“Arthur Koestler’s classic story of Stalinist purges has hitherto been known through an incomplete translation by his girlfriend – until a student found the original in an archive.” – The Guardian
Month: September 2019
How Fenway Park’s Baseball Organist Gets His Playlist From Twitter
“This morning I got a request for a song called “Medicine for Melancholy,” by Rivers Cuomo,” Kantor said, sitting at the organ as a recent game got underway. “During batting practice, I got a request for ‘Detroit Rock City,’ by Kiss, and a request for anything Springsteen.” – WGBH
Al Alvarez, Poet And Author, Dead At 90
“[He] championed the work of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, wrote a provocative study of suicide and explored his own risky pastimes in [bestselling] books about rock climbing and professional poker.” – The Washington Post
The Art Of Ticket Pricing
A survey of more than 600 arts professionals (half of whom are directly involved in pricing decisions) reveals some interesting points about how those decisions are made — not least that a large majority of respondents would rather increase attendance than maximize ticket revenue. – Arts Professional
Samsung Builds A Vertical Stage, Just So We Can Record The Performance On Our Smartphones
As part of the grand opening of its big new store in central London, Samsung put up a three-story, 30-foot stage and presented a rock concert on it. Why? “Research … found 94% of smartphone users are now engaging with their devices vertically, and 79% find vertical videos the most interesting.” – Fast Company
Vox Media Buys New York Magazine
“On Tuesday, Vox Media agreed to acquire New York Media, the company behind the biweekly print magazine and five popular online offshoots, in an all-stock transaction. … While consolidations in the media industry typically mean cutting costs at the expense of quality journalism, Vox and New York said their combination was something different.” Said New York Media’s CEO, “It’s not out of need. It’s out of ambition.” – The New York Times
Icon In Little Old Lady’s Kitchen Turns Out To Be Medieval Painting Worth Millions
A nonagenarian in the French town of Compiègne had had the painting hanging on the wall above her hot plate for decades, thinking it was a common Greek icon. The 8-by-10-inch image turns out to be Christ Mocked, part of a multi-panel work from about 1280 by the Italian painter Cimabue, and it’s expected to sell for more than €6 million at auction next month. – CNN
1,800-Year-Old Bust From Palmyra Digitally Reconstituted Based On Pigment Traces
Researchers in Copenhagen have scanned and examined an unusually well-preserved half-length tomb sculpture, discovered in 1928 and dubbed The Beauty of Palmyra, and analyzed the surviving fragments of pigment — red and yellow ochre, Egyptian blue, madder lake — to create a full digital reconstruction. – The Art Newspaper
Another Handsy Tenor: London’s Royal Opera Suspends Tenor Vittorio Grigolo
The move comes as the company investigates an allegation “that the 42-year-old tenor allegedly groped a female chorus singer during a curtain call — in front of fellow performers and the audience — at the end of a performance of Gounod’s Faust in Tokyo last Wednesday.” – BBC
At Last Minute, Met Opera Cuts Plácido Domingo Loose
One day before he was due to take the stage in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth, both the tenor-turned-baritone and the opera house announced his withdrawal from the production. (Domingo said he would not return to the Met.) The move comes after an apparent rebellion at the company, where many objected to continuing to work with the singer as accusations of sexual misconduct keep mounting. – The New York Times