“[He] was among the last of a Runyonesque breed that was long a vital if largely unheralded segment of the music business. … In representing the commercial interests of song, lyricist and composer, publishers of Mr. Richmond’s vintage were equal parts tout and talent scout, matchmaker and midwife, broker and bill collector.”
Month: May 2012
What Are The Goals Of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Great Tour Of China?
The orchestra itself has its eye on annual residencies in a growing country with a huge market for Western classical music. As for the Chinese (and the US State Dept.)? “Call it a pilot project, trial balloon, or infomercial, the residency falls under the larger heading of ‘soft power’ that includes importing and exporting films, artists, and music between the two countries.”
Michael Haneke Wins Palme d’Or At Cannes For Amour
“Michael Haneke’s latest movie, Amour, won the Austrian director his second top prize from Cannes in three years, following his triumph in 2009 with The White Ribbon. The film is the tenderest in a career defined by unflinching brutality, as well as arguably the least cinematic: a two-hander set in a Paris flat.”
The Last Day At Cannes
“By this point, the festival has largely cleared out, save for journalist laggers and, of course, those winners who have stayed in town hoping for a callback to the evening awards ceremony. The market … closed Friday, and many journalists are already back home, where doubtless some will decide (as usual!) that this year really wasn’t as bad as it sometimes seemed.”
Two Decades Of The Major Ballet Prize Most Americans Have Never Heard Of
“One of the most prestigious prizes in the world of ballet, Benois de la Danse, celebrated its 20th anniversary last week at the Main Stage of the Bolshoi Theater.” Among the top winners: Alina Cojocaru and Lar Lubovitch.
Judging Tony Nominees By Their Dance Numbers
“What criteria are involved? In ballet and modern dance, choreography is the shaping factor, the ingredient that brings music, subject matter and performance together into a whole; in a musical, that’s seldom so. But the great choreographers are great directors too: inventors of their own genres of theater.”
China’s Conflicted Relationship With Free Expression Online
The Chinese Communist Party would love to keep the same tight lid on the Web, blogging and tweeting that it generally has on print and broadcast media. But that’s not easy: there are ways around The Great Firewall; and with 400 million or so users, local blogging and tweeting platforms are too big to censor and too popular to shut down.
At The Delacorte: Fifty Years Of Free Theater In Central Park
“During that time, more than four million patient theatergoers have waited in line to see a potent mix of raw talent, seasoned stage veterans and Hollywood imports do battle against the Central Park fauna, the occasional helicopter and the more than occasional thunderstorm to perform the classics free.” Delacorte vets – from Jerry Stiller to Meryl Streep to Liev Schreiber to longtime stage manager Buzz Cohen – look back.
After Months Of Tumult, Royal Danish Opera Appoints New Leaders
“Less than four months after a double resignation plunged the company into turmoil, the Royal Danish Opera has filled its two top vacancies. Michael Boder has been named as the company’s new principal conductor and artistic adviser while Sven Müller becomes artistic director.”
Scottish Opera’s Maestro Agrees To One More Year
“Scottish Opera’s music director is to step down in 2013 after extending his contract by a single year to see out its 50th anniversary season. … The company was keen for him to stay on, but Corti had been considering his future ‘in the light of resources at the company’, one source said.”