“The theater’s opulent, barrel-vaulted lobby — modeled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles — could be given over to booth-style seating, and the sumptuous ladies lounge, where Bob Fosse once tap-danced upon the room’s onyx table beneath its murals of cherubs, would become an auxiliary dining room, according to the architectural plans, dated Sept. 18.”
Month: October 2015
What (If Anything) Should Composers Make Of Today’s Music Criticism?
“The unprecedented accessibility and apparent indelibility of reviews on the internet necessitate, I believe, a change in the way they are written and read. Foremost in my mind here are not the tender sensibilities of composers or even the damage a gratuitously negative review can do to a career, but rather the integrity and relevance of music criticism itself.”
Have You Noticed The Odd Reviews Of The New Whitney Museum?
“Critics of the Whitney have made this problem particularly clear by their tendency to heap praise on the galleries while expressing indifference or hostility toward the building as a whole—a schizy split often reflecting a division of editorial labor in which the art critic cheers how great the art looks and then hands off to an architecture critic to trash the structure that houses them.”
Does Creative Genius Require Bitter Rivalry To Flourish?
“Think of rivalry as a type of über competition driven by mutual obsession, with the rivals propelling each other to spiralling achievement, and investing more mental and emotional resources in each other than circumstances would ever dictate on their own.”
This Was The First TV Show To Use The Internet As A Plot Point
“Even as dial-up Internet connections went mainstream, television representations of the web lagged. Computers appeared on television mostly as props, boxy monitors sitting dark on desks. The arrival of Internet represented a huge cultural shift, but it was barely a plot point in the 1990s—with some exceptions.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Contract Talks Break Down (Though There May Be Some Progress)
“All-night negotiations over a new contract for musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra ended Thursday morning after the session failed to produce a tentative agreement. Concerts will continue uninterrupted as negotiators ponder their next moves. … While no agreement was reached, some parameters of a deal appeared to be falling into place.”
How Does Creativity Help Solve Problems?
“At this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival, we asked a group of people who work in media, design, and the arts about how the creative process can lend itself to unlocking solutions. ‘Creativity is a problem-solving practice,’ says Anne Libera, director of comedy studies at Second City. ‘You have to risk, you have to fail – that’s how you know where the edge is.’ Other panelists include Tim Brown, Bran Ferren, JR, Maurice Ashley, Lil Buck, Kelly Leonard, and Jane Chu.” (video)
Why Ancient Rome Still Matters In 2015
Mary Beard: “The truth is that Roman history offers very few direct lessons for us, and no simple list of dos and don’ts. … Ancient Rome still matters for very different reasons – mainly because Roman debates have given us a template and a language that continue to define the way we understand our own world and think about ourselves.”
New-York Historical Society To Open Women’s History Center
“The directors of the New-York Historical Society did not have to search hard for evidence that the role of women in history has long been underplayed.”
US Television Wakes Up To Growing Latino Audience With New Options
“Channels such as newly launched El Rey are targeting a young demographic that wants to see its bilingual and multicultural world reflected on screen.”