Andrew Druckenbrod likes the Pittsburgh Symphony’s new season. But he’s dismayed there’s so little contemporary music. “This has became a soap-box issue for me out of concern for the field, not for selfish reasons. I love the classics as much as anyone, but if the industry stagnates, it will fall off the map. Not die, just become less and less important, and ironically, fewer canonical works will be heard. Presenting the canon is good for marketing and subscriptions in the short term, but years of that shortsightedness creates lack of relevance that eventually does show up in the box office, as it has for orchestras and the PSO even before Sept. 11.”
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City Ballet From The Nose-Bleed Section
The best place to see New York City Ballet? Gotta be the fourth ring. Not only can you see the structure of the choreography, there’s also Miriam Pellman…
Dancing Through Christo’s Gates
Christo’s Central Park Gates are art, sure. But they’re also a kind of dance through the park, writes Tobi Tobias. “The project as a whole makes a major part of its impact through repetition. This repetition, as you tread The Gates’ paths, deftly turns footfall into drum- or heartbeat. Martha Graham used the same steady-pulse phenomenon in the formally paced entrances and exits that frame the sections of her Primitive Mysteries. Laura Dean, choreographing to the music of Steve Reich, made it the keystone of her contribution to postmodern dance.”
Rise Of The Arty Class
“Until recently, the abilities that led to success in school, work, and business were characteristic of the left hemisphere. They were the sorts of linear, logical, analytical talents measured by SATs and deployed by CPAs. Today, those capabilities are still necessary. But they’re no longer sufficient. In a world upended by outsourcing, deluged with data, and choked with choices, the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere – artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent. The Information Age we all prepared for is ending. Rising in its place is what I call the Conceptual Age, an era in which mastery of abilities that we’ve often overlooked and undervalued marks the fault line between who gets ahead and who falls behind.”
Cultural Toppers Attack British Arts Policy
British cultural luminaries are attacking the government for its arts policies. “The Government is facing a backlash from some of the most important figures in British culture, who accuse it of betraying promises to support the arts. In a move that will alarm ministers just weeks before an expected general election, arts leaders have spoken over their concerns about the potentially devastating impact of a spending freeze.”
Frayling: Gap Between Arts And Government Growing
Arts Council England chairman Christopher Frayling is disappointed in government attitudes towards the arts. “The arts often remain an afterthought in government policy – and the arts are often the first to suffer when money is tight. To make matters worse, governments can also interfere in the arts. Lately, I have sensed the distance between the Arts Council and the Government is narrowing. The Government clearly thought we were being ungrateful after the big uplifts to arts in previous spending rounds. We felt betrayed that the Government had decided not to continue with its investment of new money – despite all the success. A strange decision, since the upward curve of the arts was one of country’s good news stories. It was up to then an uncompromised record – so why start compromising now?”
Charlotte Rep To Shut Down
Charlotte Repertory Theatre, that city’s major regional theatre, says it has lost its fight to survive, and will shut down. “It is very unfortunate that there was little community support for a core cultural organization — the Rep — in our city. We feel that it is a tremendous loss to the quality of life for our entire region … a major cultural loss that will be felt for many years to come.”
Producers Takes Top Prizes At Oliviers
“The Producers won three prizes at the UK’s most prestigious annual theatre awards, while Mary Poppins won two. Alan Bennett’s The History Boys was the big winner in the straight theatre categories, picking up three trophies.”
Art-As-Homework? Hmnnn…
How much ought you to know about an artwork before seeing it to get the maximum appreciation? “There are compelling arguments for appreciating an artwork on its own terms. Some people refuse to read movie reviews for fear that not only surprise endings but also subtle textural details will be revealed and spoil an otherwise fresh encounter. If they want to dig deeper into a film or an opera or a dance, they wait until they’ve seen it, then double back and do their research. But the sedimentary texture of knowledge, the layerings of appreciation, can provide pleasure on a first encounter, too.”
Arts Council Chairman: Scottish Opera Funding A Disgrace
Scotland’s new Arts Council head says he’ll fight hard for the arts, and that Scottish Opera’s funding crisis is a national disgrace. “Richard Holloway, speaking out in his first week as chairman of the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), said he regretted the national opera company was about to enter a year of enforced silence. The former Bishop of Edinburgh said he would use his position not only to press for extra funding for Scottish Opera but for a “massive infusion” of cash for the arts in general.”