For Phyllida Lloyd, directing theatre is in many ways vastly preferable to directing opera. “So why would I direct opera? Because when the conditions are right, to be a part of that massive collaboration with 80 musicians in the pit and 100 on the stage is to be part of something much greater than oneself, to help to give the audience a raw emotional experience like no other. Opera operates on a subterranean level and can reach parts of you that other art forms really do struggle to reach. Opera is an event.”
Month: July 2006
Smithsonian To Pay Hip-Hop Its Due
Hip-Hop, an American art form that went global long ago, might seem an odd fit with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, but planning for a major exhibition on hip-hop culture is under way there.
The Long, Slow Fight For Art Recovery
Groups advocating the return of art looted by the Nazis in World War II have made great progress in recent years, but the battle is far from over. Just identifying looted art is a major undertaking: “One thorny issue is just how many looted items could have made their way to American museums. Under scrutiny are objects that were created before 1946 and obtained by a museum after 1932. Other criteria are whether the piece was in Europe at that time and whether ownership changed between 1932 and 1946.”
Everyone Knows Teletubbies Are More Evil Than Sex, Anyway
Earlier this week, PBS’s Sprout Channel (TV for the under-5 set) dismissed one of its most popular hosts for the heinous crime of having once used a few curse words in a satirical sketch about sex that is now available online. Mark Morford cannot believe we’ve come to this: “What sort of people are we? What sort of warped and reckless and utterly silly value system do we suck on in this culture? Why are we so wildly, preternaturally terrified of all things sexual while at the same time drawn to it all like fat teenagers to french fries?”
Morris Misstep?
When Mark Morris announced plans to choreograph a new version of the Delibes-scored ballet, Sylvia, it immediately became one of the most-anticipated events of the 2006 season. But Clive Barnes isn’t the least bit impressed with the results: “Morris, a modern dance master with classic leanings, still approaches ballet like a man talking a foreign language: with a misplaced confidence, a very limited vocabulary and a totally unconvincing accent.”
Berlin To Return Kirchner Painting
The city of Berlin plans to return a 1913 painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to the heirs of the Jewish family who lost it to the Nazis in World War II. The painting, which depicts a Berlin street scene, is valued at $12.5 million, and has hung in Berlin’s Brücke Museum since 1980.
Toronto Movie House To Get New Life
“After months of theatre closings and speculation that repertory cinemas in Toronto are doomed, some good news for a change: The Royal Theatre, a College Street landmark, has been sold for $2.2-million to a company set on keeping the projector running — with a modern twist. The buyer is Theatre D Digital, a Toronto-based postproduction film company that plans to restore the theatre’s rickety red velvet seats and ornate moulding to their original charm. It will be used as a state-of-the-art production studio by day and movie theatre by night.”
TiVo Tattle
The makers of TiVo, the original digital video recorder, is starting a research division which will analyze how its users watch TV, and sell the information to advertisers. Unlike many DVRs, TiVo keeps track of everything a user watches and reports back to the company. Advertisers are interested because the research “could help them understand how to get more people to watch recorded commercials, like changing the content of ads or running them during certain kinds of programming.”
You Ain’t Got A Thing If You Ain’t Done The Ring
“Not so long ago, complete performances of the Ring presented within six days, as Wagner intended, were infrequent outside of Bayreuth. (The premiere took place in the span of five days.) But in the last 25 years, producing the Ring has almost become a calling card for any company claiming top-rank status in the opera world.”
Chelsea’s Summer Wars
“The summer group show wars are raging in [New York’s Chelsea neighborhood.] Over the last few years they have become something of an annual rite. Starting in late June and continuing through August, the solo shows drop off and the group shows — four or more artists — proliferate. The densely packed yet oddly discrete parallel universes in which galleries exist for most of the year lose some of their definition… It is open season for cool hunting and power gathering. Hipness prevails over blue-chipness.”