For the first time, Canada’s Giller prize has been awarded to two writers – “David Adams Richards and Michael Ondaatje both won the $25,000 Giller Prize. The judges, Margaret Atwood, Jane Urquhart and Alistair MacLeod, all senior deans of Canadian literature, huddled for just a few hours before announcing their decision.” – Ottawa Citizen
Month: November 2000
HOW RECORDING CHANGED MUSIC
The ability to record music did more than just make performances available after the fact. “A century of recording has changed the way we listen to music and the way music is performed – as well as what we listen to – to an extent we are only just beginning to grasp.” – The Independent (UK)
A PRODUCTION TO MAKE ELEPHANTS LOOK SMALL
Shanghai is planning the largest production of “Aida” ever mounted. With 2,250 performers, herds of elephants, camels, lions, tigers, a panther, a boa constrictor and 1,650 People’s Liberation Army soldiers dressed as Egyptian legionnaires all presented in an 80,000-seat stadium, the scale is enormous. But there’s only one performance scheduled, and it’s been raining fiercely all week… – New York Times
RETURN TO FOUNDER
The controversial founders of the McMichael art collection in Ontario are to be returned to control of the troubled museum after the provincial government passed legislation to end the gallery’s ambitions to modernize its collection. Museum professionals across Canada have protested the move. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
ART FOR THE PEOPLE
A dealer is setting up a website to sell high quality digital print reproductions. “Among them will be paintings, watercolors, prints and photographs by artists ranging from Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast and Georges Seurat to Andy Warhol, Alex Katz and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The images are being licensed from museums, private collections, artists and the estates of Warhol, Man Ray and others. The point is to make high-quality works of art available at prices that beginning art buyers can afford – from $150 to $700.” – Washington Post
THE ART OF DIPLOMACY
American art from the official residence of Richard C. Holbrooke, the United States representative at the U.N., is currently on public display. “It was made possible by Art in Embassies, a little-known and much beloved State Department program. Started in 1964, the program is based on a simple idea: artists, collectors and museums lend artworks, old and new, to United States embassies and residences as a way of introducing foreign guests to American culture.” – New York Times
THE VALUE OF A GOOD APPRAISER
The estate of an Arizona woman sold a collection of her paintings for $60, unaware that they were worth much more – $1 million. “The estate sought to overturn the sale, arguing that it was based upon a mutual mistake regarding the paintings’ value.” The judge says no. – CNN
TAYLOR ON TOP
Paul Taylor’s influence is felt throughout the dance world, and, at age 70, he’s still working strong. “Ultimately Taylor’s achievement is being 70 and still practising his art. While other dance groups fall victim to poverty and changes in fashion, the Paul Taylor Company has prospered since it was formed in 1955. Some of the dance world’s starriest names owe a debt to his extrovert style.” – The Guardian (London)
FREE TO BE ME?
Is the free dissemination of music on the Web ultimately helpful or harmful to the economics of new music? Four prominent composers – Richard Danielpour, Amy Knoles, Jeff Harrington, Amy Scurria – and intellectual properties attorney Mark A. Fischer discuss the future for serious music. – NewMusicBox
IS CLASSICAL MUSIC IN TROUBLE?
- Composer John Corigliano worries. “There’s so much to take its place now. With Internet and 500 TV channels; I can see that those things [we view today as] essential can be left behind. It’s easy to avoid it and still have a full life without it. And it’s changing hourly. I don’t know if it’s a good thing. [But] there will always be people who love what we do.” – Sonicnet.com