David Hockney wants his massive gift to London’s Tate Modern to serve as a model for other high-profile artists to start giving their work away to the institutions that helped them along early in their careers.
Author: sbergman
A Spurned Ballerina Returns To London
Viviana Durante was once the darling of London’s ballet scene, until an ugly backstage row led to her vanishing from the Royal Ballet. “Since leaving the Royal she has danced with American Ballet Theatre, in Dresden, in Italy and – most of the time – in Japan.” Now she’s back on a London stage for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Heston We’ve Forgotten
“Charlton Heston, who has died at the age of 83, became known for his reactionary views on gun ownership as much as his film roles. But it wasn’t always that way… There was once a younger Charlton Heston who threw his fame and good looks behind the civil rights movement, and other causes that required courage and conviction.”
August Wilson’s Clean Slate
More than any other playwright, August Wilson made it his life’s work to chronicle the black experience in America, and he did it from a completely fresh perspective. “Wilson was not much influenced or inhibited by the canon of western theatre, for the simple reason that he had not read or seen any of it.”
The Evolution Of Laurie Anderson (And Her Audience)
“With million-selling albums and countless tours under her belt, Laurie Anderson is often still regarded as the kooky, spiky-haired queen of 1980s pop experimentalism, guaranteed to provide a little social comment but never to spark actual outrage.” So even she was taken aback when her latest project sparked walkouts and catcalls in Boston.
A More Understated But No Less Successful Biennial
“After the success of the last Berlin Biennial – called Of Mice and Men, and with a curatorial team led by artist Maurizio Cattelan – [at least one critic] was nervous that this latest, called When Things Cast No Shadow, would disappoint.” And there’s no question that Berlin 2008 is different, less spectacular. But it succeeds, nonetheless.
So Pavarotti Faked It. Will Anyone Care?
The international press is aflame with the news that Luciano Pavarotti and his backing orchestra were faking in a performance at the Turin Olympics. “How will history judge him for lip-synching? Luckily, it already has for similar behavior in a 1992 concert in Modena, Italy. It rated a sentence in his New York Times obituary, while others didn’t mention it at all.”
A Streetcar Named Disaster
Late last week, a Toronto Symphony violinist stepped onto a streetcar, and as the doors closed, realized that he’d left his violin behind on the street. By the time he managed to get back to the stop, ten minutes later, the instrument, a gift from the musician’s mother, was gone. He’s cruising pawn shops and offering a reward for the violin’s safe return.
Foundation To Keep Aussie Dancer’s Spirit Alive
“The family of the dancer Tanja Liedtke, who died in a road accident seven months ago, has set up a foundation in her name, with the hope of raising €1million to honour and perpetuate her work… Liedtke, who had an international career as a dancer and choreographer, was artistic director-designate of the Sydney Dance Company when she died aged 29.”
Germany’s Leading Composer Reinvigorating Boston
At 72, Helmut Lachenmann “is probably the most highly regarded German composer alive… His music seems so grounded in his country’s 20th-century narrative that it’s hard to picture him anywhere else.” These days, though, he’s in residence at Harvard, “and his presence has been quickening the pulse of musical life both on campus and off.”