“In a year of symphony lock-outs and musician strikes in several major cities, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra will perform this season under a contract rejected by musicians who decided to keep playing anyway.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Renzo Piano’s Latest Trophy Building Opens In Oslo
“Last weekend Norway’s most-famous private museum, the Astrup Fearnley in Oslo, moved into a brand new building designed by Renzo Piano. The modern art museum is located in what promises to become the city’s hippest neighborhood, Tjuvholmen, a former shipyard and mechanical industry area.”
Picasso Wrote Plays, Too (As New Yorkers Will See)
“Thankfully for the world of painting, Picasso wasn’t much of a writer. But one of his few plays, a surrealist romp called Desire Caught by the Tail, written over a four-day period in occupied Paris in 1941, will soon get a rare showing” – in a two-night dramatic reading at the Guggenheim Museum.
Opera Australia’s Longtime CEO Steps Down
During his 16-year tenure, Adrian Collette “facilitated a merger with the troubled Victorian State Opera, [and saw] the company through the much decried departure of former music director Simone Young and, six years later, the sudden death of her successor, British conductor Richard Hickox.”
Philadelphia Inquirer Reassigns Theater Critic To Suburbs
“Late yesterday, longtime Philadelphia Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro found out that he’s been reassigned – to South Jersey. … A memo went out to Inquirer staff on Friday, stating: ‘… we need to dramatically bolster our coverage in the South Jersey and Pennsylvania suburbs’.”
Minnesota Orchestra Locks Out Players, Cancels Concerts
“For the first time in its 100-year history, the Minnesota Orchestra on Monday locked out musicians because of a contract dispute. At the same time, the first six weeks of the fall season, including the Oct. 18 season-opening concert, were canceled.”
Architecture’s Next Big Thing: Curving Glass
Lisa Rochon: “Billowing clouds of glass are the next holy grail in architecture. Keep your eyes lifted and alert: The race is on to achieve visually ephemeral buildings that look as if they might cleanse your mind while they float away.”
UK Prohibits Curved And Glass Walls In New School Construction
“The templates tell architects new schools should have ‘no curves or ‘faceted’ curves’, corners should be square, ceilings should be left bare and buildings should be clad in nothing more expensive than render or metal panels above head height. As much repetition as possible should be used to keep costs down.”
Russian Theater Cancels Jesus Christ Superstar Over Blasphemy Charge
“Saint Petersburg’s Rock Opera company was to perform the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical – a 1970s classic that has been regularly performed in Russia – at the Philharmonic in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on October 18. However prosecutors launched a probe after a group of local residents complained that the musical presented a distorted image of Jesus Christ.”
Giller Prize Shortlist Includes Thuy, Ferguson, Richler
“The finalists for the $50,000 prize, which celebrates the best Canadian work of fiction in English (or translated into English) of the past year,” include humorist Will Ferguson, memoirist Kim Thuy, novelists Alix Ohlin and Nancy Richler (second cousin to Mordecai), and journalist/short story author Russell Wangersky.