“Over the past few years, there have been a lot of stories done about the super-wealthy in Russia. They benefited from Russia’s oil-boom economy, and spent millions on luxury homes, works of art and lavish lifestyles. But in the recent financial turmoil, Russia’s rich have lost billions of dollars.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Liberal Views Prevail Onstage (In Other News: Dog Bites Man)
“During this election season theatergoers in New York can see a dozen or so overtly political plays, about Iraq, Washington corruption, feminism or immigration; what they won’t see are any with a conservative perspective.” The absence is just as pronounced in the rest of the country.
Singapore Encourages Art Museums With Reduced Rent
“Singapore is offering state-owned properties in prime locations at reduced rent to encourage art collectors to open private museums in the city-state.”
So How Well Does Met Player Work, Anyway?
The Metropolitan Opera launches its online audio and video streaming service, Met Player, next Wednesday. Daniel J. Wakin tested it out. “Several times during the trial an attempt to stream a 2007 high-definition performance of ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ hiccupped and caused the browser to close. But the process worked on the next try. The sound was clear and rich, and the video sharp.”
Just In Time: Arts Grants To Meet New Business Challenges
“The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Nonprofit Finance Fund will hand out $15.1 million to 10 performing arts nonprofits to fund the exploration of new business practices and models. Gotham’s Wooster Group, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and Los Angeles’ Center Theater Group are among the orgs to receive coin during the five-year program, called ‘Leading for the Future: Innovative Support for Artistic Excellence.'”
Some Arts Organizations Already Feeling The Pinch
“You guessed it: contributions to nonprofits have gone south with the economy. Among those organizations suffering the most are the ones catering to the arts.”
Bach’s Note-Perfect Soundtrack To The Economic Mess
The ideal musical accompaniment to the worldwide financial debacle? “Bach’s short, rarely performed Cantata 168, a setting of passages on the parable of the unjust steward from Corinthians and the Gospel of Luke. It won’t bring you much solace – at least not until the closing chorus of consolation – but you will be able to feel and share the anger and the wrath, directed at bankers and accountants.”
For Lit-Prize Geeks, A Booker Quiz
“Is there a higher honour in English letters? Yes, and you win it by getting all these questions right.”
Hanging In The Balance (Sheet): Corporate Art Collections
“Another bankrupt corporation, another corporate art collection on the block. Actually, no one quite knows what Lehman Brothers, the financial services firm that filed for bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15, will do with its 3,500-piece art collection, but with works by such bankable artists as Jasper Johns and Andreas Gurky, it is likely to be on sale at a major auction house near you.”
Theatre De La Jeune Lune, Shuttered, Sells Its Home
“The board of directors of Theatre de la Jeune Lune has signed a purchase agreement to sell its building” in Minneapolis. The company’s general manager “declined to disclose the price, although she said it would cover the theater’s accumulated debt of about $1.2 million.” The Tony Award-winning company announced in July that it would shut down.