LA’s Mark Taper Forum is back open following a $30 million renovation. “In replacing the 41-year-old theater’s outdated mechanical systems and in helping reframe the most memorable aspects of the original design… the architects have managed to make the building’s architectural value seem unimpeachable.”
Author: sbergman
The (Growing) Legend of Henry Darger
Many artists achieve their greatest fame posthumously, but it’s relatively rare for the world to be completely unaware that such an artist exists until his death. But that’s how it was for Henry Darger, who died in 1973, leaving behind “three massive manuscripts… and a trove of watercolors and collages he’d created to illustrate his stories.”
23-Year-Old “Tomboy” Wins Sound Of Music Lead
“Elicia MacKenzie, the exuberant 23-year-old Vancouverite who went from what Andrew Lloyd Webber called ‘almost zero to hero’ was the surprise winner last night as the CBC-TV program How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? came to a close.”
Religious Publisher Finds New Hook: Football
“Tyndale House Publishers, a Christian company that was founded in 1962 to print a more reader-friendly version of the Bible, has had one of its biggest successes in the last year with a string of books on a slightly less religious topic: football… For years Christian publishers have stormed into traditionally secular territory, publishing crime fiction, self-help, drama, young-adult literature and Spanish-language romance novels.”
Rushdie Considering Book On Fatwa
“Salman Rushdie says he may write a book about the fatwa imposed on him 20 years ago after the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses.” The author also says that, even with increased tensions between Western and Islamic countries, he doesn’t see a similar fate befalling contemporary authors.
Rosenberg: CSO Board Isn’t Doing Its Job
Donald Rosenberg says that the Columbus Symphony debacle is both tragic and unnecessary. “It appears the orchestra’s board has lost the will to find a solution… The Columbus Symphony musicians are going out of their way to commit themselves to their city and their conductor, [but the] board’s actions make an orchestra lover’s hair stand on end.”
PhilOrch Cancels European Tour For Lack Of Funds
“Unable to find sponsorship, the Philadelphia Orchestra has canceled its 2009 European festivals tour. Such a cancellation is highly unusual, and this one is doubly painful. The concerts in Lucerne, Paris, at the London Proms and the Edinburgh Festival starting in August would have brought the orchestra incalculable artistic credibility with audiences and within the classical industry.”
Boston Concert Hall To Let The Sunshine In
“Daylight will cascade into [Boston’s] Symphony Hall this fall for the first time for audiences since the 1940s, splashing from 14 half-moon windows that had been covered since the air raid scares of World War II… The work is part of an $800,000 lighting project that will also illuminate the 16 statues of Demosthenes and other Greek luminaries that stand sentry over the ornate, 62-foot-high hall.”
Can Pops Concerts Be As High-Quality As Classical?
Orchestra musicians are generally known to despise most of the so-called “pops” concerts they play, believing the music to be less than serious. But conductor Sarah Hicks says that the quality of the music doesn’t have to be lowered, and that pops is “a category of orchestral music-making that should be well-produced and of high quality.”
Elliott To Curate Sydney Biennale
“The British curator David Elliott was confirmed yesterday as the artistic director of the next Biennale of Sydney, in 2010. Mr Elliott will inherit one of Australia’s most successful artistic events… With more than a month to go [in this year’s edition of the Biennale,] 206,157 people have seen the show.”