As part of the grand opening of its big new store in central London, Samsung put up a three-story, 30-foot stage and presented a rock concert on it. Why? “Research … found 94% of smartphone users are now engaging with their devices vertically, and 79% find vertical videos the most interesting.” – Fast Company
Author: Matthew Westphal
Vox Media Buys New York Magazine
“On Tuesday, Vox Media agreed to acquire New York Media, the company behind the biweekly print magazine and five popular online offshoots, in an all-stock transaction. … While consolidations in the media industry typically mean cutting costs at the expense of quality journalism, Vox and New York said their combination was something different.” Said New York Media’s CEO, “It’s not out of need. It’s out of ambition.” – The New York Times
Icon In Little Old Lady’s Kitchen Turns Out To Be Medieval Painting Worth Millions
A nonagenarian in the French town of Compiègne had had the painting hanging on the wall above her hot plate for decades, thinking it was a common Greek icon. The 8-by-10-inch image turns out to be Christ Mocked, part of a multi-panel work from about 1280 by the Italian painter Cimabue, and it’s expected to sell for more than €6 million at auction next month. – CNN
1,800-Year-Old Bust From Palmyra Digitally Reconstituted Based On Pigment Traces
Researchers in Copenhagen have scanned and examined an unusually well-preserved half-length tomb sculpture, discovered in 1928 and dubbed The Beauty of Palmyra, and analyzed the surviving fragments of pigment — red and yellow ochre, Egyptian blue, madder lake — to create a full digital reconstruction. – The Art Newspaper
Another Handsy Tenor: London’s Royal Opera Suspends Tenor Vittorio Grigolo
The move comes as the company investigates an allegation “that the 42-year-old tenor allegedly groped a female chorus singer during a curtain call — in front of fellow performers and the audience — at the end of a performance of Gounod’s Faust in Tokyo last Wednesday.” – BBC
At Last Minute, Met Opera Cuts Plácido Domingo Loose
One day before he was due to take the stage in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth, both the tenor-turned-baritone and the opera house announced his withdrawal from the production. (Domingo said he would not return to the Met.) The move comes after an apparent rebellion at the company, where many objected to continuing to work with the singer as accusations of sexual misconduct keep mounting. – The New York Times
Theatre Ticket Prices Just Go Higher And Higher. Time Was, Folks Rioted Over That.
Back in 1809, the newly renovated Theatre at Covent Garden in London raised the cost of the cheapest tickets by half a shilling, and people fought in the streets over this for three months. (Twenty people died.) In 2019, prices have, in some cases, more than doubled in the past ten years as most people’s pay has remained stagnant — and folks do little more than grouse or stop going. Alice Saville argues that high prices warp audience expectations and, ultimately, the art itself. – Exeunt Magazine
Jazz Pianist Harold Mabern Dead At 83
“A pianist of percussive fire and boundless soul, with a language that pulled from hard bop, post-bop, Memphis soul and the blues, … Mabern had a strong yet supple attack at the piano, with a penchant for block chords that combined McCoy Tyner’s modal coloration with the ringing affirmations of the gospel church.” – WBGO (Newark, NJ)
How A Once-Dirt-Poor Italian Town Of 60,000 Became An EU Capital Of Culture
“Every European Capital of Culture offers a unique selling point – it goes with the territory for those attempting to brave the European Commission’s exacting selection process. For sheer boldness of vision, Matera 2019 seriously breaks the mould.” – The Stage
How To Stage A Dance Piece Overseas When The Choreographer Won’t Fly
Jérôme Bel has decided to do his part to reduce greenhouse gases by ending his travel by air. Catherine Gallant is dancing his new solo work, Isadora, in New York. Reporter Roslyn Sulcas visits Bel in his Paris kitchen to see how he choreographs on Gallant via Skype. – The New York Times