“Arvo Pärt, whose meditative, spiritually-themed music has made him among the most popular and recorded of living classical composers, has been named the winner of the 2008 Léonie Sonning Music Prize, Denmark’s top award in the field.” The award pays just over $100,000.
Author: sbergman
Should Musicians Be Composers As Well?
Fewer than two centuries ago, the titles of composer and performer were nearly always attached to a single artist, and Stephen Hough says that it ought to become so again. “Anyone who can read music can write it too – and should. It doesn’t have to be performed, and it may not be very inspired, but to be totally divorced from the act of creation risks making us neighbours rather than relatives to the works we play.”
Giving Kids A Reason To Embrace Music
In America, music education in school is becoming so scarce as to be considered an unimaginable luxury. In Scotland, they throw a two-week festival to celebrate it. “Over the years the emphasis has moved from competition to participation – every entrant is judged by a professional and receives a certificate evaluating their performance.” Not only that, but a new national curriculum proposes to increase the amount of art and music education in the daily routine of Scottish classrooms.
Davidson: Time Is Up For Vienna Phil’s “Tradition”
Justin Davidson is fed up with the Vienna Philharmonic and its persistent refusal to treat women as legitimate candidates for employment in a symphony orchestra. “A decade after it supposedly committed itself to entering the 21st century, I believe that the Vienna Philharmonic has relinquished its claim to serious consideration as a dynamic cultural organization… The geological pace of change is not merely a regrettable obstacle in the relentless pursuit of quality. It is product of a narrowly preservationist, antiquarian philosophy, which fetishizes sound at the expense of spirit.”
The Enigma of Gorecki
Back in 1992, the third symphony of a little-known Polish composer named Gorecki shot unexpectedly up the charts and sold a million copies. Moreover, the work “achieved more performances than any work by a living composer since the Second World War… And that was it. For the next 15 years there was nothing more was heard from Gorecki.” Now, at age 74, he has released a new string quartet, but he remains quite reluctant to talk about his music.
Reviewing Films, The Christian Way
It’s been clear for a while that conservative Christians in America aren’t exactly satisfied with the menu of entertainment options being served up at our national trough, and a mini-industry catering to the needs of the pious has even sprung up. But did you know that writing movie reviews from a Christian perspective has itself become a profession? Nearly 100 critics around the country offer such reviews, ranging from dire warnings against the evil of Harry Potter to simple cataloging of offensive language and sexual content.
Writing Is Good. Talking About Writing Is Better.
It can be ridiculously difficult for unproven authors to attract the attention of a publisher, not to mention an audience of readers. Increasingly, authors are turning to technology – specifically, the podcast – to get their name out there. The literary podcast has even become widespread enough for a dedicated download site devoted to the subgenre to spring up.
Turner Painting To Remain In UK
“One of JMW Turner’s finest watercolours will remain in the UK after the Tate launched a campaign to keep the masterpiece in the country. The Blue Rigi was sold at auction last June to an anonymous bidder for £5.8m – a record for a British watercolour. The culture minister put a temporary bar on the painting leaving the country to give the Tate time to raise the £4.95m it needed to buy it back. The total has now been reached after members of the public donated £550,000.”
Arrest Made In SF Symphony Embezzlement Scheme
“San Francisco police arrested a… woman Tuesday morning on suspicion of skimming more than $17,000 from the San Francisco Symphony’s box office proceeds… She is suspected of replacing the cash stolen from ticket proceeds with money that came in from donors. “
Sex & Violins Violas
The UK music magazine Muso recently commissioned a study on the sex lives of classical musicians, and while musicians themselves were all too willing to participate, the usual array of pretentious classical critics has lined up to take shots. But really, who cares about them? What everyone wants to know is, in which section of the orchestra will you find the most promiscuous sorts? (It’s the viola section, of course.)