Artists in Vietnam are so good at reproducing international paintings that the Vietnamese government has asked them to make the copies three centimeters (1.2 inches) smaller or larger than the originals. – Yahoo! (Reuters)
Month: June 2000
OPERA IN THE ROUND
They’re performing “La Traviata” this weekend in Paris – in the actual locations where Verdi set them – the Italian Embassy in Paris, the Queen’s hamlet in Versailles, the Petit Palais, near the Champs Elysees and the Isle St. Louis, an island of 17th-century town houses in the middle of the Seine. The project involves 500 musicians, five satellites, 31 cameras, 400 projectors and 10 audio and video studios, not to mention $20 million, and it will be broadcast live to a potential audience of 1.5 billion in 125 countries. – Variety
CROSSING OVER
Kurt Weill is seen as a composer who lost his way in America, who sold his artistic birthright for the pottage of commercial success. But today Weill’s embrace of popular music seems prophetic rather than opportunistic. When so much classical music aspires to the condition of pop, Weill – the first classical composer to reject high for low – seems a model of crossover. – The Atlantic
PLANS TO WRECK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS WE KNOW IT
Some computer programmers in the UK plan an all-out assault on the music industry, trying to build on the success of Napster only making music recording exchanges untraceable. – The Independent (UK)
“THIS RIDICULOUS PROGRAM WITH ONE CELLIST FOR THREE HOURS”
Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey is filling concert halls and selling tens of thousands of CD’s of his performances of solo Bach. – Sydney Morning Herald
RECORD SALES IN THE LAND OF THE FREE
With all the complaining and suing going on about who controls music on the internet, you might think that sales of recordings would have dried up. Surprise – despite the wide availability of free music on the internet, sales of recorded music have smashed records in recent months. And the internet is getting the credit. – Wired
JUST MEAN AND PETTY
“Eager scholars send their precious manuscripts off to journals in the hope that maybe, just maybe, this time they will be published. Months later, their papers come back with rejection letters from editors and accompanying anonymous reviews. Those reviews are supposed to help the writer improve his or her work, but many reviews do not offer constructive criticism. Some are simply critical. Others are downright abusive.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
AN ANTI-ART TAX
A proposed new tax law in Australia would penalize artists by not allowing them to claim their art expenses against income. But a campaign is mounting to make sure the measure doesn’t become law. – The Age (Melbourne)
“I’M AN ARTIST AND THE MEDIA IS MY CANVAS”
Joey Skaggs has “spent his whole career hoodwinking journalists and proving that they shouldn’t believe a word anyone says without doing a thorough background check. ‘I have never been busted,’ he says, sighing. ‘That is the sad truth.'” – Boston Globe
“CLASSIC MUMBO-JUMBO”
Presidential candidate announces an investigation into why so many Hollywood movies are fleeing Canada. “One recent report by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America said so-called runaway production has cost the Los Angeles film community 20,000 jobs and cost the U.S. economy $10 billion. But Canadians question the claims. B.C.’s production industry, the biggest in Canada, is worth about $1 billion, so where’s the rest? – Vancouver Sun