In Europe and America, the ensemble opera company is virtually extinct – the ease of jet travel and the huge rise in fees have made loyalty to a single company almost impossible. “Yet in cash-poor Eastern Europe, great operatic ensembles survive and even flourish. The Kirov Opera in St Petersburg is a company rich in big voices of a splendour that is virtually extinct in Europe and the US, as well as a superb chorus and many promising newcomers.” – The Telegraph (UK)
Author: Douglas McLennan
HISTORIC THEATER REVIVAL
“You have to make choices about what historic theaters you save, because you can’t save them all. People turned to theater restoration in the 1960’s and 70’s. It was a time when cities were trying to save their downtowns. Theater restoration revives an interest in the downtown, and anecdotal studies show that their economic impact on cities is quite substantial.”- New York Times
FOR EVERY DUMB RULE …
Earlier this month the Academy Awards folks decreed that any movie shown over the internet before it hits the theaters would not be eligible for an Oscar next year. Dumb, eh? So now, enterprising net-heads are planning to open a small movie theater series in Los Angeles to screen movies that will likely play on the web. – Wired 06/23/00
RUSSELL CROWE AND A SIDE OF RIBS
Women from all around the world are in a bidding frenzy, hoping to get their hands on the much-coveted tickets to see Australian actor Russell Crowe’s band “Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts.” The concert will be held at Stubbs BBQ restaurant in Austin, Texas – tickets are presently going for around $200 on internet auctions. – The Age (Melbourne)
ALAN HOVHANESS —
— dies at age 89 in Seattle. The prolific American composer “embraced melody in an atonal age and drew heavily on music of the East.” – New York Times
SOMETIMES IT’S NOT ABOUT THE WORK
Canadian bookseller Chapters has yanked this year’s Robertson Davies Prize for books. The man who won, believing the judges wanted a woman to win, submitted his entry under a pseudonym. When the Chapters people found out, they pulled the prize because they say they were “elaborately and deliberately misled by the author.” – CBC
EXPLOITING YOUR FAMILY
Simon & Schuster has an idea about how to get into the digital world in a big way – find articles, novellas and speeches of between 15,000 and 40,000 words by its writers and authors to be e-published on the web. One catch, though – the giant book publisher wants to pay $1,000 a piece. ”I’m trying not to be outraged,” says one well-known S&S author who was invited to e-publish. But, this writer admits, the $1,000 offer is insulting, and far less than most established authors get for magazine articles that are usually much shorter. – Inside.com
LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI LAMENTS POETRY
“Today in the United States, the poet has no real place or status. In Latin America and in some European and Middle Eastern countries, poets are still honored in society, but in North America what other city except San Francisco appoints a poet laureate every year?” – Exquisite Corpse
LOOKING AHEAD
Dying? Orchestras dying? Not to hear these orchestras talk about their future. The American Symphony Orchestra League holds its annual meeting and looks forward, not back. – Boston Globe
MODERN STRADIVARIUS?
A biochemist claims he’s discovered exactly why violins made in Stradivari’s day are so magnificent. And he’s begun turning out his own instruments, which have been “bought for as much as $15,000 apiece and reviewed favorably by members of the Cleveland Quartet, Chicago Symphony, and New York Philharmonic. Yehudi Menuhin played one, on loan for 15 years.” So why aren’t musicians flocking to Joseph Nagyvary’s workshop? – Discover Magazine