Blog

A Gaddafi Opera?

“The dance-hip-hop collective, Asian Dub Foundation, is planning a production of Gaddafi (working title), due for February 2006, with a rapper playing Gaddafi and a chorus comprised of his all-female cohort of bodyguards. Why is it that The Producers springs to mind with visions of Gaddafi’s bodyguards instead of Gestapo lovelies goosestepping à la Busby Berkeley?”

Page: One Of The “Worst Opera Productions” I’ve Ever Seen

Tim Page has been to a lot of operas. So when he writes about the Washington National Opera’s production of Il Trovatore that: “the production is a thoroughgoing horror, and Saturday night in particular provided one of the worst performances of any opera I’ve ever seen. Graves aside, the singers strove mightily to pull themselves up onto the lowest rungs of mediocrity (were we really at the Kennedy Center?)” you might want to pay attention…

The Chinese Are Coming

Chinese tourists haven’t been much of a factor worldwide. But that is changing. Quickly. “Nationwide, more than 500 million tourists poured into airports, highways and train stations last year. Outbound travel by Chinese tourists reached 16.6 million people in 2002 and is expected to double this year to 32 million. The World Tourism Organization predicts 100 million Chinese will be travelling the world by 2020. The Pacific Asia Travel Association believes that figure will be reached within six years, based on current trends.”

Fischer-Dieskau, Gil Win Music’s Richest Prize

“Baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Brazilian singer, guitarist, and composer Gilberto Gil are the winners of the 2005 Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music announced today in Stockholm. The 14-year-old annual prize, which is usually awarded to a classical musician and a pop or jazz musician, is the world’s biggest music prize, at one million Swedish Kroners, or approximately $135,000.”

Springer To Close In Debt?

Jerry Springer – The Opera is a hit right? Well, it could close in London as early as today. “The award-winning musical has fallen prey to one of the worst years for ticket sales in West End history which, combined with the financial impact of a legal action against the Daily Mail, its producers say, has pushed the show into crisis.”

Iraq Explosions Causing Damage To Ancient Site

Contractors exploding ordinance at an ammo dump in Iraq are causing damage to an important ancient site that is on Unesco’s World Heritage list. “Since May, controlled explosions of recovered munitions and mines are conducted at a nearby US military base. These are believed to take place twice daily. This constant seismic activity is damaging the stone arches of the main temple and the outer wall of the ancient city, which could lead to collapses.”

Artists Give To Tate

The Tate Museum is huge. But it’s struggling with a collections budget that is undersized. So, some 20 artists have agreed to give pieces of their work to the Tate Britain gallery. “There are huge gaps in the Tate’s collections, which in many ways inform all of us, working artists and the growing public. Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, said: ‘We have to take this initiative to sustain our public collections in the face of declining public resources’.”