“A distinguished Wagnerian and Strauss specialist, his more than four-decade international career saw him perform on the world’s greatest stages, but it was the Bayreuth Festival that he made his artistic home.” — Limelight (Australia)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Music Makes Art Magic: Atelier des Lumières
Instead of relaxing into the New Year and creating the annual column about the favorite things of the last 12 months, we went to Paris. Yes, we saw a lot of art in a week. It was all glorious. But then we had this experience. — Margy Waller
Monday Recommendation: Thelonious Monk’s Works In Full
Kimbrough, Robinson, Reid, Drummond: Monk’s Dreams
— Doug Ramsey
A Year After The Emmett Till-Whitney Biennial Furor, Dana Schutz Is Back At Work
“Now, Ms. Schutz admits that she is ‘guarded’ about the controversy …, saying only that [painting Open Casket] was an attempt to ‘register this monstrous act and this tragic loss.’ But she acknowledged that may have been an ‘impossible’ task.” Even so, she doesn’t regret having painted the piece or the subsequent conflict: “It’s good those voices were heard.'” — The New York Times
Was Modernist English Literature Deliberately Written To Keep The Riff-Raff Away?
Yes, argues scholar Jonathan Rose. “The intelligentsia was driven to create literary modernism by a profound loathing of ordinary common readers. The intellectuals feared the masses not because they were illiterate but because, by the early twentieth century, they were becoming more literate, thanks to public education, adult education, scholarships, and cheap editions of the great books.” — JSTOR Daily
This TV Movie About Brexit Has Been Just About As Contentious As Brexit Itself
“If James Graham has learned one thing from writing his latest political drama, it is this: ‘Brexit sends reasonable people mad,’ he said. ‘You are stepping into an arena where normal rules don’t apply.'” — The New York Times
Oscars Will Go On Without A Host This Year: Report
“As it stands, no new offers are out, nor are any expected to be made to a single potential host to fill the void left by [the] Kevin Hart [debacle]. … [Instead,] producers will select a crop of A-listers to introduce various segments instead of relying on one marquee name to kick things off in a monologue filled with Trump zingers, said the insiders.” — Variety
Edo De Waart Named San Diego Symphony’s First-Ever Principal Guest Conductor
The Dutch conductor, who is currently music director of the New Zealand Symphony and has held the same post with the symphony orchestras of Antwerp, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Netherlands Radio, will conduct three to four weekly programs each season, beginning in 2019-2020. — Times of San Diego
That 17th-Century Viol That Alitalia Smashed Up Last Year Is Restored And Back In Action
The destruction wrought on Myrna Herzog’s 1661 Edward Lewis bass viola da gamba by the Italian airline during Herzog’s trip from Rio de Janeiro to Tel Aviv last January made headlines internationally. Fortunately, Alitalia readily agreed to pay for restoration, and after a year’s worth of work by luthier Shlomo Moyal, the instrument is repaired and ready for performance. — Classic FM (UK)
Arms Manufacturer Shamed Out Of Sponsoring Museum Shows Changes Its Name To Leonardo
Jeez, talk about artwashing. A string of PR disasters, including demonstrations against Britain’s National Gallery of Art for accepting sponsorships, led the Italian defense company Finmeccanica to rename itself after the Renaissance genius (who did, after all, design weapons and war machines). But the tactic hasn’t entirely worked: just last summer, the Design Museum in London came under fire (ahem) for hosting a reception for the company, despite the new name. — Artnet