“The use of taped music in the 20th Century helped popularize dance by saving costs. But there’s an imbalance, a vacuum, a sense of something missing. Take away live music, and you take away part of the thrill.” But in Chicago, something of a live music revival is underway in the city’s prestigious dance scene.
Author: sbergman
Actors Won’t Cross Writers’ Golden Globe Picket Line
“Golden Globe-nominated performers will snub the awards in support of striking Hollywood writers, the actors’ union said Friday. NBC said it was sticking by its plan to air the Jan. 13 ceremony,” although it will now be awfully hard to find celebrity presenters.
‘Video Snacking’ Bursts Onto The Media Landscape
“In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time, as workers click aside their spreadsheets to watch videos on YouTube, news highlights on CNN.com or other Web offerings. The trend — part of a broader phenomenon known as video snacking — is turning into a growth business for news and media companies.”
Guild To “Take Action” Against Leno
The striking Writers Guild of America says that it intends to take some sort of action against guild member and Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who has been performing monologues and other scripted bits on his show since returning to the air this week. Leno and NBC believe that a contract loophole allows the host to write his own material.
Liverpool Holds Its Breath, Waits For The Spotlight
Liverpool’s year as the European Capital of Culture has finally arrived, and it’s the city’s time to live up to the hype. But the truth is that Liverpool never really expected to win the honor, and when it did, a five-year scramble to get ready ensued that seems to have inspired equal parts civic pride and exasperation in locals.
Minnesota’s Schubert Club Taps Phil Orch Exec
“The St. Paul-based Schubert Club has named [Philadelphia Orchestra Vice President] Kathleen van Bergen as its new executive director. She’s filling a position left vacant for the past 18 months by the death of the music organization’s visionary leader, Bruce Carlson… The organization is one of Minnesota’s oldest and most revered cultural institutions.”
Remembering The Viking Of 6th Avenue
He was known as Moondog, and his place in the vast New York cultural scene was a unique one. “He dressed in a Viking costume… He was articulate and friendly. He was blind, but refused to talk about his condition as a handicap. Perhaps most surprising of all was that this eerie and unusual figure was a classical composer in the tonal western tradition who followed all the rules of counterpoint and harmony.”
Rattle In The Age Of Contentment
Simon Rattle is on tour with Europe’s Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and seems to be having the time of his life. “You have to understand that I normally conduct an orchestra of teenagers. With the Berlin Philharmonic I’m a grizzly old grandfather. This is like an old rock group that’s been together for ages.”
The Fiddling Chevalier
“One of the most fascinating figures of the 18th century was the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a composer, violinist, fencing champion and military hero whose fame spanned continents. That he was black, born in 1745 to a white planter and his slave mistress in Guadeloupe, not only shaped his life in France but has fed a growing interest in him today.”
Simple Beauty, Begging Plenty Of Questions
A famous Velazquez nude depicting the Goddess of Love has had one of the more fascinating histories among paintings of the period. And we still know relatively little about it – was it a late work, or one from the artist’s middle period? And who is the Venus in the painting supposed to be?