A collection of modern Western art goes on display in Iran for the first time in 25 years. “The exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts includes works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, and Warhol. Most of the 188 works were purchased to further Iran’s cultural activities by the wife of the late Shah. But the Shah’s fall saw the collection locked away by an Islamic government opposed to Western influence.
Blog
Israeli Minister Brands Barenboim Anti-Semitic
Israel’s education minister called Daniel Barenboim anti-Semitic after the conductor refused to be interviewed by a radio reporter wearing a military uniform. Barenboim: “Anti-Semitic? What is anti-Semitic about it? When I say that a uniform should be worn to the right places and not to the wrong ones, there is nothing anti-Semitic about it, there is no logic to this claim. I just thought that in this place, discussing a book written together with a Palestinian, it shows lack of sensitivity.”
National Symphony Looks For New Leader
What kind of conductor will replace Leonard Slatkin as music director of the National Symphony? Tim Page writes that it’s instructive to look at the orchestra’s history. “It is too early to speculate with much authority on who will become the sixth music director of the National Symphony Orchestra. Slatkin’s contract runs for another three seasons (although he is thought to be actively pursuing other jobs, especially Daniel Barenboim’s soon-to-be-vacated position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), and the search process is still in its beginning stages.”
NBC Edits Out Statement Critical Of Bush
NBC edits out a comment criticl of George Bush by singer Kanye West on the network’s hurricane relief telethon Saturday night. “By censoring Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West’s remarks critical of President Bush during its West Coast feed of the program Friday night, the network violated the most moving and essential moment in an otherwise sterile, self-serving corporate broadcast.”
A Tale Of Two Tristans
EMI is making the last great studio opera recording – Tristan und Isolde with Placido Domingo. It was recorded in 15 sessions spread over eight weeks and cost about $1 million to make. Another Tristan is also being released of a stage performance by the Royal Swedish Opera on the budget-priced Naxos label. “This was made in six days; the orchestra, conductor, and all but one member of the cast were performing the work in the opera house during the same period, thereby cutting down on the need for session time. The performance is professional, satisfying, and in many respects competitive with EMI’s, even though Naxos’s Wolfgang Millgram is not a match for Domingo. Amazon.com sells the Naxos version for $22.98.”
The Little Guitar Company That Could
“First Act’s secret weapon is a line of small guitars in cardboard boxes with see-through plastic fronts. They’re sold in the toy departments at Target and Wal-Mart. And they’re revolutionizing the market for musical instruments. In the past decade First Act has essentially created the musical instrument niche at the country’s mass merchant retailers. In 2004 First Act grossed over $100 million and accounted for more than 90 percent of the market share in instrument sales at such stores.”
Gulf Coast Cultural Institutions In Peril
“The state of many cultural institutions in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi are largely unknown, those preparing to help say. The Heritage Emergency National Task Force – a coalition of 36 federal agencies and national organizations – held a conference call yesterday to plan for help, said Jane Long, task force director. It is a project of Heritage Preservation, a national nonprofit, in Washington. The main problem, she said, is the lack of information, particularly about New Orleans.”
A Way For The Arts To Help Hurricane Relief
I am writing from Swine Palace, the professional theatre company affiliated with the Louisiana State University Department of Theatre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I am hoping you can pass on to your readers information regarding an arts-related unified disaster relief effort. As the reports from New Orleans continue to come in, it is clear that South Louisiana faces a dire situation as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Here in Baton Rouge, we are expecting our population to double in the next few days as more evacuees and displaced citizens are relocated here.
Currently, Swine Palace is working on a number of ways to service the many evacuees in Baton Rouge and further participate in the disaster relief efforts. As such, we would like to appeal to our fellow arts organizations across the country to participate in what we are calling the Arts United for Hurricane Relief program. We are asking that organizations consider ways to solicit hurricane relief donations. Some of the ways that they might participate is by placing a donation jar in the their lobby, including an insert or ad in the program, including a link on their website or possibly donating the proceeds of a special performance. There are a variety of funds to which the proceeds can be donated including the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), The Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund or the Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund both of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (www.braf.org) or the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund of the LSU Foundation. We are certainly not asking that any organization jeopardize their own funding efforts, but any assistance would be greatly appreciated. We are currently setting-up a link on our website (www.swinepalace.org) which will provide additional information, links and downloads as well as a list of all the organizations that participate. In the meantime, organizations who would like to participate can contact me at 225-578-9274 or ksosno1@lsu.edu
Thank you for your assistance.
Kristin Sosnowsky
Managing Director
Swine Palace Productions
Reilly Theatre
Tower Dr. – LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Broadway Theatre To Be Renamed For August Wilson
Broadway’s Jujamcyn theatre group says it will “change the name of the Virginia Theater, at 245 West 52nd Street, to the August Wilson Theater. The new marquee, with a giant neon sign bearing the writer’s signature, is to be unveiled on Oct. 17. Mr. Wilson, 60, will be the first African-American for whom a Broadway theater is named. He will take his place beside such theatrical figures as the playwright Eugene O’Neill, the composer George Gershwin and the actress Helen Hayes.”
Full Disclosure: Getty Fails To Turn Over Documents Related To Looting
“The J. Paul Getty Trust, which has said it was fully cooperating with Italian authorities, did not disclose a series of letters and photographs that show its chief antiquities curator maintained close relationships with dealers suspected of selling art looted from Italy, according to documents and interviews.”