“In 1936, two of the Soviet Union’s greatest artists decided to work on a new theatrical production of Pushkin’s “Boris Godunov” for its author’s coming jubilee. Sergei Prokofiev wrote 24 musical pieces while the visionary stage director Vsevolod Meyerhold mapped out scenes and started rehearsals. The following year, Stalin’s terror fixed its gaze on Meyerhold and he abandoned the project. Three years later, he was dead, shot by a firing squad. Now, thanks to the recent discovery of Meyerhold’s original notes and Prokofiev’s handwritten score and comments, their collaboration is finally having its world premiere.”
Author: sbergman
Hot Tin Roof Heats To A Boil
“A Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with an all-black cast headed by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as Big Daddy has imploded – the result, theater sources say, of ‘inexperienced, inept and insane’ producing… Two weeks ago, [director Kenny] Leon and Whitaker pulled out of the project after repeatedly clashing with the producers, a group of extremely wealthy hedge-fund managers with no previous theatrical experience.”
Tanglewood To Volunteers: Thanks, But Now Pay Up
For decades, the Boston Symphony’s summer home at Tanglewood has depended on the labor of a small army of volunteer staffers, who toil on the grounds in exchange for free passes to the concerts. But now, with the BSO battling deficits, the organization is demanding that all “volunteers” donate at least $75 to the orchestra, and is also yanking the privilege of “companion passes” volunteers could use to get guests in for free.
TIFF Project Hauls In A Big Check
The planned new home of the Toronto International Film Festival got a CAN$1 million cash infusion this week, courtesy of a Canadian foundation.
The Round Pianist Fits Into A Square Industry
Pianist Piotr Anderszewski is carving out quite a niche in a music world that seems ill-equipped for to embrace his particular talents. “He may have a future in that Martha Argerich/Grigory Sokolov pantheon of pianists who command devoted audiences but give concert promoters high blood pressure.”
Music’s Place Is Not In The Middle Of A Commute
Justin Davidson opines that the real lesson behind Joshua Bell’s anonymous busking experience in the Washington, D.C. subway system is that music is best in places where people expect to hear music. “It’s counterproductive to bring music where people don’t expect and don’t want it to be.”
Saatchi’s In: China Must Be Big!
There’s no longer any question that a Chinese art boom is in full swing, and some of the world’s best-known collectors are jumping on the bandwagon. Charles Saatchi, “whose patronage helped to establish the careers of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin in the 1990s, is now paying increasing attention to the east. This year he launched a Mandarin version of his website, which gets more than 4m hits a day.”
Davies: Decline Of Serious Culture Is A Nat’l Disgrace
Scottish composer Peter Maxwell Davies has leveled a blistering (and lengthy) attack on the UK government for ignoring the importance of serious art, literature, and music, days after the director of the National Gallery did the same. “Keeping people in a state of ignorance is good for the government in power – it precludes the possibility of articulate criticism, induces political apathy, and its by-product is a frustration which bursts forth into seemingly mindless, unmotivated violence.”
Talking Jazz
Musician and writer Ben Sidran is releasing a mammoth 24-CD collection of interviews he conducted for public radio with some of the pivotal jazz musicians of the last four decades. “Sidran’s punctilious research tempers the infectious enthusiasm of his insider status… and these conversations explore creative processes, social backgrounds and musical biographies, revealing a singular mix of the prosaic and the profound.”
Australia’s Tight-Lipped New Culture Chief
The Australia Council, which is in charge of arts funding for the nation, has a new American-born chief, now two months into her tenure and one month from her first federal budget deadline. She’s upbeat about the national arts picture, but she steadfastly refuses to join many in Australia’s cultural community in criticizing the government for insufficient support. In fact, she doesn’t seem terribly interested in answering any pointed questions about the arts.