“A breezy, sunny week in Buenos Aires ushered in the inaugural initiative for Art Basel Cities, one of the latest endeavors from the eponymous art fair powerhouse. … Working essentially as long-term consultants for Buenos Aires, Art Basel hopes to strengthen the local cultural scene and create more global awareness of the city’s cultural offerings.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Terrence Malick Has Released A New Version Of ‘The Tree Of Life’ – And He May Never Be Entirely Finished With It
“The new [Criterion] release features two versions of the picture — the 139-minute, Oscar-nominated 2011 theatrical cut and a new, 188-minute extended edition. This longer edit, however, is not a ‘director’s cut,’ although Malick himself prepared it.” Bilge Ebiri explains what all this means.
Reach and Frequency
I always proceed with fear and trembling when I venture into the topic of marketing. As I have said in the past, I am not a marketer. Nevertheless, there continue to be numerous valuable lessons …
THE FUTURE OF ORCHESTRAS — Part Six: What’s an Orchestra For?
Back in the 1990s, Harvey Lichtenstein – who recreated the Brooklyn Academy of Music – invited me to lunch and asked me if I wanted to run an orchestra.
Holistic Hollein: A Halting Conversation with the Metropolitan Museum’s New Director
Max Hollein, the Met’s new director, who spoke confidently and compellingly during our informal NYC lunches while he was directing three Frankfurt museums, twice surprised me in the space of one week with his uneasy, hesitant delivery during introductory remarks …
A culture that supports creativity
Conservatory education has been changing. Not everywhere, but in many places. New ideas, new thoughts about what education for classical musicians should be. What you’re going to read here comes from Brian Pertl, the extraordinary dean of the Lawrence Conservatory, at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.
Aphorisms: What Are They, Really?
“The modern aphorism may be modelled on the classical, but it adds to the form a degree of self-consciousness about its own power, motion, drive. Above all, the aphorism is a sharp or pointed thing, violently deployed — though this action can never be definitive, but must be repeated time and again.”
Why Audiences Still Love Les Ballets Trockadero After 40 Years
“The troupe grew out of the gay liberation movement in America in the 1970s; gender-bending satirical treatments of theatre, opera and dance aimed to increase the visibility of gay performers and to celebrate the extravagant traditions of those artforms. The Trocks, as they are now affectionately known, are the only company from that time still thriving.” Why? Respect for the form and very skilled dancing (plus the fact that ballet is fun to make fun of).
John Steinbeck’s Second Wife Says He Was ‘Sadistic’ In Newly Published Memoir
“My Life With John Steinbeck recalls a troubled marriage that spanned 1943 to 1948, a period in which he would write classics including Cannery Row and The Pearl. During their marriage, Conger Steinbeck described a husband who was emotionally distant and demanding. ‘Like so many writers, he had several lives, and in each he was spoilt, and in each he felt he was king,’ she wrote. ‘From the time John awoke to the time he went to bed, I had to be his slave.'”
‘Existential Sitcoms’ – TV Series Take On The Meaning Of Life
“Comedies that tackle heavy, philosophical matters … have become more common in the past few years. These are funny shows, or at the very least dramedies, that explicitly and consistently explore ethics, spirituality, or what purpose human beings are meant to serve on Earth. Typically, they deal with those earthly issues while placing their characters in heightened, even fantastical situations. The Good Place, which will enter its third season this month, is the gold standard for this type of series. But it is not the only example.”