Of course the first priority for the CBC is trying to get its audiences back after a long work stoppage. But “beyond the short-term strategy of attracting back viewers, where does the CBC sees itself going and what does it see as its purpose? Remember, it’s been down this road before.”
Blog
Stearns: Another Take On “Atomic”
David Stearns: “The opera walks an uncertain line between representation and abstraction, unfolding along traditional linear lines until a fleet of dancers in military uniform, choreographed by Lucinda Childs, suggests “Springtime for Hitler” is on the way. Not until you’re deep into the opera do you realize that complete portrayals of key characters aren’t attempted; they’re presented, nonjudgmentally, in pieces for the audience to assemble. Is it a Faust story? Nothing so cliched. I saw an ironic parable of how saving the world may well destroy it.”
More Animals-On-Parade
The decorated fiberglass animals-on-parade phenomenon continues in cities around North America. Critics hate them: “It’s the scourge of Western civilization.” “Yet the fiberglass phenomenon remains wildly popular. Superficially, at least, the reasons are obvious. Most ordinary folks, children especially, find the sculptures just plain fun. They’re relatively cheap, so corporate patrons can easily sponsor local artists to decorate them. Because they are usually displayed for only a few months, they aren’t around long enough to become eyesores. And when their time is up, they’re auctioned off for charity, civic institutions or other worthy causes.”
Musicians Protest Pittsburgh Ballet’s Recordings
Union musicians in Pittsburgh plan a four-day protest of live music to demonstrate against Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s decision to replace its ochestra with recorded music. “Pittsburgh Ballet announced the elimination of the orchestra during unsuccessful negotiations with the musicians this past summer. The company says the move will save $551,000, which is in keeping with its overall 2005-06 budget of $6.4 million, down $1 million from the previous season. In January, PBT had a deficit of nearly $1 million.”
In Cleveland – Only One In Ten Seats Filled For Organ Concert
Cleveland’s Severance Hall was almost empty for its first major organ concert this year. “Only about 10 percent of the seats in Severance Hall were occupied Sunday when the hall’s Organ Recital Series began its season with a recital by Paul Jacobs, a wizardly musician who deserves massive audiences.”
Twist: Musicians Tell Fans How To Beat Their Record Company’s Piracy Measures
Some big recording companies are protecting their CD’s from being copied or locking the format so they can’t be transfered to an iPod. “But these decisions aren’t sitting well with some of the artists whose CDs have been secured. A number of leading acts are using their Web sites to instruct fans on how to work around the technology.”
National Symphony Gets A New Conductor
Washington’s National Symphony has signed on Ivan Fischer as its new principal guest conductor beginning with the 2006-07 season. “The initial contract will be for three years, meaning that Fischer may be the senior artistic figure within the orchestra when the present music director, Leonard Slatkin, steps down at the end of the 2007-08 season.”
Delay In Nobel Lit Announcement
Awarding of this year’s Nobel Prize for literature has been delayed a week. “By tradition, the 18-member group that makes up the 219-year-old institution, announces on a Tuesday that it will name the winner the following Thursday at 7 a.m. EDT. It’s also led to speculation that academy members may be locked in fierce debate as to who should take home this year’s prize, which includes a $1.3 million prize, a gold medal and a diploma, along with a guaranteed boost in sales.”
Another 9/11 Memorial Clashes With Critics
This time it’s a design to commenmorate the crash of flight 93 in a Pennsylvania field. “The debates suggest an age-of-terror version of the fights over identity politics, provocative artworks and the Western canon that flared up 20 years ago. In the case of Flight 93, the Hallmark-card Minimalism that is now the lingua franca for memorials — and the design world’s version of political correctness — has clashed with the notion that what we ought to remember about its passengers, above all else, is their onboard rebellion.”
Between Theatre And Dance
“In theater, there has been a movement in recent decades away from word-driven narrative. Theater today – interesting theater, not formulaic Broadway commerciality – is as much about movement and image and multimedia and even song as the actorly articulation of text. Not that words still aren’t central to the art, but they’ve lost their arrogant monopoly. In dance, we live in a time of worldwide reaction against the excesses of pure abstraction.”