“Over the next few months, some of Britain’s most successful choreographers will be unveiling new work… All four have an interest in crossing styles: from ballet or Indian classical to modern dance. At the same time, they’ve looked for a public beyond the traditional dance audience. And they’re all in demand, worldwide.”
Author: sbergman
The Unlikely Rise Of A Tenor
How did an apprentice mechanic singing arias to his co-workers become one of the UK’s great operatic success stories? Alfie Boe is the name of the singer in question, and when he was “discovered” by a customer with connections to the music business, he made his way to London on only the barest promise that anything awaited him there.
Scottish Gallery Finally Acquires Long-Sought Trove
The National Galleries of Scotland have been given possession of more than 50 paintings by 19th century Scottish painter David Roberts, works which many had feared would never make it to Scotland despite a collector’s bequest. “The six oil paintings and 51 watercolours and drawings [are] worth more than £500,000.”
Should We Really Be Celebrating Chinese Art?
Jonathan Jones says that the clamor for Chinese art in the West should be tempered by a serious consideration of the Chinese government’s abysmal record on human rights. “Isn’t it a bit rich that a regime once more revealed, by the outrages in Tibet, as what it has never actually denied being – an authoritarian mono-cultural state – is being so assiduously courted by so many museums and galleries?”
The Danish Model
There may not be a country better at promoting and bolstering the arts than Denmark. “Even in this age of cutbacks (and its conservative-liberal government has made those of late), Denmark makes a point of taking art more seriously than most.” And the enthusiasm for culture starts at the top: the country’s queen is famously supportive of homegrown art.
It’s 3-D! And This Time, We Promise It Won’t Suck!
If you’ve been hearing a lot about the new wave of 3-D movies and wondering why Hollywood would try to resurrect a half-baked technology that no one liked in the first place, you’re not alone. But “3D is finally poised to come of age, backed by the rapid deployment of digital projection infrastructure and a roster of evangelists who swear blind it will transform the way we watch films once and for all.”
Legend Of Arabic Writing Earns Some Western Respect
“At 73, the novelist Bahaa Taher has weathered political purges and a lengthy exile from his native Egypt to carry off the [first ever] Booker prize for Arabic fiction… One of the most respected living writers in the Arab world, he has written six novels (three translated into English), four short-story collections, plays and non-fiction.”
Just-Resigned Boston Ballet Chief Jumping To Australia
“A former dancer who trained with London’s Royal Ballet was announced yesterday as the new executive director of the Australian Ballet. Californian-born Valerie Wilder, who has been the executive director of the Boston Ballet in the US since 2002, was tempted away from a return to Toronto, where she spent almost 20 years with the National Ballet of Canada, to take up the Australian Ballet job.”
If They Play Any Liszt, There Could Be Casualties
“Concert pianists, used to being the centre of attention, are not known for their modest egos. So it is a challenge, if not a risk, to put eight of the best from Melbourne and Sydney on stage with eight Steinway grand pianos and ask them to play like an orchestra.” Yet this is exactly what a concert promoter in Australia is doing.
County Gov’t Considering $27m Gift For New World Sym
“Miami-Dade County could give nonprofit New World Symphony $27 million to help fund an expansion of its campus… The money would come from conventional development tax funds.” The orchestral training academy is hoping to score a total of $45m in government grants for its $200m expansion project.