“Because it has been forced to shake the collecting tin so vigorously at the private sector, Covent Garden is clearly now in an uneasy position, straddling the Atlantic. Like its European equals, it has a great annual grant from the government, but, like any first-class opera company in America, it also relies heavily on favours from the corporate sector. Which means that every night at the Opera House, the well-upholstered behinds of City donors are sitting on the best seats, which have been partially funded by the taxpayer. And although those donors are also taxpayers, it somehow grates that a publicly funded institution is essentially reserving its most glittering glitter for people who can cough up more than £100 per seat.”
Blog
A Million Words Of English?
Earlier this year an amateur scholar in San Diego declared that some time this year the English language would get its one millionth word. Professional word mavens were not amused. The notion that English will soon achieve this milestone is… ridiculous?
How London Learned Modern Theatre
“The cliché runs that England was a theatrical desert in the early 1950s. It was certainly true that London was far from the theatre capital of the world. Serious drama was served up with lashings of heavy sauce from Paris, where the long-winded works of Anouilh debuted, and where a little-known Irish modernist was premiering En attendant Godot. Entertainment breezed in from New York, where the American musical was responding to the brash energies of the booming 1950s with all the relish of Oh! What a Beautiful Morning. There were stirrings in London drama, however.”
Waterstone to Take Over Ottakar’s
The giant UK book chain Waterstone’s has been granted approval to acquire Ottakar’s, the specialist books company. “Small retailers warned that the deal would be another step towards ‘clone- town Britain’, further eroding the diversity of the high street, restricting consumer choice and, ultimately, leading to higher prices.”
John McGahern, 71
McGahern was “arguably the most important Irish novelist since Samuel Beckett.”
Philadelphia New Music Group Takes A Turn
“Philadelphia was once a haven for musical specialization encouraged by low rents, sympathetic academic communities, and generous philanthropic organizations. Artists could concentrate on creating marvelous new sounds that speak to the times and count on audiences to find them – with a little help from a marketing director. Now, with larger organizations claiming more public and private dollars than ever, specialists from early to modern music have to refresh and expand their relationships with local audiences if they aren’t to be left behind. How do you do that, though, without losing what you have and who you are?”
Protests Over Bodies Exhibition
” ‘Bodies … The Exhibition’ features 20 whole cadavers, preserved using a technique known as ‘plastination,’ made famous by the anatomist Gunther von Hagens. It will open at Earls Court later this month. Human rights organisations have attacked the booming industry in travelling exhibitions featuring human corpses. They warned that the bodies, which are from China, could include those of executed political prisoners.”
Archi-Terrorism?
A shadowy group has threatened demolition and building contractors over projects they’re trying to build. “The group says it is dedicated to stopping modern housing developments and the destruction of historic buildings. It claims that ‘as a result of developers’ greed and planners’ indifference, the erosion of regional identity is at crisis point’.”
Canada’s Small Museums Are Dying In Slow Motion
Canada is in the midst of a museum-building boom. “But too often, say some in the museum community, this country’s approach to its museums is like that of fathers who sire kids all over town but neglect to properly support them. Canada’s heritage collections and sites are in chronic crisis. No one is actively trying to obliterate them in the way that the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas; rather, neglect and underfunding threaten to accomplish the same result, in slow motion.”
Slatkin To Lead Chicago Symphony?
Speculation is increasing that Leonard Slatkin may be in line as the next director of the Chicago Symphony. “Asked whether he is, as rumored, actively campaigning to be the next CSO music director, Slatkin proved as skilled in equivocation as any media-wise senator or congressman with whom he lunches.”