Author: Matthew Westphal

Communism In Poland Never Fell — In Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland’s New Netflix Series

In the alternate reality Poland of Holland’s 1983, “a wave of bombings in the year of the title has consolidated the grip of the communist regime even as the iron curtain fell around it – so the country enters the 21st century in authoritarian isolation.” Says Holland, “Maybe these people are happy? Maybe freedom is overrated? These questions are important for all of us. Maybe people who are feeling lost want someone to come along and tell them what to do.” — The Guardian

For Solzhenitsyn’s Centenary, Bolshoi Presents New Opera Of One Of His Novels, Conducted By His Son

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, adapted by composer Alexander Tchaikovsky (no relation) and led from the podium by Ignat Solzhenitsyn (principal guest conductor of the Moscow Symphony and conductor laureate of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia), “[is] staged in the round in the Bolshoi’s chamber theatre [and] sees prison guards patrol balconies behind barbed wire and searchlights roam the orchestra pit.” — Yahoo! (AFP)

The Man Who Invented The World Wide Web Has A List Of Principles For Saving It

Tim Berners-Lee: “The World Wide Web Foundation, an organization I founded in 2009 to protect the web as a public good, has drawn up a set of core principles outlining the responsibilities that each party has to protect a web that serves all of humanity. We’re asking everyone to sign on to these principles and join us as we create a formal Contract for the Web in 2019.” — New York Times

World’s Richest Chamber Music Prize Discontinued After Only Three Years

“The M-Prize, a chamber music competition with $100,000 grand prize [and $200,000 in total awards], based at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) in Ann Arbor, will not be returning for a fourth edition in 2019. … It was launched by Sphinx Organisation founder Aaron Dworkin, who had then [in 2015] just been appointed dean of the SMTD. His tenure was shortlived, however, and it is speculated that the M-Prize was always unlikely to survive without his patronage and fundraising network.” — The Strad

After Homophobia Controversy, Kevin Hart Steps Down As Oscars Host

“Wednesday afternoon, comedian Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the upcoming 91st annual Academy Awards. By Thursday night, he had stepped down. The turn of events followed outcry over previous anti-gay tweets, and comments Hart made during stand-up routines nearly 10 years ago. Some of the tweets were feverishly deleted throughout the day on Thursday, leading to an Instragram video from the comedian that only made matters worse for him.” — Variety

Art Handlers At MoMA Satellite PS1 Demand Same Pay As Those At Manhattan Mothership

“When both PS1 and the MoMA [headquarters] staged parts of a Bruce Nauman show, for example, the handlers in Manhattan, full-time members of the museum staff with benefits, were paid as much as $47 an hour. The top rate in Queens was $30 an hour. … The disparity led the art handlers in Queens, who do not receive health insurance or other benefits, to begin demonstrating outside the museum last month.” — New York Times