McClellan was a music critic for the Washington Post over three decades. “Joe was a gentle, inquisitive and compassionate man, and those qualities were reflected in his criticism. ‘I’ve never attended a concert without reminding myself that at least one person in the room knows more about that music than I do.’ Sharply negative reviews were rare, and Joe was aware that he was sometimes viewed as a cheerleader. (He dismissed that charge with a laugh: ‘I don’t know how to twirl a baton and would look dreadful in a skirt.’) Instead, he likened his role to that of a gardener.”
Blog
The Editor Versus Belarus
Iryna Vidanava edits Student Thought, “perhaps the most edgy and professional publication left in Belarus,” where the government has been ruthlessly shutting down all independent media. “Last month, the government seized all but a handful of copies of the magazine. And now Vidanava is under investigation for financial crimes and infractions against the country’s draconian press laws. If charged, the 27-year-old editor could face a huge fine and up to six years in prison. But it’s hard to know exactly what’s happening with her case in Belarus. One investigator is on vacation; another has given no word on where things stand.”
DVDs Nibble At Theatre Audience
The drift from seeing movies in theatres to at home on a DVD is probably inevitable. “The theater exhibitor says, “If you give me money, I’ll show you something.” The DVD seller says, “If you give me money, I’ll give you something.” Right away, the DVD seller has an advantage.”
Genova Museum Decorates
“Genoa has just opened a museum that is endowed with a remarkable private collection of more than 20,000 pieces dating from between 1880 and 1945. It includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, glass, ceramics, wrought iron, textiles, architectural projects (built and unbuilt), graphic design, political and publicity posters and leaflets, books, periodicals and newspapers.”
A Good Year For Jazz
“Any year in which John Coltrane supplants Jamie Cullum as a topic of conversation is a very good year indeed. For once, the jazz art at its highest and the jazz business at its most lucrative have been completely in step, a reaffirmation of the music’s core values at a time when they’re far too often compromised for public consumption.”
Judge Blocks Book On Folk Singer
A British judge has blocked publication of a book by Niema Ash about folk singer Loreena McKennitt. “The ruling requires Ash to delete seven of 34 sections complained about by McKennitt as violations of privacy or confidentiality, before Ash can again publish the book.” The judge said that “most of the material to which McKennitt objected was either trivial, anodyne, not intrusive or not inherently confidential, but nonetheless awarded the singer 75 per cent of the trial costs and £5,000 for ‘hurt feelings and distress.’ The court costs alone are expected to amount to more than $1-million.”
Broadway’s Record Year
“Ticket sales were $825m in 2005, up from $749m the previous year, reported the League of American Theatres and Producers. Although ticket prices did rise in 2005, an extra 650,000 visited Broadway theatres this year. Of the total audience increase of 650,000 over 2004, according to the League’s data, it’s important to realise that ticket sales for plays alone were up by 530,000.”
New UK Laws Impose Hardship On Performers
New performer licensing laws in the UK have made things difficult for small acts. “When the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, launched the licensing laws on November 24, the media focused almost exclusively on the new 24-hour opening rules and the fears of a wave of binge drinking. Hardly anyone reported that at the same time the regulations required every small-scale entertainer, from folk musicians to street artists to charity carollers, to obtain a public entertainment licence before putting on a paid-for performance.”
How Closely Have You Been Paying Attention?
We here at ArtsJournal like to think of ourselves as people who pay close attention to news of the cultural world. So we’re somewhat embarrassed to score only 15 out of 20 in this year’s Guardian cultural literacy quiz…
Rethinking Sondheim
“Stephen Sondheim has always been ready for his close-up. There’s a reason his songs are picked up so quickly by cabaret performers who keep their hearts parked in their throats. But because he writes for Broadway, the original incarnations of his shows have tended to be big in ways that brought out the glitter in his intricate lyrics and scores but often kept audiences at an amused, admiring remove. Now a new generation of Sondheim interpreters are revealing just how directly this composer speaks to them.”