Author: Matthew Westphal

Vienna Philharmonic Back In Concert Hall For First Time Since Pandemic

“[The orchestra’s] 2,854-seat Musikverein, considered by many the world’s most beautiful concert hall, was filled with only 100 people Friday for the first of three days of programs with Daniel Barenboim.” The AP’s Ronald Blum reports on the safety measures the Philharmoniker are taking and how they expect performances and audience sizes to ramp up over the next few months. – Yahoo! (AP)

Bradley Fields, Who Used Magic To Teach Math, Dead Of COVID At 68

“[He] was ‘an antique guy in a modern world,’ appearing in a derby and vest and performing illusions from the vaudeville era: classic tricks with steel rings or handkerchief, dividing an assistant into thirds. … After [his sons] were born, Mr. Fields spent a year teaching elementary school in Manhattan’s Chinatown, which inspired him to create MatheMagic, a show for children that he performed up to 200 times a year.” – The New York Times

Recreating The Musical Instruments Of Ancient Mexico’s Lost Metropolis

Teotihuacán, which had a population of around 100,000 at its height circa 500 CE, seems to have had no system of writing and left behind no known written records. But musical instruments have survived — quadruple flutes, double-chambered water whistles and the like. Researcher Arnd Adje Both, whom one might call a paleo-musicologist, has had copies of those instruments made and is planning to bring them to Teotihuacán to be played. – The Economist

Jazz Saxophonist Don Weller Dead At 79

“A world-class saxophonist with a big sound, a big presence and a capricious improviser’s imagination, [he] sometimes seemed more at home playing pub gigs in his Croydon birthplace than chasing the high-profile career implied by his collaborations with a raft of stars. … Despite a late start, a self-effacing nature, few recordings, and a guileless indifference to just about any form of PR, he left an indelible impression.” – The Guardian

Sure, Online Opera’s Nice, But There’s Real Magic Inside An Opera House

“The limitations of relaying opera from stage to online are subtle. It’s the difference between an experience that’s mesmerizing and one that’s merely impressive.” David Patrick Stearns considers just what it is we’re missing as houses like the Met remain dark for the rest of the year — things like grandeur, panoramic views of the stage, intermission debates with other opera fans, and the sheer energy of air molecules being moved around. – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dancing In The Streets For George Floyd And Racial Justice

The Electric Slide in Harlem and the Cupid Shuffle in Newark; the bomba in Puerto Rico and voguing in Chicago; Ojibwe and Nuhua dances in Minneapolis and haka in New Zealand — those are just a few examples of dancing at recent protests that have been making the rounds on social media. “Some came to the streets with the purpose of dancing. Others were moved to dance more spontaneously, and surprised to find themselves seen by millions online.” Reporter Siobhan Burke talked to several participants “about what it has meant to them to dance in protest.” – The New York Times

How Frontline Booksellers Have Been Facing The Pandemic

“Frontline booksellers are the first people customers see when they set foot in bookstores across America. They also do physically demanding work, from carrying heavy boxes to shelving thousands of books every year. Often they work for hourly wages and are among the most vulnerable workers in the publishing industry. … Over the past eight weeks, PW spoke with five frontline booksellers to hear about their experiences. They were granted anonymity in order to be able to speak freely. These are their words, edited and condensed for clarity.” – Publishers Weekly