“The [Sept. 6] reading session in Verizon Hall isn’t open to the public. But by inviting select decision-makers such as conductors and artistic administrators from other orchestras, the organizers aim to encourage further exposure and opportunities for these composers.” What’s more they’ll each get to keep a recording of the reading, and a sample recording played by the Philadelphia Orchestra will make quite a calling card.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Being An Artist In Berlin Is A Bigger Struggle Than You Think: Survey
“Artists in Berlin, the most important contemporary art production centre worldwide after New York, are facing poverty, tiny pensions and a gender pay gap of 28%, a survey of 1,745 artists has shown.”
Banksy Disavows First Show Of His Work In Russia; Organizer Says That Means Show’s A Success
Told of the show via his Instagram page, Banksy replied, “You know it’s got nothing to do with me, right? I don’t charge people to see my art unless there’s a fairground wheel.” On the other hand, he allowed, “[I’m] not sure I’m the best person to complain about people putting up pictures without getting permission.”
Cultural Center In Gaza Destroyed By Israeli Airstrikes
In response to a barrage of 180 rockets, one of which landed near the city of Beersheba, from inside the Gaza Strip, Israel bombed 150 targets in Gaza. One of them was the Said al-Mishal Cultural Center in Gaza City, which contained a theater, a library, and offices for arts groups. The Israeli Defense Force said that the building was used by Hamas for military purposes, which users of the building deny.
Bayreuth Has Outlived Its Usefulness
Volker Hagedorn: “You might think you’re just there for the music, but the fact is that you are still participating in an entirely invented, cultish religion. … For me, Bayreuth nowadays is more of a curiosity than anything else. A gigantic hamster wheel, with directors racing each other to prove their relevance; an exhausted Dracula, sucking the lifeblood from artists from outside the music scene; a museum of local history, starring an international elite of singers, who appear to be of the opinion that no one needs to understand the words.”
‘Vanessa’ and ‘The Cradle Will Rock’: middle-aged operas speak to current ills
This summer’s Glyndebourne production of Samuel Barber’s reveals that this 1958 opera piece wasn’t a Romantic throwback – it was ahead of its time. A recent recording of Marc Blitzstein’s 1937 agitprop shows how clearly it speaks to The Age of The 1%.
Back to school – a cultural planning syllabus
So after a stretch in university administration, I am back full-time in the classroom this fall. One of my classes is in Cultural Planning and Community Development – i.e. “place-based” cultural policy. So, this is what I’ve put together.
Correspondence: About Jimmy Rowles
Vibraphonist, pianist and bandleader Charlie Shoemake wrote the other day to relate an experience involving pianist Jimmy Rowles (1918-1996).
From Meme To Movies To Attempted Murder: A Brief History Of Slender Man
“Slender Man is scary not because of what you know about him but because of what you don’t know. … The character is a blank canvas for our fears but also for online storytelling. Now the namesake of a new horror film, Slender Man started to take shape in an online forum nearly a decade ago, at a time when daily life was shifting to social media and the border between the online world and the real one was starting to blur. Here’s a look at Slender Man’s evolution.”
People Are Still Playing Those Pixelated Old ’80s Video Games
“Older games feature pixel-based graphics that can look fuzzy on modern televisions and can be frustrating to play for even experienced gamers. Yet in 2016, Nintendo released a NES Classic Edition console and sold out all 2.3 million of them in just three months. The company made more and began selling them in June 2018.” A pair of media psychologists explain why Gen-Xers in particular remain so fond of dear old Mario and Sonic.