Britain’s public libraries are in serious decline, according to a new report, and a £650 million backlog of crucial repairs needs to be addressed soon. The lack of public funding for library maintenance has led to the “scandalous” situation, and the report calls funding for book allocation “very low” as well.
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Rare Victory For Classical Radio
In a reversal of the way these things usually go, Cincinnati’s all-classical public radio station, WGUC, has purchased WVXU, the city’s powerful public news and information station, along with the three-state network it was attached to. The merger has the potential to make WGUC a major force in the increasingly ratings-driven world of public radio, but unlike in so many other markets, where classical stations have been eliminated or converted to news/talk, the consolidation would seem to strengthen the place of classical music on Cincinnati’s air.
Crafting A Unique Career
Robert Craft has never been music director of an orchestra, and has always taken great pride in causing discomfort to the more staid and traditional corners of the classical music world. Still, Craft’s influence over the direction of 20th-century music was profound, and a slew of reissued CDs on the budget Naxos label are reasserting his position as one of the primary trendsetters and culture shapers of his era.
Muti Refuses To Conduct La Scala
Riccardo Muti has refused to conduct the La Scala orchestra, saying that the company is in crisis. “I believe that, at the moment, there are not the conditions for us to play music together.” His announcement forced the theatre to scrap a concert by La Scala Philharmonic that was to have been performed on Friday, the latest in a string of cancellations pitching the house into financial crisis.
The Catch-22 Of First Time Fiction
“Literary first novels are almost impossible to introduce into the marketplace. Bookstores will only order them in small quantities, if at all, and it is difficult to get reviews, especially in places that really matter. Additionally, getting a bookstore reading for a first fiction author is an effort that would make Sisyphus proud. A well–established independent bookseller once told me flat out that he would never book a first fiction author into his store. Furthermore, to even have a chance of selling, a first novel has to classifiable, meaning it has to fit neatly into a genre or niche—mystery, thriller, crime, etc. A one sentence selling line also helps. However, literary fiction often cannot be easily classified or described.”
Into Every Painter Of Light A Little Rain Must Fall
Thomas Kinkade is making a crusade out of his career. “The 47-year-old painter sees himself as a fine-art rebel at war with elitism. He makes it sound downright radical to be the leading creator of easy-access art in the traditions of Walt Disney, Norman Rockwell and, believe it or not, Andy Warhol. ‘My art is a populist form of art. The official art of our day – the art that our tax dollars pay for – is an art of darkness, it is an art of alienation from the public. … What I create is very much a reaction to that system.”
Did Toscanini Kill Classical Music In America?
When did classical music fall off the American cultural radar? Moreover, how did it get on the radar in the first place? Joseph Horowitz’s newest tome tackles the full scope and history of classical music in the U.S., and comes to some fairly dark conclusions. “Horowitz partly blames the early 20th century ‘Toscanini Cult,’ devout worshipers of an imported Italian conductor, as one of the main catalysts for the demise. This was the Waterloo, the point at which, in the eyes of Americans, classical music went strictly European… It was also the point at which we became overzealously fascinated not with the music being played, but with the performers who played it, a shift the author views as an unhealthy offshoot of a market-driven culture.”
Nothing Much Going Right In Salt Lake
In the two years since the Utah Symphony & Opera merged to become one organization, ticket sales have declined and the ensemble has become alarmingly reliant on special contributions to stay afloat financially. The merger was supposed to cut overhead costs, but spending has actually increased instead, leading to accusations of mismanagement from the US&O’s musicians. Lots of U.S. orchestras are struggling, of course, but the US&O’s 2002-03 operating deficit was fully 10% of its total budget, an alarming figure that is causing some observers to question whether the merged organization can survive.
A Picture’s Worth…
“The art world, layered with prestige, the weight of history, serious scholarship and not a little pretense, has finally embraced photography, but the verdict is still out about the medium’s position as an arriviste. Serious collectors of art are now seriously collecting photographs, but so are people with cash on their hands who view photography as just another status collectible. That status depends in part on the belief that these fantastic prices reflect some inherent worth, not just canny marketing. Do they?”
The Music’s Not The Problem
The Utah Symphony & Opera’s financial problems stem in part from a busted marketing apparatus, according to concertgoers in Salt Lake City. Many in town still voice strong support for the quality of US&O performances, but have been put off by flippant marketing campaigns, nonsensical schedule changes, and other rankling inconveniences.