It’s been a few years since the movie of David Helfgott propelled the pianist to international stardom. Despite the lambasting of music critics, Helfgott is still a popular draw, and his concerts continue to sell well. “He’s the only pianist to have sold out the Sydney Opera House four nights running. People want to see Helfgott rock back and forth at the piano and sing along as his fingers fly over the keys. They want to see him because of who he is and what he’s overcome.” – The Scotsman
Author: Douglas McLennan
RECONSIDERING AARON
On the 100th anniversary of Aaron Copland’s birth, the man and his music are being reconsidered. “Copland’s avuncular image as a doyen of American music is avowed by the voluminous testimony of all who knew him as to his generosity, kindly nature and wry sense of humour. However, this image implies a certain blandness which characterised neither his life nor his music.”- The Economist
AN INTERVIEW WITH ARTHUR MILLER, —
- — who turned 85 this week and has just published a wide-ranging collection of his essays, “Echoes Down the Corridor.” NPR
FACT OR FICTION?
Unveiling a new photo book of her life’s work, infamous Hitler-era filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (whose “Triumph of the Will,” has been renowned and despised as the best propaganda film ever made) pleaded with the press to acknowledge her as an artist, and not as a Nazi. “Ninety percent of what has been written about me has been made up.” – Yahoo! News (Reuters)
WHEN COMMERCIAL/NON-PROFIT VENTURES GO BAD
The commercial failure of “The Wild Party” on Broadway last season “raised broad questions both about the Public Theatre and about Broadway’s capacity to handle unorthodox fare. An examination of the musical’s short, troubled life highlights those issues and the problems that can arise in the increasingly frequent partnerships between nonprofit theaters and commercial producers.” – New York Times
NOT TONIGHT, JOSEPHINE
The musical “Napoleon” opened in London this week to generally dreary reviews. But though the show is being billed as new, it looks awfully familiar to the effort that bombed in Toronto six years ago. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
SCHIELE SURPRISE
A 1918 portrait by Egon Schiele stirred up a surprising amount of interest among bidders at a London Sotheby’s auction Wednesday and sold for $10 million – more than twice the highest price ever paid for one of his works. – CNN
ARTISTS ARE THE FIRST TO GO
With rising rents and artists being evicted from their work spaces, “San Francisco is in danger of becoming a place where art is presented but no longer created. Everybody knows what the problem is: lots of money and new development increasingly putting cutting-edge culture out on the streets. Can the city prevent further erosion of its diverse artistic heritage? Some say it may be too late.” – San Francisco Chronicle 10/19/00
- MIGRATION: Where are the artists leaving San Francisco going? “Some are moving to New York, traditionally the mecca for artists. A number of artists and gallery owners are relocating to Los Angeles, a sprawling megalopolis where warehouses and apartments are far more plentiful and less expensive, and the gallery scene is popping.” – San Francisco Chronicle 10/19/00
- THE HAVES GET HAVIER: While leading-edge ensembles and artists struggle to keep their heads above water financially, the good times – and the bucks – are rolling at the city’s major arts organizations. – San Francisco Chronicle 10/19/00
- OTHER CITIES/SAME SCENARIO: Other cities – such as Chicago and Seattle – in the midst of economic good times are having the same problems with high rents displacing artists. – San Francisco Chronicle 10/19/00
AUSSIE TAX BREAK
The Australian government has decided to exempt high-art organizations from the 10 percent GST tax it began imposing earlier this year. The decision “effectively puts organisations including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Victorian Ballet, Playbox and Opera Australia in the same tax-exemption category as charity groups and school fetes.” – The Herald Sun (Melbourne)
MILLENNIUM DOME WINS AWARD
London’s Millennium Dome might have been an enormous political, financial and popular flop, but it was a hit with builders. The British Construction Industry Association has given the Dome its top honor. The Dome’s “roof covers twice the area of any comparable structure in the world and was built in just a year, for a lower cost per unit area than the cheapest retail shed.” – The Telegraph (UK) 10/19/00