“Ms. Brown, 76, had a series of mini-strokes in the past several years, although she was choreographing as recently as the fall of 2011 and was active at the company until last summer … But she has had increased difficulty communicating recently and is relinquishing the title of artistic director of the company that bears her name.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Isn’t Britten In The Pantheon Of The Greatest Composers?
“His unfailingly accessible, straightforwardly beautiful music, like that of Aaron Copland, his opposite number in America, is widely – if by no means universally – thought [by critics] to be too ‘easy’ to be great. But there’s more to it than that. Throughout his life and to this day, Britten’s reputation has risen and fallen for reasons that have at least as much to do with his complex personality.”
Jean-Léon Destiné, 94, Father Of Haitian Professional Dance
“A Haitian dancer and choreographer who brought his country’s traditional music and dance to concert stages around the world, … [he] first came to international attention in the 1940s and remained prominent for decades afterward.”
Alan Cumming’s Solo Macbeth Headed To Broadway
The actor’s one-man version of Shakespeare’s Scottish play, set in a modern psychiatric ward, originated at the National Theatre of Scotland and had a brief run at last summer’s Lincoln Center Festival. It opens on Broadway in April, in time for Tony consideration.
Barnes Foundation To Present First Special Exhibition In Its History
“Under its ancien régime, the foundation didn’t offer special shows. It didn’t have room at its Merion gallery, but more to the point, such activities were anathema to founder Albert Barnes and his acolytes.”
Languishing World Trade Center Arts Hub Gets Boost
“The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. approved $1 million to hire staff or consultants to conduct research to determine the cost of building the center, said Maggie Boepple, director of the center. The approval means that construction could begin in 2017, with a projected opening in 2019.”
Bolshoi Ballet Cancels Rite Of Spring Centennial Double-Bill
“The Bolshoi Ballet is canceling its new performance of The Rite of Spring after the violent attack of artistic director Sergei Filin. The production, choreographed by Wayne McGregor, was meant to celebrate” – alongside a reconstruction of the original choreography – “the 100th anniversary of Vaslav Nijinsky’s 1913 work, but has now been postponed until Filin returns to the company.”
Bernardo Bertolucci Returns To Filmmaking After Becoming Disabled
“There had been rumours he would never direct again, partly on account of back problems stemming from a fall in Rome, followed by failed surgery. Only when he came to terms with his condition” – confinement to a wheelchair – “was he able to consider taking on another project.”
North American Museum Body Tightens Rules On Acquiring Antiquities
The Association of Art Museum Directors, “which has 217 member museums in North America, announced a few more subtle tweaks to [its] guidelines, including requiring a public explanation on the AAMD’s website if a museum decides to acquire a piece despite gaps in its ownership record going back to the fall of 1970.”
Bloomberg: The Musical!? (Just Speculating Here …)
“While Fiorello! is the most successful Broadway musical about a New York mayor, it’s not the only one. Jimmy, about La Guardia’s predecessor Jimmy Walker, had a short run in 1969, as did Mayor, about Edward I. Koch (sample song: ‘How’m I Doin’ ‘), in 1985. Could Mr. Bloomberg be next? We asked three musical-theater composers to imagine song-and-dance numbers from the life of our current three-termer.”