Robert Moog has been designing instruments for 50 years. His most famous instrument, of course, is the Moog synthesizer. “Oh, gosh, it freaked people out. One of the many things you could do was imitate vocal sounds – make it go ‘Weeoooooww’. That really upset. The reaction was a bit like that of primitive cultures believing cameras could catch your soul.”
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The ENO’s Quest For A New Conductor
The English National Orchestra has had a rough few years. Now it’s looking for a new conductor – but it’ll be a tough job walking through the door. “There’s a chance that a new chief conductor with a really solid knowledge of opera repertory and casting, and a commitment to the company’s principles, could just turn the place around. The ENO orchestra is sounding much stronger now than it has been for a while.”
The Gates Of Central Park: A Dream Fulfilled
One New York City Parks Commissioner describes the artist Christo and his wife/collaborater Jeanne-Claude as “relentless, in the best New York City way,” and the massive draping of Central Park is the proof. The project, which will come to fruition this weekend, is the culmination of a quarter-century of begging, cajoling, and convincing by the artists, who use the proceeds from small, collector-friendly works to fund their huge flights of artistic fancy.
Well, You Know Vancouver Would Be Pissed
Toronto has been designated one of Canada’s “Cultural Capitals.” So what, says Martin Knelman? “Can we be frank? This is hardly a reason for Toronto to throw its collective hat in the air and honk its horn on Yonge St. as if the Leafs had won the Stanley Cup. The Culture Capital designation is part of the recently renewed Tomorrow Starts Today program, designed to shower money on the arts… But what if Ottawa were to embrace the notion that Canada desperately needs a cultural capital able to compete with European and U.S. cultural centres, and came to the conclusion there is only one city in Canada that can realistically aspire to achieve that goal — Toronto?”
Less Than Cutting-Edge, By Design
San Francisco is a cutting-edge city in so many ways, so why does it lag behind other big metropolises when it comes to innovative architecture? Perhaps it’s not entirely a bad thing, especially if the city’s reluctance to embrace New York-style modernism is rooted in a devotion to its own unique look. “[G]ood buildings here have deep roots. They’re tied to their setting, whether it’s a rural hillside or a city street, and they draw on what’s around them… Second, there’s a conscious attempt to build on the past in fresh ways, [and] finally, the good local architects appreciate how our urban world is shaped by nature. The Bay Area is not some blank slate waiting for buildings to shape the landscape. What makes this region special is the environment.”
SLSO Strike Mediation Delayed
Musicians and managers have finally agreed to mediation in the St. Louis Symphony strike, but bizarrely, the first session isn’t scheduled until the middle of next week. Meanwhile “more of the orchestra’s younger musicians than usual have been auditioning for other ensembles around the country. Though the SLSO is generally considered to be among the top 10 orchestras in the United States, St. Louis ranks 19th in base pay for its musicians.” In other words, time is of the essence in this dispute, and the lack of urgency on both sides is beginning to grate.
More Drama At Disney
The line of succession at the Walt Disney Company has been blurry ever since chairman and CEO Michael Eisner agreed to step down last year, and a new book detailing many behind-the-scenes power struggles within the company seems likely to make choosing a new top mouse even harder.
TV Does Not Rot Your Brain (Okay, MTV Might)
Bad television is still bad television, but television as a medium may not be as bad for our minds as we’ve always suspected. Decades of research make it clear that moderate amounts of television viewing can actually open cognitive doors for children, provided that the program being watched has an educational bent. “A child who watches Sesame Street in preschool will not only be better at recognizing letters and numbers in Grade 1, but will also be more willing to learn. And the change is not short-lived.”
What Good Is A Song If No One Knows It?
“Imagine a world where the songbooks of American composers, from Jerome Kern to Richard Rodgers to Stephen Sondheim, have never been recorded or captured on film and the only people who knew them well were the performers who originated the roles on-stage and a small community of cabaret connoisseurs… [T]hat hypothetically apocalyptic scenario is the reality of the younger, but equally pedigreed world of English Canadian musical theatre. Hundreds of Canadian shows and thousands of songs have been written in the past 60 or 70 years for which there are no recordings or, in many cases, no musical charts.” Now, a group of performers is trying to fill the void, creating an aural and written record.
Steppenwolf Not Looking Back
“To celebrate its 30th anniversary throughout the 2005-06 season, [Chicago’s] Steppenwolf Theatre has decided to take five big risks. For the first time in its history its principal subscription series will be made up entirely of new works.” Four of the five productions have already been announced, including new plays by Richard Greenberg and Steven Dietz.