The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize goes to “highly accomplished artists … who have pushed the boundaries of their art forms, contributed to social change and paved the way for the next generation.” Among previous winners are Bob Dylan, Frank Gehry, Ornette Coleman, Arthur Miller, Spike Lee, and Maya Lin.
Month: October 2015
Pond Scum: Thoreau Was A Dishonest, Narcissistic Prig And ‘Walden’ Is ‘Cabin Porn’
Kathryn Schulz: “In [the popular] image, Thoreau is our national conscience: the voice in the American wilderness, urging us to be true to ourselves and to live in harmony with nature. This vision cannot survive any serious reading of Walden. The real Thoreau was, in the fullest sense of the word, self-obsessed: narcissistic, fanatical about self-control, adamant that he required nothing beyond himself to understand and thrive in the world.”
Plácido Domingo Hospitalized For Gallbladder Surgery
“The 74-year-old tenor was in New York preparing for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Tosca, which he was scheduled to conduct but not appear in. His spokeswoman said he was in the middle of a dress rehearsal yesterday when he experienced pain as well as vomiting and later went to the hospital.”
A New Chamber Music Competition With A $100,000 Prize
“Starting in May 2016, the M-Prize, as the competition will be called, will be the most lucrative chamber music competition in the field. Prizes will be awarded in junior and senior divisions in three categories devoted to traditional string and wind ensembles, and, in an unusual twist, an ‘open’ category to accommodate groups of mixed instrumentation or those employing technology, voice or improvisation.”
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Named Musical America’s Artist Of The Year
Joining the 40-year-old music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra as Musical America honorees are Tod Machover (composer of the year), violinist Jennifer Koh (instrumentalist of the year), and tenor Mark Padmore (vocalist of the year).
This Performance Left Blood On The Keyboard – Literally
Yefim Bronfman’s rendition of Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra in Vienna Tuesday night was even more dramatic than usual.
Why We So Often Fail To Predict What Will Improve Our Future Happiness
Miswanting. “It’s the name for the scrambled logic behind our wants, and our tendency to poorly align those wants with what we’ll actually enjoy.”
Why We Fall in Love – and Why Frustration Is Necessary for Satisfaction
“To fall in love is to be reminded of a frustration that you didn’t know you had … you wanted someone, you felt deprived of something, and then it seems to be there. … It is as if, oddly, you were waiting for someone but you didn’t know who they were until they arrived. Whether or not you were aware that there was something missing in your life, you will be when you meet the person you want.”
We’ve Just Learned A *Lot* More About ‘Swan Lake’
“The 1877 original was staged in Moscow, and was by no means the fiasco that used to be supposed. After its Moscow premiere, it was revived there for six of the first seven years of its existence. Recent discoveries … at the old Bolshoi building there, give us a new wealth of detail about it.” For example, the “Black Swan pas de deux” was not intended for either Odette or Odile, and the storm scene is supposed to have a real whirlpool.
Twyla Tharp On The Road: Why We Go Out And Tour
“O.K., you want the fountain of youth, here it is: Travel with a modern dance troupe.”