Matthew Westphal – Page 1795 – ArtsJournal Wayback

In Contract Battle, Orchestra Moves To Replace Up To Two-Thirds Of Its Players

“The KBS Symphony Orchestra moved to potentially replace 67 positions in its 100-strong orchestra on Monday, upping the ante against players in an intensifying labor dispute.” KBS, the state broadcaster of South Korea, spun off its orchestra in September 2012; many musicians, fearing for their job security, want to remain KBS employees and have been unwilling to sign contracts with the new management.

The Best Night To See A Play Is The First Night Of Previews, Says NY Times Critic

Laura Collins-Hughes: “The energy in the room is high, and whatever surprises the performance holds won’t yet have been spoiled by reviews written by people like me. … [And] whatever ails a show, there is still – theoretically, anyway – time to fix it. To me, that feels hopeful. And dynamic.”

Richard III Finally Gets His State Funeral

“For an English monarchy that has lasted more than 1,000 years, there can have been few more improbable occasions than the ceremony of remembrance here on Thursday for the reburial of one of the most bloodstained medieval sovereigns.”

The Royal Poet Laureate’s Eulogy For Richard III

Here’s the text of Carol Ann Duffy’s encomium, which was recited at the funeral by Benedict Cumberbatch.

‘Man-Seders’ – Matzoh With Steak And Scotch

“Unlike staid practice sessions of old, these promise flowing alcohol, macho food and male bonding along with some religious instruction, although that last one can get a bit lost at some of the events. … The goal is simple: to teach men about the Passover Seder, including how to run one, and engage them more in the Jewish faith.”

How Irish Step Dancing Left Irish Ethnicity Behind

“When it was whites who made up the majority of U.S. immigrants, it really mattered if you were Irish, Italian, or some other white ethnicity. … Once the distinctions no longer mattered and the stigma of being Irish had faded, then Irish dance could be something anyone did and others would want to do. And, so, now anyone does. The three-time winner of the All-Ireland Dancing Championship in Dublin is a biracial, black, Jewish kid from Ohio.”

Why New TV Comedies Are Choosing Plot Over Jokes

Basically, because they can. Jason Zinoman explains how the huge changes over the past decade in the way television series are distributed and consumed have allowed the creators of comedies to break with what was always a fairly strict template.

Apple Moves To Compete Directly With Spotify

“Almost a year after agreeing to pay $3 billion for Beats, the maker of hip headphones and a streaming music service, Apple is working with Beats engineers and executives to introduce its own subscription streaming service. The company is also planning an enhanced iTunes Radio that may be tailored to listeners in regional markets.”

When Memory Stops Functioning, Where Does A Person’s Identity Reside?

“Dementia undermines all of our philosophical assumptions about the coherence of the self. … Everyone touched by the disease goes through a crash-course in the philosophy of mind. … If someone cannot remember not just where the milk bottle goes, but what a milk bottle is for, then the shared pre-suppositions on which communication, meaning and identity depend become badly strained.”

Author: Matthew Westphal