Peter Dobrin: “Anyone who thought the walkout [at the opening gala] was staged simply for effect, or as an act of petulance, should have really studied the musicians’ faces. They looked miserable, and maybe a little surprised themselves. … But there’s one person uniquely capable of explaining to board and donors why the musicians behaved the way they did and to validate, at the very least, some of their most sincere concerns.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Charles Dutoit, At 80, Says Women Conductors Can Be ‘Even Better’ Than Men, But Young People Today Are ‘Well-Informed But Uncultivated’
“There is no reason why women cannot lead orchestras. Their talent is the same as men’s. Often women are even better. … Today there are no myths and young people can access an excessive amount of information. … Everything is done quickly, and because of this, … people are well informed but uncultivated.”
Andrzej Wajda, Poland’s Great Filmmaker, Dead At 90
“Polish cinema burst upon the world in the 1950s with Andrzej Wajda’s war trilogy, A Generation, Kanał and Ashes and Diamonds, with the director becoming the voice of disaffected postwar youth. A generation later, [with Man of Marble and Man of Iron,] Wajda … was the voice of Poland again, as the country struggled to survive political and economic turmoil.”
Philadelphia Museum Of Art Prepares For Major Construction
“The museum’s massive $196 million ‘core project,’ a product of the institution’s master plan first developed by architect Frank Gehry and his firm in 2006, will hit with full force after the new year. While virtually all of the public collection will remain accessible for the duration of the project (expected to wrap in spring 2020), museum officials say, there will be notable obstacles to negotiate during construction.”
La Scala’s Ballet Director Resigns After Eight Months
“Mauro Bigonzetti, who was appointed as head of the La Scala Ballet at the beginning of this year, has been forced to step down. A severe back problem has persisted since the beginning of the summer.” In May, more than four dozen of La Scala’s dancers publicly protested Bigonzetti’s planned repertoire for this season.
L.A. Opera Extends Plácido Domingo’s Contract Again
“Legendary tenor Plácido Domingo has renewed his contract as general director of Los Angeles Opera through the 2021-22 season … Domingo’s positions within the company have included artistic consultant from 1984 to 2000, artistic director from 2000 to 2003 and finally, general director from 2003 until now.”
London Doesn’t Need Any More Theatres, So Stop Building Them
Mark Shenton: “I saw it argued on Twitter that, with London’s ever-expanding population, there’s a need to expand theatrical provision to meet the possible demand; but we’re nowhere near reaching capacity on the venues we already have. And surely the more venues there are, the more it will dissipate the existing audience. … I suspect a lot of the new theatre ‘builds’ (conversions of pop-ups) are driven by something else.”
Pierre Tchernia, 88, ‘Monsieur Cinéma’ And Graddaddy Of French Television
“To retrace his career is to range through 60 years of television history, from [the old] Radiodiffusion française to terrestrial digital television. Like three other Pierres – Desgraupes, Dumayet, Sabbagh – Tchernia was one of the pioneers of this new medium that was tentatively invited into French homes.” (in French; Google Translate version here)
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.10.16
Profiling Audiences in Pittsburgh and Charlotte (my new home town)
I am in the midst of another big life change, having recently moved from rural Maine to Charlotte …The arts scene here in this bustling boom town, where the population is increasing by nearly 20,000 people a year and every other corner features a new construction project, is naturally on my mind. … read more
AJBlog: We The Audience Published 2016-10-10
The flickering veil
As I approach the far shore of middle age, I can now say without exaggeration that I remember a fair number of things that happened a half-century ago. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-10-10
Music by Women
Saw a very nice concert this past week by the Lumina Duo – oboist Merideth Hite-Estevez and pianist Jani Parsons. The program was all music by women from the 12th century to the present. … read more
AJBlog: Infinite Curves Published 2016-10-10
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Creating Online Rituals For Our Online Lives
“There is a reason that ritual is such a pervasive part of human experience that it appears in every culture, and dissected by a wide range of disciplines. … [They’re] ‘the symbolic codes for interpreting and negotiating events of everyday existence.’ In the absence of online rituals, we lack the signposts that can help us navigate difficult online experiences – or mark and appreciate the great ones. Rather than wait for rituals to gradually and organically emerge out of online life, it’s time for us to think about consciously creating [them].”