It’s been well documented that the English-language market for books in translation has nearly dried up in recent years, with the increasing global dominance of American culture and declining American interest in literature in general. But now, the Association of American Publishers is attempting to jumpstart the translation market by offering $10,000 to any publlisher willing to release one of several translated Iranian novels. The money comes from a grant by philanthropist and Democratic power broker George Soros.
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Eos Orchestra Is No More
New York’s Eos Orchestra has shut down because of money peoblems. The band put on “unusual and theatrical concerts like stripped-down versions of Wagner operas and the nonfilm music of Bernard Herrmann. “The group, which was founded by Jonathan Sheffer in 1995, had about four productions a year with up to 20 performances, and “at its peak” had an annual operating budget of about $2.5 million.”
Fire At Paris Opera House
Paris’ Bastille Opera House was evacuated because of a fire. “The evacuation of the modern building on the historic Place de la Bastille during a performance of The Sleeping Beauty went calmly but the show could not go on as some parts of the theatre were filled with smoke.”
Court Victory For Family Seeking Nazi-Looted Art
“A Canadian family scored a major legal victory yesterday when a judge in the Czech Republic agreed that they should gain possession of a valuable art collection — believed to be worth millions of dollars — assembled by their Jewish grandfather, then later confiscated by the Nazis and the Communists… [T]he decision, which will be issued in writing late next month, will likely be appealed. That appeal could take more than a year, with the case possibly going as far as the Czech Republic’s Supreme Court. As a result, it might be as late as 2008 before the collection ends up on Canadian soil, if ever.”
How Long Before They’re Paying Us To Rent Movies?
Locked in a price war with WalMart, Blockbuster Video has announced that it will slash the cost of a monthly subscription to its mail-order movie rental service by $2.50, and will increase its film inventory for the service. The new Blockbuster price undercuts WalMart by 55 cents. Meanwhile, the original online/mail order movie service, NetFlix, which had previously cut its monthly price by $4 to compete with Blockbuster, says the latest cut will drive customers away from Blockbuster’s own brick-and-mortar stores.
Texas-Sizing Your Museum
“The Dallas Museum of Art has suffered growing pains. Back-to-back expansions of the downtown building, the last ending in 1993, left more space than art to fill it. Recently, it’s had the opposite problem. The contemporary collection has snowballed since director John R. ‘Jack’ Lane’s arrival in 1999, but the Contemporary Art Galleries weren’t designed for the kind of big works being done today, many of which include films or videos with noisy soundtracks.” But now, with a major renovation just completed, DMA may finally have a space that fits its collection.
Norwegian Police Interrogate “Scream” Suspect
Norwegian police have questioned their first suspect in the theft of two Much paintings last summer. “The man was released without charge on Thursday, but is still considered a suspect, police said.”
Will Saatchi Sell His Shark?
Collector Charles Saatchi is mulling a £6.25 million offer for the massive tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde which he commissioned from artist Damien Hirst in 1991 for £50,000. The shark, one of the early works of the movement known as BritArt, “propelled Hirst to fame after it was first shown in 1992.”
Lebrecht: Why Does Anyone Like Tippett?
The British have always been taken with the work of homegrown composer Michael Tippett, although he is hardly a household name elsewhere in the world. This is exactly as it should be, says Norman Lebrecht, and the coming celebration of his centenary will be little more than a tip of the cap to mediocrity. Tippett was, in fact, “an inglorious exemplar of English amateurism… Set beside any of his contemporaries, radical or conservative, British, American or European, Tippett fails the driving test of coherence.”
MusicMax, Direct-To-You
For many composers, the decline of classical recording has meant a lack of new opportunities to get their music memorialized in a permanent recorded fashion. For Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, it meant half a lifetime’s work suddenly becoming unavailable to the public when his record label was sold. But Davies’ refused to admit defeat, spent months reacquiring the copyrights to his recorded work, and launched a new web site offering the old recordings and more, either by quick-and-easy download for between £1 and £4, or on custom-made CD for only slightly more. “It is a dazzling, breathtaking example of the composer cutting out the middle man and taking charge of his own destiny.”