“No American conductor of his generation is more formidably gifted [than Andrew Litton.] He’s a quick study with a score, and he has a keen ear. He’s a skilled and attentive accompanist. And no conductor anywhere speaks more naturally, more engagingly, with audiences. But facility may also be Mr. Litton’s weakness. One musician has likened him to a certain kind of pianist who can sight-read any score, note perfectly, but rarely goes much beneath the surface. The DSO’s most eloquent and finely detailed performances have tended to come from other conductors. Criticisms of superficiality have dogged Mr. Litton’s career, and not only in Dallas.”
Blog
An Opera Rises From The Rubble
New Orleans Opera is back on the stage, and amazingly, much of the audience seems to be back, too. But the challenges aren’t over for the company, as it deals with its too-small new home, the loss of many members of its pit orchestra to other ensembles around the country, and countless other logistical and musical issues that serve as a constant reminder of the devastation wrought by Katrina. “Many opera-goers and corporate sponsors who left the city haven’t returned yet either. With the city’s more pressing needs, the opera has had to make a strong case to get philanthropic dollars.”
A Festival Comes Of Age, Then Falters
Over the past decade, the Miami International Piano Festival has built itself up into quite the event. Founded by teacher Giselle Brodsky, the fest has recently begun sponsoring well-attended concerts in South Florida throughout the year. “Yet if outwardly the Miami International Piano Festival appears in hale health, for many observers, Brodsky’s organization has suffered from severe growing pains, manifested by a crucial loss of its bearings and wavering sense of mission.”
Forsythe’s NY Debut Is Baffling
“William Forsythe has introduced his newly formed company to New York with a work oddly short on choreography. For those who have followed Forsythe’s successful, if lately turbulent, career in Germany, the choice was baffling. It may be prophetic, indicating Forsythe’s plans for the future.”
Lestat’s Fatal Bite?
The Broadway vampire music “Lestat” is on life support. “A week after opening to some of the worst reviews for any show this season, Elton John’s $10 million vampire fiasco finds itself on the critical list. Ticket sales are averaging about $50,000 a day, which simply is not enough to keep the show going for long. (Rule of thumb on Broadway: To stay in the black, a $10 million show has to take in about $90,000 a day.)”
Don’t Know Much About… Science
“It is easy to say Americans, even those graduating from elite universities, lack scientific knowledge. But it is hard to define what science literacy consists of-and harder still to know how universities can impart it to, say, English majors. Does science literacy mean knowing a roster of facts or concepts? Having a sense of the scientific method? Appreciating the history and philosophy of science? Being competent in math, the lingua franca of the sciences? All of the above?”
Reinventing the Public Library (shhh…It’s an “Idea Store”…)
to begin with, don’t call them libraries. “This is the Whitechapel Idea Store, the flagship of a $44 million project initiated by the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The council aims to replace the area’s century-old libraries-largely disused and falling into disrepair after decades of meager funding and neglect-with modernized venues. More than just rehabbing buildings, though, the mission of the Idea Stores is to rejuvenate, as well as rename, the very concept of the British public library, starting in one of London’s toughest neighborhoods.”
Congress Cuts Smithsonian Budget To Protest Film Deal
Congress cuts the Smithsonian’s budget by $5.3 million to protest an exclusive deal the Smithsonian made with Showtime Networks about filming the institution’s collections. “The Smithsonian says the contract requires commercial filmmakers who want to make extensive use of the institution’s collections to reach an agreement with Showtime. Smithsonian officials have refused to make the contract public, and members of Congress said they were surprised to learn of the deal through the media.”
university Faculty Protests Munitz Deal
California State University faculty are protesting a decision to take back former Getty director Barry Muintz back on the staff at a salary of $160,000. “Has the CSU administration been living under a rock the last eight months? They are using public money and playing with it like it’s Monopoly money. Fees at CSU have gone up 76 percent. … To pay him a salary that exceeds the highest salary at the university — and have him teach one class — offends everyone.”
Reconstructing The Books That Didn’t Survive
Most historians focus on works that actually existed. Stuart Kelly has gone in search of books which were “burned, misplaced, abandoned, suppressed, never finished, never started…”