Blog

A Long Lost Michelangelo?

Is the fresco on a wall of a church in Chianti, Italy a lost Michelangelo? “Stylistic verification of the claim will be difficult because the central part of the fresco was damaged by damp and painted over. But at least one scholar has said there is something of Michelangelo in the muscularity of the thief who stands on the right of the painting.”

The Pope – Copyrighted

The vatican wants publishers to pay royalties on the Pope’s writing. “The demand by the Vatican to respect copyright on the pontiff’s writings and pay for their use has triggered hot debate: Should an institution which exists to spread the word of God be putting a price on papal writ? Unthinkable, say some authors. Not so, counters the Vatican; the authors are being paid for their efforts, so why not the church?”

Classical Music? Define Your Terms!

“Classical music is the music that has lived on or will live on. The implication here is that there’s lots of other music that hasn’t or won’t live on because it isn’t as good. Contemporary implies having a quality of newness, which is impermanent at best. Once something becomes familiar, by being around for a while and people getting to know it, it can’t really be contemporary anymore. So the more out there and inscrutable the music is to an audience, the longer it can stay contemporary.”

A Longer, Finished Porgy

The version of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess known to the world may not be the version he intended to be the final one. “It turns out that Gershwin, during rehearsals for the New York premiere at Broadway’s Alvin Theatre, made extensive cuts and additions to his 700-page score. Since the composer died only two years later, in 1937, that edited but unpublished version represents, in effect, his final word on the subject.”

Bold, Brash, Blunt: The Summers Legacy

“When the Harvard Corporation chose [Lawrence] Summers to lead Harvard in 2001, there was a sense among its members that the nation’s most prestigious university had become complacent. Summers was brought in to shake things up, and he didn’t disappoint.” His record on fund-raising (one of a university president’s most important duties) was less than stellar, and yet, his big plans and blunt leadership style endeared him to many outside the institution, who saw in Summers a populist dedicated to bringing the famously elite school into the larger Boston community.

Domingo Reups In LA

Plácido Domingo, the superstar tenor who helped found Los Angeles Opera and has led it as general director since 2003, has renewed his contract with the company for an additional five years, through 2011. At the same time, the company announced Tuesday, artistic director Edgar Baitzel has been promoted to chief operating officer, and two new executives are coming on board… Although Domingo’s re-upping is no surprise, it underscores his pivotal role at Los Angeles Opera.”

…And DC, Too (but shhh! it’s a secret)

Washington National Opera will announce next week that they, too, have inked General Director Placido Domingo to a five-year contract extension, running through the 2010-11 season. The company had promised execs at LA Opera that they wouldn’t trample on the California story with a simultaneous announcement of their own, but leaks are apparently a whole different story.