James Levine may indeed be what the doctor ordered for the Boston Symphony. But his first concerts indicate that the relationship needs consderable maturing, writes Justin Davidson. “The classical music world is hoping for a golden age in Boston, and the inscrutably genial Levine isn’t lowering any expectations. This concert was not the apotheosis of that relationship, but the prelude. Let the work of subtlety begin.”
Blog
SFMoMA, Hirshhorn Team Up To Buy Hill
As acquisition budgets get leaner, museums are teaming up to buy art. “The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has just announced an agreement with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington to purchase jointly a major work by Seattle video artist Gary Hill.”
Worcester Museum Settles Discrimination Lawsuit
The Worcester Art Museum in Massachsetts has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle an anti-discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a Muslim man who was fired after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks,
Will Mary Poppins Be Mackintosh’s Ticket Back?
Producer Cameron Mackintosh is trying to hit another home run with a production of “Mary Poppins”. It contains songs from the old Disney movie plus some new music. “The oft-predicted demise of the blockbuster musical is still a long way off, the impresario, unsurprisingly, believes. ‘The only thing that really changes is the writers. The profession can often be wrong about what the audience wants, but then someone will come up with something different’.”
No Progress Tracking Down “Scream”
Police are no closer in the investigation to recover two paintings by Edvard Munch from the Munch Museum in Oslo. And the museum remains closed “indefinitely” while new security systems are being installed. “There haven’t been any arrests in the case, nor have any charges been filed.”
Belfast Opera House To Get Facelift
The Belfast Opera House – the city’s most prominent theatre – has been granted approval for a makeover that will update the building to accomodate modern productions and audiences…
Robert Merrill, 85
Singer Robert Merrill, who had a long career singing opera, but was more widely known for singing the national anthem at New York Yankee games, has died. “Clad in a pinstriped shirt and a tattered Yankees necktie, Merrill sang the national anthem at the Yankees’ season opener for three decades, beginning in 1969.”
Hot Off The Ringer
Cell phone ring tones have become a big source of revenue for recording companies. Now Billboard Magazine says it will start publishing a weekly top ringtones chart. “The new chart, known as the Billboard Hot Ringtones Chart, will reflect the “Top 20″ polyphonic ringtone sales for each week, including song title, artist, previous week’s position and number of weeks on the chart.”
ABBA-Slumming With von Otter
Mezzo Anne-Sofie von Otter is an established star. And what is she recording next? And album of ABBA songs. Really? “Why apply a refined instrument that is trained to achieve a supernatural range on the works of a band that groomed itself for the most feeble-minded of musical conventions, the Eurovision Song Contest?”
Book TV – Lit On A TV Drama?
Norman Mailer makes a guest appearance on the TV drama Gilmore Girls. A real live author on a TV series? But Dana Stevens writes that “literature has played a supporting role on the show since its inception. With its rapid-fire, hyper-caffeinated dialogue and who’s-got-a-crush-on-whom plotlines, Gilmore Girls could easily pass as another wholesome WB teen show à la Dawson’s Creek. But beneath its giggly female energy and family-friendly values lurks the most bookish series on network television.”