“An unprecedented report published yesterday by the Israeli government estimates the material damage caused to the Jewish people during the Holocaust at $230 billion to $320 billion. This estimate does not include reparations for the suffering of survivors, or for the murder of 6 million Jews. The report’s authors call on the government to remove obstacles to the process of restoring Jewish property, not only in Europe but in the U.S. and Israel as well.”
Month: April 2005
World Trade Center Dream Dies
Any hope for a good project to rise on the site of the World Trade Center is now dead, writes Ada Louise Huxtable. “The death of the dream has come slowly, in bits and pieces, not as a sudden cataclysmic event. It has not been a casualty of the more obvious debate over whether the replacement of the lost 10 million square feet of commercial space demanded by the developer is an economic necessity or the defilement of the land where so many died. This has been a subtler, more insidious sabotage, through the progressive downgrading and evisceration of the cultural components of Daniel Libeskind’s competition-winning design.”
Moscow Treasure Reopens After Fire
A major architectural treasure has reopened a year after a damaging fire. “Built in just six months in 1817 under the orders of Czar Alexander I for the fifth anniversary of Russia’s victory over Napoleon, Manege was considered architecturally unique from the start. Its recognizable neo-classical yellow facades and majestic white pillars were designed by the Russian architect Ossip Bovet, while its 150-foot-wide interior and triangular wooden roof were created by the French engineer Augustin Bétancourt. This hall could hold a regiment of 2,000 in addition to visitors and audiences. It was said to be the largest uncolumned interior space in the world.”
A Da Vinci Code Parody (On Publishing)
“The Da Vinci Code is obviously not a normal novel. It is enormously long and very badly written (“Everyone in the reception area gaped in wonderment at the half-naked albino offering forth a bleeding clergyman”). It is simultaneously bombastic and bafflingly banal, full of uncontrolled, wrong-headed prose, tin-eared dialogue and crazy errors of fact. The characters are drips. And yet I stayed up half the night reading it. So what is the secret?”
Muti “Considering Offer” From Chicago Sym
Deposed La Scala music director Riccardo Muti has said in an interview that he is “considering an offer” from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which is currently searching for a new music director to replace Daniel Barenboim. Whether the offer is for Muti to be the next podium star in Chicago is not known, and since CSO management has made it clear that it wants Barenboim’s successor to spend significant time in the city engaging the community and raising money, tasks which Muti did not relish during his time as MD in Philadelphia, the Italian maestro might not seem to be a natural choice for Chicago. Muti refused to elaborate on exactly what the CSO offer might entail.
Pittsburgh’s Slimmed-Down Ring
Hot on the heels of the Chicago Lyric Opera’s Ring cycle, the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh has announced plans to present a “streamlined” version of the massive Wagner cycle over the next two summers. The cut-down Ring, which was conceived by Jonathan Dove for the UK’s City of Birmingham Opera, features a chamber orchestra in the pit and minimal costumes and sets. Traditional Ring cycles cost millions to stage, and are considered out of the realm of possibility for all but the largest companies, but the Dove version is expected to cost no more than $250,000.
An Artist Pension Fund Plan Made Of Art
A pension scheme for artists was unveiled in London Monday. Money for the fund would be generated by artists contributing artworks. “The UK trust would aim to cover 250 working artists, vetted by experts before they join the scheme. They would contribute 20 artworks over 20 years, to be sold when prices are judged to be right.”
Fox Wants Viewers To Make A Commitment
Ever since the Fox sitcom Arrested Development hit the air two years ago, critics have been begging viewers to tune in, lest the innovative program go the way of other “smart” comedies, which is to say, into the network dustbin. The show has never become a hit, though, and a third season is very much in doubt. But Fox, which has traditionally been quick to cancel low-rated programs, is taking an unusual approach to the future of Arrested, asking fans of the show to sign an online “loyalty oath” promising to watch and support the show if it is brought back.
Bryn Terfel Leads Nominations For Classical Brits
Terfel’s album Silent Noon – with Malcolm Martineau – has received nods in the album of the year and Ensemble/ Orchestral album of the year groups. He is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year, where he faces competition from Sir Colin Davis and Aled Jones.”
CanFilm Wants Tougher Copyright Laws
Movie theatre owners are getting better at spotting film pirates who attend premieres armed with tiny video cameras, but in Canada, the law has yet to catch up with the times. In fact, in many cases, those caught trying to create illegal bootlegs of the latest Hollywood blockbuster are charged with nothing worse than trespassing. Now, the Canadian film industry is putting pressure on the government to toughen up the laws and provide some disincentive to the tapers.