Author: sbergman

Is Phoenix’s Boom Ignoring Architectural Standards?

“If Phoenix has any ambition to be the world-class city it keeps talking about, it can’t do it with low-bid buildings and timid design.” The fast-growing desert city seems constantly to be under construction, yet in recent years, says Richard Nilsen, there has been a demonstrable and unfortunate lack of civic will to create buildings that will stand the test of time.

The Key To Classical Contests? Keep The Public Out Of It

The BBC’s summer reality TV program, Maestro, has attempted to teach celebrities how to properly conduct a symphony orchestra, and against all odds, says Rafael Behr, it actually appears to be doing so. “This system subverts a basic premise of most reality TV by abandoning any pretence that the public’s judgment is worth something… Is that elitism? Yes. Musical virtuosity is the province of an elite and there is nothing morally abhorrent about that.”

Letting Emerging Composers Emerge

“Many of today’s repertory staples would not exist if the major musical institutions of past eras had not championed living composers. It’s not enough today for leading opera companies, orchestras and concert halls to present new works. Ideally they need to commission and showcase pieces in ways that provide them with context and galvanize public attention.”

Monk’s Little-Known But Long-Enduring Legacy

“When Thelonious Monk played with a 10-piece band at Town Hall in New York in February 1959, his music acquired new colors… Monk’s music was so personal and so perfect for small groups that the recordings of his large-ensemble collaborations with Overton in 1959 and in 1963, for another concert at Philharmonic Hall, remain underappreciated. But they left a trail that keeps getting longer.”

A Legendary Fiddle Finds A Home In Milwaukee

Thanks to collectors willing to bid up the price on instruments they will never play, top-notch violins made by masters like Stradivari are all but out of reach for most musicians today. So you can imagine how Milwaukee Symphony concertmaster Frank Almond felt when he got an e-mail out of the blue asking if he’d like the indefinite loan of a legendary Strad.

Big Changes Afoot At Dallas Symphony

“Jaap van Zweden conducts his first concerts as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra [this week.] Also this week, Doug Adams takes over as president and chief executive of the DSO… These two men, the Dutchman who gave up one of the world’s top orchestra violinists’ posts to pursue conducting and the native Texan who left television management for the orchestra world, are set to transform Dallas’ 108-year-old orchestra.”

Could Hirst’s New Auction Upend The Economics Of Art?

“Next week, Damien Hirst becomes the first artist to sell brand-new work at auction,” which has the art world buzzing about the possible impact on traditional galleries if artists begin taking their work directly to market. For his part, Hirst says that it’s about time the massive amounts of money that get thrown around at auction houses actually started accruing to artists themselves.

Lockhart Looks Back In Utah

“Keith Lockhart is starting his 11th — and final — season as music director of the Utah Symphony this weekend with mixed feelings… He oversaw the hiring of a quarter of the current members of the symphony in the past 10 years.” But dreams of international tours and multiple recordings have never quite become reality, and the orchestra has been in and out of fiscal trouble during his tenure.