Katherine Russell Rich, author of Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language: “After six months of living in India, I had gone from hard-charging New Yorker to a woman who preferred to keep her head covered.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Picking Up Another Language Can Even Change Your Face
“Each language has one central vowel … in French, it’s uuu; in English, it’s the schwa sound. ‘It’s that central place that shapes your face at rest,’ [linguist Alton Becker] said. So language can subtly alter the positioning of the muscles in your face, at least for a time.”
Doctor Atomic Symphony CD Delayed By Bad Spelling
Composer John Adams’s latest recording was all set for release when somebody realized that there was a typo in conductor David Robertson’s name on the cover. So new covers have to be put on every copy of the CD, and the Nonesuch label is putting back the shipment date to July 28.
Troubled Tenor Rolando Villazón Comes Through Throat Surgery
“In a note on his website, the 37-year-old singer said: ‘I am very happy to tell you that my [vocal cord] surgery went very well, and that everything looks even better than we could have hoped. I have begun the re-training process, and am in very good spirits.'”
Having a ‘Graffiti Moment’ In Late-’70s New York
“The train barreled into the station with the usual deafening roar; it was a big, ugly, gun-metal gray tube, but suddenly one of the cars jumped out at me. It was spray-painted in bright fluorescent colors with blocky letters, and to the side were images of cartoon characters. I stood gaping in awe. To that point, I had only experienced graffiti solely as vandalism, the messy scribbles that made the interiors of subway cars that much more drab. This was totally different; it was public art as mass transit.”
Strike At Bayreuth Averted (Or At Least Postponed)
“Bavaria’s annual celebration of Richard Wagner has likely avoided what would have been its first-ever strike. The tension has now been diffused – and the new directors spared major embarrassment. Marathon pay talks between the union and the festival management collapsed early Tuesday, but a new round of negotiations has now been scheduled for July 22.”
Ballet BC’s Former AD Wins Preliminary Court Claim
“A court has granted Ballet British Columbia’s former artistic director the right to add his cancelled contract to the company’s list of debts.” John Alleyne’s claim for nearly C$143,000 “was based on his employment contract, which required 12 months notice or payment in lieu of notice.”
BBC To Bring Sherlock Holmes Into The 21st Century
“A comic reworking of Sherlock Holmes, relocated to 21st century London, is one of the highlights of a package of drama greenlit by the BBC. Sherlock, which will air as three 90-minute episodes, is co-created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, Doctor Who‘s new showrunner.”
Music For Athletes, Lost Prokofiev Work, Has Premiere In Princeton
“When Soviet officials organized an athletics spectacle in 1939 to mobilize youth, complete with 30,000 ‘physical culturists,’ Sergei Prokofiev composed music for the event. But when the event’s choreographer, Vsevolod Meyerhold, vanished before the premiere, Music for Athletes went unheard. Tonight marks its first performance.”
NY City Ballet Attendance At Saratoga Up
“Attendance for the first week of New York City Ballet’s two-week season at Saratoga Perfoeming Arts Center was 7 percent higher than the same time last year, according to a statement this morning by SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia J. White.”