How did Beethoven’s work — its harmonies, its rhetoric, its formal ideas — become such an exclusive model for what classical music should sound like? What are we going to do to give other models, both past and present, their due? How do we get past our Beethoven addiction? – San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Douglas McLennan
Should Artists Work For “Exposure” When A Museum Asks?
Artists looking to establish themselves often get requests to perform or otherwise lend their creative skills to conferences, private parties, businesses and assorted projects for the promised payment of exposure. But what does it say about the value of an artist’s work when a city’s leading arts institution does the same? – Blue Ridge Public
Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum Is Hugely Popular. Here Are The Challenges As A New Director Takes Over
The museum is highly dependent on the tourist market. A huge 85% of its visitors are from abroad, many of whom come during the summer season. In the Netherlands, Van Gogh is widely regarded as a “tourist artist”. The challenge for Gordenker will be to woo more Dutch visitors, particularly during the winter. She also feels it is important to make the museum more inclusive, attracting young and old and those from the substantial immigrant community in the Netherlands. – The Art Newspaper
Failure To Entertain? Is That A Problem With Today’s Arts?
Ben Lawrence suggests that a large swath of the arts establishment is more interested in lecturing and criticizing than it is giving people affecting experiences they enjoy. – The Telegraph (UK)
Can You Trust Political Promises About Supporting Culture?
The cultural sections of election manifestos always make for interesting reading. Wonderful-sounding aspirations rarely have detail. Proposals are mostly aspirational rather than costed. This, presumably, means that whatever the intended real-world outcomes are, they have not been factored in to any budgetary strategy. And the numbers that are given don’t always match up. – Irish Times
This Is “Science”? Researchers Claim Rachmaninov Was The Most Original Composer In 200 Years
The scientists set out to quantify the creativity of 19 of the most prominent composers of recent centuries, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. An analysis of their chord sequences found that none matched the originality of Rachmaninov. – The Times
Sundance’s Focus On Issue Films Suggests A New Wave Of Cause-Driven Stories
At a festival that thrives on the spirit of niche filmmaking, the prevalence of stories and programming about ripped-from-the-headlines causes made for an energizing change of pace. Given the annual event’s reputation as a dependable bellwether for the year in independent cinema, such films could signify a potential wave of policy-driven, urgent stories to come. – The Atlantic
Book Reviews, Self-Help, And A Consumerist Approach To Reading
A consumerist vision of reading . . . presented as a form of anti-elitism” is emanating from the centers of publishing and media power, and that it is embodied by some of these trends. But I also found myself wondering: What fiction about music did they recommend? – The Baffler
Why “American Dirt” Doesn’t Work As Moral Marker
“American Dirt”won’t have much political impact, because Americans who have the capacity to be outraged about children in cages on the border already are; it’s arriving too late and isn’t compelling enough to change many minds. In the best-case scenario, it will be like “This Is Us” — popular, gratifying to some, not capable of moving any needles. As a novel, it’s a profoundly missed opportunity, a displacement of attention and resources that should have gone to more worthwhile books and more informed writers. But as a subject for conversation and controversy, even outrage, I hope “American Dirt” reminds American readers that a vibrant literature of the border already exists and deserves their attention. – Los Angeles Times
How Memphis Got A Pyramid (It Might Now Regret)
The history of the Memphis Pyramid, which is now emblazoned with a massive Bass Pro Shops logo on its side, is as bewildering as its appearance, and as reflective of the people who conceived of it. – CityLab