“Will it turn out that the great American musical of the early 21st century is an opera born in Britain? A convincing case for the rights to that title was made by the celestial Jerry Springer: The Opera, the notorious show from London about the transcendent within tabloid television.”
Author: sbergman
Was Karajan A Fraud?
“Wherever you look this year, Herbert von Karajan is back on top of the classical agenda and a whole industry is working all hours to keep him there.” Norman Lebrecht wonders why that is, when the celebrated conductor “never made an original note of music, bequeathed a transmissible idea or represented any appreciable human value.”
Orchestra Gaining Popularity In Portland
“The Oregon Symphony will end the current season with a year-to-year increase in ticket revenue for the first time since 2002, ending five years of declining sales. Sales [have] increased $461,000 over the same time last season. Attendance is up this season, too, with average attendance so far at 1,662, a 20 percent increase over last season.”
St. Louis Still Battling Big Deficits
The St. Louis Symphony has reported a $3.4m deficit and a severe drop in the number of tickets sold for classical concerts for 2007. The orchestra’s new president is stressing that stemming the tide of red ink won’t be a quick and easy endeavor.
Quick Exit In Birmingham
The executive director of the Alabama Symphony has resigned after only six months on the job, citing “family needs back home [in Chicago] that require my attention.” The orchestra plans to expedite the search for a new administrative leader.
Ownership Dust-Up Lands MFA In Court
“A dispute between [Boston’s] Museum of Fine Arts and an Austrian woman who says she is the rightful owner of a coveted 1913 oil painting escalated this week, with the MFA filing suit in federal court to retain ownership of the work.”
Is Chicago Lyric Opera Stuck In Neutral?
“While other leading opera companies, notably the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, are expanding into movie theater broadcasts, bringing in directors from film and the legitimate theater, commissioning new works and generally pushing the envelope of innovation, Lyric gives every appearance of being locked into the status quo.”
What Casting Director Doesn’t Love A Challenge?
Edward Albee’s latest play is a little difficult to cast: the main characters are 28-year-old identical twins, both named Otto, who look so alike that their own mother can’t tell them apart. “The key was finally giving up on finding the real thing and instead switching to a hunt for two actors similar enough in age, physique and height to be made to look alike.”
SF Ballet Turns 75 With A Flurry Of Premieres
“Celebrating its diamond anniversary, the San Francisco Ballet will premiere 10 new ballets by as many choreographers – big names from here and abroad – during its New Works Festival April 22-May 6.” The company kicked off the 75th anniversary celebrations this week with a huge gala that attracted nearly 1,400 guests.
Long-Awaited Russian Art Show Opens In London
Considering all the drama surrounding the Russian art exhibition currently on view in London, one could be forgiven for wondering if the show was really worth all the effort it took to pull it off, including an act of Parliament. But several of the paintings have never before been seen in the West, and the Royal Academy expects half a million visitors over the next three months.