Frank Gehry’s glittering new office building on the Hudson River in Manhattan is the superstar architect’s first New York edifice, and the first in what will shortly be an impressive lineup of new buildings by high-profile architects in the same location. The Gehry tower “rises up from the old brick and rusting iron that is the meat-packing district of Chelsea like a shimmering white yacht, its sails puffed out in a gentle breeze. Viewed from the north, it really does appear to move, sailing southwards alongside the Hudson.”
Author: sbergman
Singing And Dancing Through The Minefield
“The Edinburgh Fringe is no stranger to controversy, but this year the most controversial shows all seem to be musicals.” Religion and politics seem to be the main targets of the satire, which can be decidedly hit or miss, and sometimes unnecessarily mean-spirited.
How Do You Replace Rilling?
The Oregon Bach Festival is bound up almost entirely in the identity of its artistic director, the legendary Helmuth Rilling. But Rilling, while he shows few signs of slowing down, is getting on in years, and the festival will eventually have to find a successor. “Make no mistake on stature and charisma. You can’t replace a dynamic figure like Helmuth Rilling with someone who is merely an excellent musician.”
Grieg’s Norway/Norway’s Grieg
The Norwegian preoccupation with the music of Edvard Grieg is easy to understand on a basic level – most countries naturally embrace the work of their most successful exports. But Grieg’s history and Norway’s are inextricably intertwined, and the connection runs deeper than mere flag-waving.
Spano In Scotland
Conductor Robert Spano has always focused his career at home in America, rather than heading to Europe for early validation as so many Americans choose to do. But Spano is heading up the opening performance of the Edinburgh International Festival this week, and some are seeing it as his belated introduction to the other side of the Atlantic.
Detroit Symphony Could Be Headed For A Strike
“After 20 years of labor peace, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is in a showdown that threatens to derail the opening of the 2007-08 season. Contract negotiations between the musicians union and management have broken down over a combination of issues, including salaries, pensions, seniority pay and work rules, according to the union. No further talks are scheduled.”
Hitler The Musical Hypocrite? Not So Fast.
Alex Ross isn’t so sure that the discovery of Hitler’s personal record collection really proves that the Führer was a big fan of Russian music. “The fact that Hitler owned such records does not mean that he enjoyed them,” and there’s simply too much evidence that Hitler believed strongly in his own propaganda regarding the superiority of German music to draw the conclusion that he was secretly reveling in the pleasures of Tchaikovsky.
Better The Devil You Know…?
Some in the Toronto arts community might celebrate if Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda is shortly moved out of the job, as rumor has it she could be. But Val Ross says that, while Oda isn’t perfect, her replacement in the conservative Harper government could be far worse. “Although she has been described as a lacklustre non-entity, Oda has managed to quietly deliver more in real dollars to the Canada Council than the Liberals.”
There’s Probably Still Some Good Acid In The Mud
The upstate New York farm that hosted the original Woodstock is up for sale, 38 years after it was overrun by 400,000 people in a three-day orgy of sex, drugs, and rock. “Roy Howard, the current owner, is packing it in after years of tangling with local officials over permits for reunion gatherings to mark the 1969, three-day Woodstock music festival that helped ignite a generation.” The farm can be yours for a tidy $8m.
Pavarotti Hospitalized
Luciano Pavarotti was reported in satisfactory condition after being admitted to hospital with a high fever in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Pavarotti, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, “is likely to be discharged in the next few days.”