Author: sbergman

Budapest Orchestra At A Crossroads

The Budapest Symphony is one of Europe’s oldest orchestras, established in 1853 and playing concerts ever since in the celebrated Hungarian State Opera House. But this year, the Hungarian government declined to pay the usual subsidy that kept the orchestra afloat, and the organization finds itself scrambling to find new revenues to replace the public funds.

Trillium Shortlist Announced

“Six English-language books and five French titles are on the short list for the 2006-07 Trillium Book Award,” which honors the best literature produced by writers in the Canadian province of Ontario. “The winners are to be announced on June 4, with the recipients awarded $20,000 each.”

Writing The Ending Will Be Awfully Tough

The Iraq War, and all of its attending conflict and drama, will soon be heading to a movie theater near you. “With little fanfare, Hollywood has begun chronicling and critiquing the Iraq war even before it has ended… Almost all [of the] upcoming projects reflect the zeitgeist of a nation increasingly opposed to a conflict that has already cost tens of thousands of lives and shows no signs of abating.”

Museum Kerfuffle Envelopes Bath

A controversial new museum extension in the UK city of Bath has residents and architecture buffs in an uproar. “The fact that the scheme contravenes the one sine qua non of building in Bath – all projects have to be in Bath stone – has proved a particular source of outrage to its opponents. The material homogeneity of Bath’s architecture is undoubtedly one of the city’s great glories, and should not be sacrificed lightly.”

Is Tate Modern Prostituting Itself?

Tate Modern has entered into an extensive partnership with investment bank UBS, under which the museum will showcase works from the bank’s extensive art collection. But as much as Tate Modern may need UBS’s money, doesn’t such a deal indicate a betrayal of the museum’s core mission? “Tate Modern belongs to the British people. Its space cannot be sold, its codes must not be breached simply because the government doesn’t care to support it as it should.”

Is Shakespeare Better Outside The UK?

Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted over the centuries to suit various audiences and societal changes. Peter Aspden says that over the last 100 years, American productions of Shakespeare have become ever more comfortable with a focus on the dark and supernatual side of the Bard. “All of which leads to the question: is Shakespeare’s homeland the best place to see Shakespeare? Can the English stage tradition, with its emphasis on verbal dexterity and intellectual rigour, actually cope with the dark side of its leading playwright?”