The Alban Berg Quartet is calling it quits after nearly four decades of performing. “Born of a delicate balance of personal chemistry and musical empathy, the dynamic within a quartet is elusive to an outsider. Rehearsals are a battleground as musical ideas are fought over with gladiatorial passion.” Long partnerships are rare, as any musician can tell you.
Author: sbergman
Bafta Blasted After Pulling “Freakshow” Film
The British Academy of Film & Television Arts (Bafta) “has been drawn into a bitter row with the organisers of a disability film festival after refusing to screen a documentary about a group of disabled artists touring America… The row comes only two days before the academy’s biggest event of the year, the Bafta film awards.”
Argentina Looks To Build On Film Success
“Argentine cinema has carved out a niche at arthouses, taken fest kudos and plied styles like minimalism and comic bathos with taste… But now returns are narrowing as costs rise for studio time, wages and promotion.” Debate is raging within the industry over how best to keep Argentina competitive in a Hollywood-dominated world.
Banksy Moss Portrait Sells For $191K
“English graffiti artist Banksy’s screen print of supermodel Kate Moss sold for $191,000 at a street-art auction in London. The work, inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, was one of 75 pieces of ‘urban art’ on sale.”
Time Running Out For Oscars?
“Academy Award organisers have said they are ‘running out of time’ in the search for a deal to avoid the Oscars being hit by the Hollywood writers’ strike,” even as the guild prepares to present a tentative deal to its members this weekend.
Scotland’s Neglected Composer
“What is it about Edward McGuire that has made him a pioneering force in Scottish music over the past three decades, yet never appropriately acknowledged as a prophet in his own land? Sure, there are aspects of his musical style that may have put big publishers off… But there is also an irresistible charm.”
At Least There Were No Translation Costs
A 90-minute play in which no one says a word is currently playing at London’s National Theatre. The play, by Austrian playwright Peter Handke, is not completely silent – “there were bangs, and crashes, and people screaming” – and the author himself has said that he isn’t sure whether the play has real value. “It simply exists.”
Winehouse Barred From Traveling To Grammys
“The American embassy in London has rejected the singer Amy Winehouse’s application for a US visa, meaning she won’t be able to attend this Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Winehouse, who is undergoing treatment for drugs and alcohol dependency, has been nominated for six awards at the ceremony.”
Patterson Leads In Lending (Well, His Name Does)
Novelist James Patterson, “who produces eight books a year, has sold 130 million copies worldwide. And a survey has found that libraries lend more of his books than those of any other author.” It’s a controversial finding, since “while Patterson maps out the fast-paced storylines and intricate plot twists, his novels are some times completed by others.”
Leigh Hoping To Score A Film Fest Hat Trick
“Mike Leigh is going for a remarkable treble at the Berlin Film Festival, which opened yesterday. The director is vying to join the exalted list of film-makers who have directed a winner of each of the three major festival prizes, the Palme d’Or of Cannes, the Golden Lion of Venice and Berlin’s Golden Bear.”