Conductor Lorin Maazel has penned an op-ed explaining why he believes it is important for his New York Philharmonic to play in Pyongyang next week. “It is a role of the highest possible order: bringing peoples and their cultures together on common ground, where the roots of peaceful interchange can imperceptibly but irrevocably take hold. If all goes well, the presence of the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang might gently influence the perception of our country there.”
Author: sbergman
Is Culture Turning Liverpool Around?
Liverpool is undergoing a noticeable renaissance, and some are attributing it to the city’s year as Europe’s Culture Capital. But would the turnaround have happened anyway? “You get much affirmative, but generalised, confirmation that while these projects were in train before the Capital of Culture bid was won – the accelerated and coordinated nature of the projects has much to do with this year.”
The Strange Musical Magic Of Carl Nielsen
“Given the blazing individuality of Nielsen’s voice, it’s puzzling that he has yet to find a firm place in the international repertory… Orchestral players, percussionists excepted, tend to groan a little when Nielsen shows up on their music stands, [and] audiences, for their part, often go away from Nielsen performances pleased but a little dazed, not sure what hit them. Lately, though, Nielsen has been gaining ground.”
The Best-Kept Secret In The Magazine World?
“Have you seen the latest issue of Paranoia magazine? No? Well, that’s not surprising, is it? There’s a very good reason why you haven’t seen it: They don’t want you to see it.“
Independent Bookstores On The Comeback Trail?
If indie bookstores really are dying out, as conventional wisdom swears they are, they’re certainly taking their time doing it. “The trade group for independents reported 115 new members last year, the third year in a row that more than 100 openings were recorded.” Sales are up, too…
Famed Bolshoi Dancer Dies At 66
“Natalia Bessmertnova, a Soviet-era prima ballerina who danced with the Bolshoi Ballet for decades, died Tuesday… Bessmertnova died at a Moscow hospital after suffering from a grave illness,” reported by Russian media to be kidney failure.
More Dickens Than You Can Shake An Orphan At
“While 6½ hours of theatre may seem a bit of a marathon, consider that there are 27 actors playing more than 100 speaking parts, and a boy’s journey to manhood, to get through. Consider, also, that the version of Nicholas Nickleby landing at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre on Saturday is two hours shorter than the landmark stage version that opened in London in 1980.”
New Director For Beijing’s Ullens Center
“French curator Jérôme Sans is expected to be announced as the new artistic director of the Ullens Center of Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday.” It is believed that the move to replace founding director Fei Dawei came after Dawei had several clashes with colleagues at the center.
Investors Happy As Blu-Ray Bests HD-DVD
Toshiba is reportedly preparing to halt production of its HD-DVD discs and players, leaving Sony’s BluRay as the lone high-definition DVD standard. Stock in both companies is up as a result of the end to the confusion over which technology would become the standard.
Product Placement Comes To The Publishing World
“Specifying a character’s brand of lipstick, shoes or handbag is a commonly accepted way to add an aura of reality or consumer aspiration to books aimed at young readers… But what if writers and publishers enlisted companies to sponsor those branded mentions, as is the widespread practice in Hollywood?”