Orchestra Victoria, which plays in the pit for all of the Australian Ballet’s and Opera Australia’s Melbourne performances and performs concerts in the state of Victoria’s regions as well as the capital, “has been beset with official indecision, management instability and financial strife.” One unnamed figure calls the band a “complete and total basketcase”.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Richard Briers, 79, Beloved British Stage And TV Actor
“Although he excelled in the plays of Alan Ayckbourn, and became a national figure in his television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s, notably The Good Life, he could mine hidden depths on stage, giving notable performances in Ibsen, Chekhov and, for Kenneth Branagh’s Renaissance company, Shakespeare.”
Mali’s Last Master Calligrapher Helps Preserve Ancient Manuscripts
“Boubacar Sadek is believed to be the last remaining master calligrapher in Mali. He fled Timbuktu with rare documents. He now makes a living in the capital Bamako, copying old manuscripts for posterity, as well as selling hand-made replicas to tourists.”
Young Russian Poets Compete American Idol-Style
Babushka Pushkina (Pushkin’s Grandma) is “a contest of poets ages 18 to 25 and is organized like a real television competition. The contest consists of several rounds. In each round, poets write a verse on a given topic. After each round, three contestants are asked to leave.”
British Theatre’s Great Changing Of The Guard
“You wait ages for a top job in British theatre – and then 11 come along at once.” Meet the dynamic new directors who’ve filled them.
Northern Australia’s Top Museum In Dire Straits
“It is the key cultural institution of north Australia, the landmark at Darwin’s heart, greatly loved, much visited – yet the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is in deep crisis, underfunded, bleeding staff positions, unable to run an exhibition program worthy of the name.”
Reviving A Ballet Only Fonteyn And Nureyev Could Dance
Marguerite and Armand “was created by Sir Frederick Ashton exactly 50 years ago for the legendary Margot and Rudolf and it was believed that it would die with them – that nobody else could ever tread onto their hothouse emotional turf with sufficient magnetism and mystique.” Yet since the turn of the new century, companies have occasionally given the piece a try? Is it good enough to survive without its legendary leads?
Online Video Games For Geezers: No Kids Allowed!
“Communities of graying gamers have sprouted up world-wide as generations reared on Pong and Pac-Man have become addicted to the latest iterations of Halo and Call of Duty, but are no longer as fast with their trigger fingers. So they are extending their playing days in virtual versions of the senior leagues.”
Learn To Enjoy Birtwistle In Ten Easy Lessons! Musical Beauty May Not Be Innate To The Physics Of Sound
“[P]revious theories about how we appreciate music were based on the physical properties of sound, the ear itself and an innate ability to hear harmony. … [But our] love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on any innate natural ability, according to a new study [from Melbourne researchers].”
Pope Benedict XVI’s Artistic Legacy
“While controversially conservative … the German-born religious leader did have an open mind at least in encouraging a renewed relationship between the Catholic Church and art, viewing the use of beauty as a path to the sacred.” He opened more of the Vatican’s enormous collection to the public and actively engaged artists in creating work for use in the liturgy or devotion.