Mark Swed: “The ramifications are considerable. If proved true, the allegations would be a tragic ending to one of the great careers in the history of opera, a tenor and now baritone who has sung more roles than any other, as well as a conductor, opera administrator and celebrity. It would also be a sad revelation about the catalyst and voice of opera in Los Angeles.” – Los Angeles Times
Author: Douglas McLennan
Reconsidering The Musical Genius Of Erich Korngold
Alex Ross: “A master of late-Romantic opulence, Korngold shaped the sonic texture of Golden Age Hollywood. To say that his work sounds like movie music is an elementary fallacy, a confusion of cause and effect.” – The New Yorker
The Musical Aspirations Of Charles Manson
Manson had three primary lures: LSD, sex, and music. But music, and its power to unite a community of outsiders and misfits, remains the least-examined weapon in his arsenal. – The New Yorker
Are You Ready To Take Advice On Morality From Machines?
“Some scholars herald artificial moral advisors as vast improvements over morally frail humans, as presenting the best opportunity for avoiding the extinction of human life from our own hands. They demand that we should take listen to machines for ethical advice. But should we?” – 3 Quarks Daily
How Music Festivals Got To Be A Mega-Business
This year there will be roughly 100 large, multi-day events—attended by more than 10,000 people each—around the United States. Live Nation, the concert and festival promoter, is now arguably the most important firm in the music industry, with more revenues than most traditional record labels. It owns four of the five largest festivals. AEG, the sports and entertainment company, owns two others. – CityLab
Western Classical Music Is Booming In China. Here’s How Much
From 2013 to 2017, the number of orchestras in China leaped from 32 to 82. In 2019, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 140th season, and the orchestra, along with its conductor, was recently signed to the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label for a multi-year deal. – Ludwig Van
Viacom And CBS Merger Gives The New Company Scale To Compete With Disney, Streamers
In an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, CEO Bob Bakish cited ViacomCBS’s content library, which includes 140,000 TV episodes, 36,000 films and 750 series, as enough ammo to fight the likes of Netflix, Disney, Comcast and others entering the TV streaming wars. – CNBC
How Words Evolve Into Language
When we learn how the world is made through words, we also learn to be sceptical of our current iteration of reality and more tolerant of other perspectives. If life can be differently worded, it can be differently lived. – The Guardian
The Berkshires: Big Time Cultural Center
Justin Davidson: “The Berkshires, the bucolic swath of Western Massachusetts where urban refugees can get their weekend dose of gardens, waterfalls, and even the occasional moose sighting, enjoys the cultural life of a major city, spread out over an area half again as vast as Houston.” – New York Magazine
Early Newspapers Were Essentially Letters To The Editor, Messy And Boistrous
“Printed news started out as, essentially, collections of letters to the editor. Newspapers did not routinely employ full-time reporters until the 19th century. At that point, the older meaning of ‘journalist’ – someone who keeps a journal – disappeared, and the word began to refer solely to news-gatherers. Similarly, interviews and in-person reporting did not become common until the 19th century.” – Aeon