“When Osvaldo Golijov’s opera ”Ainadamar” premiered at Tanglewood in 2003, it met with general acclaim, though not the kind of instantaneous and unified praise other projects of his had engendered. The music was often beautiful, but to some listeners, there seemed a lack of dramatic tension, and some critics saw a misfit between the play and the score. Something just seemed off-kilter. One of the dissatisfied, it turns out, was the composer himself… With the help of director Peter Sellars, he and librettist David Henry Hwang undertook a substantial revision.”
Author: sbergman
Smithsonian To Get Castelli Archives
“Some 350 boxes stuffed with receipts, photographs, letters and other records chronicling the history of the Leo Castelli Gallery are being given to the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art in Washington. Castelli, who died in 1999 at 91, fostered the careers of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella, among others.”
Only The Best Dance For Wheeldon
Christopher Wheeldon may or may not be the greatest choreographer of his generation. But there can be no doubt that he is the current king of buzz in the dance world. “If you want to know why Mr. Wheeldon, only 34, has become such a big deal in ballet, just check out which dancers are appearing with Morphoses,” his new company.
Maybe It’s An Elaborate New Piracy Scheme
Chris Walla, guitarist for the indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie expected to be mixing the band’s latest album in Seattle this month, but the hard drive containing the raw tracks never made it from Vancouver, after border agents seized the drive. “Walla said he believed the confiscation was random, but [the record label] and some music publications hinted that the seizure of such a politically charged album may have been more than a coincidence.”
Booker Finalists To Be Distributed Free Online
“The Man Booker Prize has been criticised over the years for selecting dark, unreadable and worthy tomes unlike the winners of other more populist literary prizes. Now, in the week that Anne Enright became its 2007 winner, it is shaking off criticisms of being elitist and out of touch by taking the radical step of placing all its shortlisted novels online, available free to anyone worldwide.”
Making The Most of An Aging Hall
Scotland’s storied (if bulkily named) Britannia Panopticon is a grand old venue in need of some serious TLC. Still, the imperfections of the place allow for some fascinating art installations and performances that just wouldn’t seem at home anywhere else. “The latest chapter of the Panopticon story comes courtesy of artist Minty Donald, whose Glimmers in Limbo project directly addresses the building’s past, present and future, examining and interpreting its varied uses, and the decaying fabric of the music hall, too.”
The Unabridged Raymond Carver
“Almost 20 years after his death, the famously lean prose of the short-story writer Raymond Carver may be about to put on a little weight. His widow, the poet Tess Gallagher, is planning to bring out a new version of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, the collection that made his name on its publication in 1981. It’s the latest round in a tug of war over Carver’s fiction between his second wife and Gordon Lish, the editor who launched Carver’s career.”
What Good Are Architecture Prizes?
The Stirling Prize, the UK’s top award for architecture, gets handed out on live TV, but it hardly makes the cultural radar for most Britons. And in contrast to the success enjoyed by authors who win major prizes, architects who take home the gold rarely see a major bump in commissions. So why do we even have such prizes?
Actress Deborah Kerr, 86
“British actress Deborah Kerr, known to millions for her roles in The King And I, Black Narcissus and From Here To Eternity, has died at the age of 86. Born in Scotland in 1921, the actress made her name in British films before becoming successful in Hollywood. Nominated for the best actress Oscar six times, she was given an honorary award by the Academy in 1994.”
No Such Thing As Too Small
The towns of Dawson and Fergus Falls, both in rural western Minnesota, have a combined population that would barely fill up a neighborhood in a big city, but they will each shortly be playing host to a recital by superstar violinist Midori. Students and music fans from across the sparsely populated region are already planning to drive hours in all directions to attend. So how did the tiny towns score such a high-profile soloist? They called her and asked.