When the Milwaukee Symphony began searching for a conductor to replace outgoing music director Andreas Delfs, it “expected to land a young up-and-comer, as Delfs was 11 years ago. The slate of young guest conductors on this year’s schedule pointed that way. Instead they got a seasoned pro, and they got him for at least three years.”
Author: sbergman
Who Cares About Native Sons? It’s The Music, Stupid!
Why are music critics so hung up on what country conductors come from, asks Norman Lebrecht? “Music is an international language and the first priority of any band is to find a boss who speaks it in way that elevates the players and inspires the audience.”
“Mayor Of Hollywood” Dies At 84
“Johnny Grant, the avuncular honorary mayor of Hollywood who travelled the world as Tinseltown’s No. 1 cheerleader for more than a half-century, has died. He was 84.”
Giving Each Other The Shaft(esbury)
“One of Canada’s largest film and television production companies, Shaftesbury Films Inc., is embroiled in a battle for control that pits the company’s co-chief executive officers against each other. The dispute has landed in an Ontario court…”
The Daily Struggle with Jon Stewart
As the writers’ strike drags on, it will be extremely difficult for late-night stars Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who rely on topical humor and highly scripted routines, to keep their shows fresh and funny. The shows could suffer, but given their huge and loyal audience, their struggles could swing public opinion to the side of the writers.
TV Viewers Not Interested In Writer-less Awards Show
“The People’s Choice Awards lost nearly half of its TV audience after it had to put out a pre-recorded programme instead of the usual live ceremony… People’s Choice organisers were forced to change their plans last month after the Writers Guild of America refused to let its members write for awards shows.”
Russian Exhibition Given Final Approval
“An exhibition of major artworks in London has been given the final go-ahead by the Russian authorities.” The show had been in danger of cancellation due to Russian fears that some of the works, which were taken from private collections after Russia’s 1917 revolution, could be seized while in the UK. Parliament agreed to implement a new law to prevent seizure and allow the show to go on.
Met Museum Forms Search Committee
“Wasting no time, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has formed a committee to begin an international search for a replacement for Philippe de Montebello, who announced on Tuesday that he would retire after 30 years as the museum’s director.”
A New Model For Small Studios?
Overture Films is not a major Hollywood studio. But you might be forgiven for thinking that it is. Overture’s business model involves keeping costs low, but marketing its films to a mass audience, and then reselling them to pay TV channels in short order. So far, the approach looks to be paying big dividends.
“Free” Radiohead Album #1 In CD Sales
“In a twist for the music industry’s digital revolution, “In Rainbows,” the new Radiohead album that attracted wide attention when it was made available three months ago as a digital download for whatever price fans chose to pay, ranked as the top-selling album in the country this week after the CD version hit record shops and other retailers.”