What’s the most popular book club book? “After nearly 13,000 votes, we can announce the winner is Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, followed by Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog… and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. A longlist of more than 50 was based on the suggestions from book clubs from across the UK who sent in their nominations to the Magazine last week.”
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How Is It “World” Music If World Doesn’t Listen?
As musicians and music execs gather in Gateshead for this year’s World Music Awards, one wonders: the “world” music celebrated in the West isn’t necissarily the music played in the countries of origin. So do the nominations “represent the cream of the world’s music or simply the tastes and interests of a group of self-appointed Western experts?” And does it matter?
Does “Popularity” Disqualify New Music From Concert Halls?
Why is it that new music that gets to be popular with audiences is so seldom programmed in concert halls, asks Julian Lloyd-Webber. “Sadly, the impression persists that new compositions which have proved attractive to audiences are considered too populist by certain powerful figures in the classical music world.”
Kiev’s Battling Museums
One of the Ukraine’s richest men wants to build a museum of contemporay art. But the country’s new president wants to build a historical museum on the same site. “Whether the government’s actions are motivated by animus for the controversial Pinchuk, or whether this is simply an honest misunderstanding and conflict between opposing visions, the government should reverse tack and let the businessman build his museum. First of all, Kyiv needs a museum of forward-looking contemporary art more than it needs a historical-cultural museum that, valuable as it may be, will inevitably be backward-looking.”
Extortionist Uses Da Vinci Code To Blackmail Company
An extortionist in Australia used the Vigenere Code – made famous recently by the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code – to blackmail a construction company. The blackmailer used newspaper classified ads to send his messages to the company, theatening to kill crane drivers unless he was paid the ransom by Tuesday.
Is Poluution Hurting Terra-Cotta Warriors?
American scientists are collaborating with Chinese counterparts to study the effects of pollution on the terra-cotta warriors in Xian. “Based on continuous observation of the pollution and studies onthe change and chemical reaction mechanism of corrosive gas, aerated solids and dust, researchers will work out an evaluation report on the mechanism of pollutants’ corrosion on the rare cultural relics.
More Nazi-Looted Art Returned (Why’s It Take So Long?)
There are very few legal statutes regarding the return of stolen art appropriated by the Nazis. While court rulings decide the fate of some, the majority of cases are fought on moral and ethical grounds and many victims of the Third Reich base their cases on emotional pleas.
Is Scotland’s Most Famous Painting By A Frenchman?
Sir Henry Raeburn’s “The Skating Reverend” may be the country’s version of the Mona Lisa. It is seen by many as one of the finest paintings by a Scottish artist in existence, but controversial new research has suggested that it is not in fact Raeburn’s at all, but that of a little known French artist called Henri-Pierre Danloux.”
Maastricht Art Fair (Old Masters R Us)
Time for the annual Maastricht European Fine Art Fair. Prices keep going up as the supply of Old Masters goes down. “Old masters have appreciated about 17 percent since October 2003 after a 30 percent drop in the previous five years, according to Art Market Research’s index of the 25 percent most expensive works sold at auction. The top-priced old master is owned by billionaire Ken Thomson, who paid 49.5 million pounds ($76 million at the time) for Peter Paul Rubens’s “Massacre of the Innocents” at a London auction in July 2002.”
How The Arts Could Learn From WalMart
It may not be the most socially responsible company on the planet, but WalMart has a profound understanding of the science of pricing and how it affects consumers. AJ Blogger Andrew Taylor suggests that arts organizations, which are forever being blasted for high ticket prices, could learn a thing or two from the world’s largest retailer: “It is interesting to consider what elements of price are in the minds of our audiences, and how we can scale our pricing (both up and down) to shape their on-going dance of cost and value.”