboe or cello players are, but they will pay good money to see a star soloist, a star conductor or a star singer. But just as opera has benefited from enlightened and provocative staging, a way has to be found for symphonic concert music to rediscover the live performance. – London Telegraph
FOR THE LOVE OF …
Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna are opera-world husband-and-wife stars. But something about their chemistry together has the major opera companies closing their doors to them. – London Sunday Times
WORDS RULE
New operas have to have selling points, and music is not first among them. For better or worse, words seem to be coming out on top. – New York Times
THE NEXT 100
Dallas Symphony, riding a string of successes, convenes a conference on the future of the modern orchestra. – Dallas Morning News
THE MOST FAMOUS KINDERGARTEN TEACHER IN AMERICA
Margaret Edson has been widely celebrated for her play “Wit,” written nearly nine years ago, which finally took the theater world by storm last year. But, this kindergarten teacher continues to protest, I’m not a playwright. “I just wrote this one little play.” – Washington Post
PAY UP OR WE’LL KILL YOU
Criminal gangs have penetrated the Indian film industry, where producing a Bollywood hit can result in death threats if you don’t pay up. – New York Times 02/27/00
SUNNY SIDE UP
Art translated through television usually gives up a lot. But public TV’s “Egg” explores what the tube can add to understanding of the arts. – New York Times 02/27/00
NOW READ THIS
Words embedded in movie trailers are all the style these days. “The creators of trailers and titles say dramatic use of words on the screen mixed with fleeting, powerful images has the greatest impact on movie audiences, which these days are bombarded with up to 20 minutes of commercials, promotional tie-ins, information about the sound system and movie previews before the feature starts.” – Los Angeles Times 02/27/00