On doctors’ orders, the 76-year-old chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, formerly music director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony, has withdrawn from concerts with the BRSO in Munich as well as appearances at (among others) the Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Riga Jurmala Festivals and the BBC Proms. – OperaWire
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Hottest Attraction At England’s Biggest Rock Festival Is Not A Band
It’s a 140-ton, 100-foot crane that used to lift freight at the docks in Bristol. Now — decked out with multiple speakers that shoot flames into the air, all powered by a generator that runs on recycled frying oil — it’s the center of the nighttime dance floor at the Glastonbury Festival. – The Guardian
The Grace of Uzbek Dance
What struck me watching Zamira Aminova in Bukhara was that, although her movements were not as complex as others I’ve seen, she never stopped seeming to float like a leaf on the wind. That takes strength. – Michal Shapiro
What Happened to Nelson Algren?
The New York Times Book Review has finally covered Never a Lovely So Real, Colin Asher’s Algren biography, and Susan Jacoby’s honest, well-reported review sets a judicious standard. – Jan Herman
Greta Matassa In L.A.
Following the recent Rifftides review of her new album, we thought you’d enjoy Ms. Matassa and friends in a Gershwin medley. – Doug Ramsey
This Museum Wants To Repatriate Its Benin Bronze. That’s More Complicated Than They’d Expected
A Q&A with two curators at the museum at the Rhode Island School of Design about the issues of provenance, law, and diplomacy around the future return of the museum’s 18th-century sculpture of the head of a traditional Edo king. – Hyperallergic
Webster Vs. Worcester: America’s Dictionary Wars
As the desire for an authoritative dictionary of American English developed in the first half of the 19th century, there was a serious battle between the partisans of Noah Webster — who was passionate and devoted, yes, but whose definitions could be, well, idiosyncratic, and whose ideas about spelling reform were mocked — and the more scholarly Joseph Emerson Worcester. Who won? Not Webster, though it may look otherwise. – Aeon
Breakdancing Is About To Become An Olympic Sport
“Breakdancing moved a step closer to the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, and now organizers can look to book a street venue in Paris. Called breaking in Olympic circles, its medal debut was last October at the Buenos Aires Youth Summer Games. The street dance competitions will have 16 athletes in each of the men’s and women’s medal events in Paris.” – Yahoo! (AP)
Beta Blockers (And How I Became Utterly Hooked On Them)
Shannon Paulus discovered them in college and found them a sort of miracle cure for pre-performance anxiety, just as so many performers have. Then she learned the hard way about the dangers of dependence on them. She recounts how she got herself hooked and unhooked — and looks into a company that’s making it way too easy to get a prescription for them online. – Slate
Marvel Comics Moves Into Theatre With Series Of Plays For High Schools
“As if dominating movie theaters weren’t enough, Marvel is about to move into high school theater as well. The publisher has announced a partnership with theatrical publisher Samuel French to offer three one-act plays featuring Marvel characters created specifically for the high school market under the umbrella banner Marvel Spotlight.” – The Hollywood Reporter