“She was also his kittykin, his poochums, his mousikins, goosikins, monkeykins, sparrowling, kidlet – since he was not keeping a list he feared he might be repeating himself (he was); he worried he would run out of critters (he did not) – his skunky, his bird of paradise, his mothling, kitty-cat, roosterkin, mousie, tigercubkin.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Roberto Minczuk’s Turbulent Tenure At Brazilian Symphony Orchestra Comes To A Sudden, Quiet End
The Rio-based orchestra gave its now-former chief conductor no formal sendoff: first his title was quietly changed to Conductor Emeritus on publicity materials, then (apparently in response to inquiries) an official statement noting that his contract had expired in August was given to the press. Minczuk’s decade with the organization saw a widely acknowledged improvement in musical standards – and conflicts over his leadership style that culminated in a player revolt in 2011 that cost him the title of artistic director. (Perhaps coincidentally, last month it was also announced that Minczuk is ending his ten-year tenure as music director of the Calgary Philharmonic this season.) (in Portuguese; click here for Google Translate version)
Impostors – Can Identity Be Chosen Or Must It Be Inborn?
“Caitlyn Jenner identifies as a woman, Rachel Dolezal as black. Why should one be legitimate and the other condemned?”
Germaine Greer: ‘Feminist Lioness’ Or ‘Loud Mouthed, Rude And Often Obnoxious’? (Yes.)
“For a long time, her audience has been prepared to forgive her inconsistencies because of the sense of adventure, courage and boldness she brings to the business of being a woman in public. Increasingly, as she has got older, it is what she does – putting herself out there – that is admirable, rather than what she says. It is hard not to have a sneaking admiration for someone who is prepared to expound her ideas with such verve. But some of the ideas themselves are quite disconcerting.”
Why Is Scaring People So Much Fun?
“It seems that every Halloween there are articles about why people willingly let themselves get scared by watching horror movies or going to haunted houses, but there is surprisingly little research about the people who are compelled to do the scaring.” Alana Massey considers the possibilities.
Buffalo Company Opera Sacra Shuts Down After 40 Years
“Opera Sacra, which focused on operas with religious themes, has presented many professional-quality productions over the past four decades.” Said director Father Jacob Ledwon, “I have decided that 40 seasons is a good run.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.02.15
From Vaudeville to the Streets
Eleven dancers take the stage at NYU Skirball Center in Donald Byrd’s The Minstrel Show Revisited. They’re strutting, prancing, raising white-gloved hands. How come I don’t recognize any faces? I can hardly tell which are women and which are men. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2015-11-02
More by Mustill: A Smokin’ Victorian and an ‘EVENT’
Finding lost and uncollected artworks by the late Norman O. Mustill has been a continuing project here. An old friend of his, Kurt Wold, recently … read more
AJBlog: Straight|Up Published 2015-11-02
Dreams so real
Paul Hindemith once called America “the land of limited impossibilities.” My own life has been a string of increasingly extreme improbabilities, and every once in a while something happens that cause me to stop dead in my tracks and reflect on just how improbable certain of them have been. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2015-11-02
A Day to Forget
I love Paris. I have visited this city more than thirty times over the last sixty years, and I will continue to love it even after today. I have a warning, however, that might alert … read more
AJBlog: OperaSleuth Published 2015-11-02
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Big Changes At Once-Floundering, Now Thriving Oregon Ballet Theatre
Over the next two years, the company will be moving to new studios, selling its old building to retire all of its $1.8 million debt, expansion into the suburbs, and a summer outdoor series dedicated entirely to women choreographers – and, of course, the ballet-and-beer initiative.
Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia In Barcelona Begins Final Phase Of Construction
Remaining work on the great basilica, for which Antoni Gaudí laid the first stone in 1882, includes the west sacristy, the six central spires, and the Tower of Jesus. When complete, Sagrada Familia will be the tallest house of worship in Europe. (photos)
How The New York Public Library Is Reinventing Itself
“These days, digitization of the NYPL collections falls under the aegis of NYPL Labs – which began as a catchall name for a range of digital experiments, then became an in-house, prototype-building research and development group, and now is a full-fledged department that’s broadly responsible for both the digital and experimental sides of the library and its branches.”