Alice Tully Hall has reopened to acclaim following its renovation, but the hall’s pipe organ, “a personal gift of Miss Tully herself, remains absent, dismantled and resting in limbolike storage in upstate New York. … [T]he chairman of the Juilliard School’s organ department, Paul Jacobs, and the organ’s curator, Peter Batchelder, have gone public with worries that Lincoln Center may secretly want to wash its hands of the organ.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Russia And Ukraine Are Bickering — Over Nikolai Gogol
“Gogol once wrote that he could never decide whether his soul was Russian or Ukrainian. In an era when Ukrainian aspirations for nationhood were dormant, he did not see the two as contradictory; for him, Ukraine and Russia were inseparable parts of a greater whole. Unsurprisingly, many Russian politicians and pundits have seized on this theme, making the bicentennial [of Gogol’s birth] an occasion to affirm Russian-Ukrainian unity — and snipe at Ukrainians who are less than fond of the idea.”
Empathy For Emotional Pain Is Slow And Strenuous
“When we see someone with a broken leg, we feel his pain instantly. But it takes a bit longer to feel compassion for a broken heart, say researchers from the University of Southern California. … And the USC team found that the brain had to work a lot harder to react to another person’s psychological pain than to physical pain.”
Amazon Has Another Clarity Issue: Kindle 2’s Font Display
“Amazon’s Kindle 2 is slimmer, faster and has longer battery life than its predecessor. But the newly launched e-book reader falls short when it comes to how well it displays text, say some users.”
French Bill Would Bar Illegal Downloaders From Internet
“Anyone repeatedly caught illegally downloading films and music in France could be cut off from the internet if a new bill is passed by parliament this week. The bill would give French authorities powers to trace illegal downloads and cut repeat offenders off from the internet for a period of two months to one year.” Passage is expected.
Ontario Pumps Fresh Millions Into Cultural Institutions
“Ontario culture minister Aileen Carroll announced a major boost to six cultural agencies yesterday, pledging $43.4-million in new operating funds this year. Flanked by elated cultural leaders whose organizations have been battered by the declining economy, she announced a one-time boost of $18.6-million for 2009-2010 and an annual operating increase of $24.8-million to be split among six institutions.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Trims Budget Further
“The Philadelphia Orchestra’s interim leader has revealed another round of cuts. Though smaller than the reductions announced Tuesday to the orchestra’s residency this summer at the Mann Center, the newest contractions curtail efforts to grow audiences and reward loyal ones.” Master classes and next season’s “postlude” concerts are among the casualties.
Philanthropist Dorothy Cullman Dies At 91
“Dorothy Cullman, who, with her husband, Lewis B. Cullman, donated about $250 million to a host of arts, science and educational institutions in New York, among them the Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Public Library, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan.”
Unesco To Put Treasures Online In World Digital Library
“It is not every library that displays ancient Chinese manuscripts alongside postcards of Sarah Bernhardt, crumbling Iraqi newspapers near maps of the New World, and Rabelais originals next to the voice recording of a 101-year-old former slave named Fountain Hughes. But then the World Digital Library (WDL) is not every library. Hailed as an online ‘intellectual cathedral’, it is an unprecedented coming together of some of the world’s finest treasures.”
Hearst Castle To Turn Over Paintings Stolen By Nazis
“For decades, three Italian Renaissance paintings have hung on the walls of Hearst Castle without betraying their grim history. But on Friday, state parks officials will formally acknowledge the artworks’ past, turning them over to the heirs of a Jewish couple who were forced by the Nazis to liquidate their Berlin art gallery in 1935.” The family will allow one of the paintings to remain at the castle.