“The son of a Brooklyn baker who won acclaim as a brilliantly nimble dancer and a quirky and often surprising choreographer, … Louis and the choreographer Alwin Nikolais had been artistic collaborators and companions for more than 40 years.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Baltimore Symphony CEO Takes New Position At Utah Symphony And Opera
“Paul Meecham, who became president and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra a decade ago after a period of high deficits and rocky morale, and quickly corrected its course, is stepping down at the end of June to take a similar position with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera.”
Cypress String Quartet Is Disbanding After 20 Years
“The moment of truth came last summer. For months the group had considered ending their run. No one person led the way. … All options were considered, including bringing in replacements – as problematic as that might be. The quandary included subtle cracks in the foundation, including the normal wear and tear and frustration that occur in any group, particularly in one so often like a marriage.”
Ballet About Asylum Seekers In Denmark Could See Its Leads Deported
“In Uropa – An asylum-seekers’ ballet, six migrants tell their stories with the help of dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet, hoping to change perceptions of refugees in a country that has recently rolled out some of Europe’s strictest asylum rules.” But some of those six could yet see their own applications rejected – the original lineup numbered ten.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.02.16
Irvine asks: Is there an issue in the arts field more urgent than engagement? My answer: Yes.
A couple weeks back the Irvine Foundation launched an online Q&A series, Are We Doing Enough? – aimed at “exploring tough questions about engagement practices and programming.” … read more
AJBlog: Jumper Published 2016-02-02
Definitions, Again
Last November Matt Lehrman, author of Audience Wanted, ran a series of posts attempting to address the meaning of “audience engagement.” The need to do so will probably never end, as we have so many … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-02-02
MoMA’s New Expansion Plan: Another Reality Check for Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Once again, with the recent revisions to the Museum of Modern Art’s expansion plans, Diller Scofidio + Renfro‘s transgressively creative but farfetched architectural follies have been (mercifully) abandoned. All I can say is: I told you so. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-02-02
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Jean-Louis Martinoty, 70, Author And Opera Director
While the works he staged ranged from Britten to Debussy to Wagner and Gounod (an infamous Faust), his most-admired productions were in the repertoire closest to his heart, that of the 17th and 18th centuries. His most celebrated stagings included a landmark Rameau Boréades at the Aix Festival and a much-traveled Marriage of Figaro. He also had a difficult tenure as general manager of the Paris Opera, presiding over the troubled opening of the new theatre at the Bastille. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Aurèle Nicolet, One Of 20th Century’s Great Flute Players, Dead At 90
“A player of exceptional versatility with a distinctively rich sound, he was as renowned for exploring and championing new repertoire for his instrument as he was for his polished performances of the great works by the likes of Bach and Mozart.”
Inside Russia’s Version Of ‘Mad Men’
“Ottepel (The Thaw) is one of the more fascinating descendants of Weiner’s show. To watch it is to step into a parallel universe where a lot of Mad Men‘s themes reappear in a different cultural context, with different characters and stakes.”
Life Lessons From Goethe (Yes, Really)
“For the modernists, being spiritually sick was a condition of intellectual respectability, and T. S. Eliot wrote that ‘there is something artificial and even priggish about Goethe’s healthiness.’ … The key to Goethe is that the spiritual ‘healthiness’ so disliked by Eliot was not that of a man with a perfect constitution but that of a recovered invalid.”
What Are The Limits Of Hospitality? France, Iran, And The Affair Of The Lunch Wine
“The news that the French President, François Hollande, cancelled a lunch Thursday in Paris with the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani … because the Iranians insisted that no wine be served at lunch, is generally being treated in the spirit of what I used to call the Sacre Bleu! Division of the Oh-Là-Là! School of Foreign Reporting from France.” Yet, writes Adam Gopnik, “the dispute touches on a real issue, worth pursuing: what is owed to guests who see the world differently?”