Last month the Sydney Dance Company’s incoming artistic director let nearly half of the current dancers go. Now he has revealed his new dancers and his plans for the upcoming year. “I will create a group of dancers who will be unique. A group who will inspire choreographers and make them want to create work for us.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Abbado Re-Ups With Lucerne Festival
“Claudio Abbado’s term at the helm of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra has been extended for another four years, the Italian conductor said Thursday. Abbado, who has suffered from medical problems, will stay on as musical director of the Swiss festival’s orchestra until the end of 2014, artistic director Michael Haefliger added.”
Bass-Baritone Richard Van Allan, 73
“Richard Van Allan, who has died aged 73, was a stalwart of British opera from his debut in the Glyndebourne chorus in 1964 until his last appearance at the Edinburgh Festival two years ago.”
A First Glimpse Of Houston Ballet’s New HQ (Or Not)
A pair of architectural renderings of the new $53m headquarters proposed for Houston Ballet has turned up on the Web. But the two drawings don’t look quite like the same building. Meanwhile, the company, when asked about the discrepancy, gave a terse statement hinting that there might not be any new building at all.
Cleveland Critic Sues Newspaper, Orchestra
A firestorm broke out this fall when the Cleveland Plain Dealer removed its classical critic, Donald Rosenberg, from covering the Cleveland Orchestra because of a perceived bias against the work of the orchestra’s music director. Now Rosenberg (who is still employed at the paper) is suing the Plain Dealer for age discrimination and the orchestra for defamation.
Could You Live Forever In A Database? (No, Seriously)
“[S]ome respected futurists believe that humanity is at the cusp of a great technological leap. Given our progress in computation and the study of the brain, they think that a kind of digital immortality may be possible sometime this century. Upload your mind into computer memory and you could theoretically live forever.”
Are Local Papers Superfluous? Well, Yeah, In Some Ways
John Gapper: “[R]eporting is expensive… Papers have done this basic work for cities and states for so long that we take it for granted. Other aspects of US journalism will not, however, be missed. Some things, such as sports scores and weather forecasts, can be collated in a more timely and user-friendly way online. In addition, there is a swath of national and foreign coverage that is no longer needed.”
An Actor’s Nightmare: The Prop Knife Turns Out To Be Real
“An actor slit his throat on stage [in Vienna] when the prop knife for his suicide scene turned out to be a real one. Daniel Hoevels, 30, slumped over with blood pouring from his neck while the audience broke into applause at the ‘special effect’… It was only when he did not get up to take a bow that anyone realised something had gone wrong.”
Milk Dominates NY Film Critics Circle Awards
The film bio of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk took the prizes for Best Picture, Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin). Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, the only other multiple prizewinner, took honors for Best Director and Best Actress (Sally Hawkins).
Animator Oliver Postgate, 83
“Oliver Postgate, creator of cuddly stuffed cat Bagpuss and other much-loved British children’s television characters, has died at the age of 83, his family said Tuesday.”